Foreign registration · Form FBE

South Dakota LLC Foreign Registration in Kentucky

To do business in Kentucky, an LLC formed in South Dakota registers there on Form FBE, with $90 in state fees. Kentucky needs nothing from South Dakota: no Certificate of Good Standing/Existence. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings using your South Dakota records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What South Dakota and Kentucky each ask for

	South Dakota formed here	Kentucky registering here
Document	South Dakota Certificate of Good Standing/Existence (not needed here)	Form FBE, Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Entity)
State fee	$20	$90 at order
How it is handled	South Dakota: online	Filed with Kentucky
Office	South Dakota Secretary of State	Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings
Official page	sosenterprise.sd.gov	web.sos.ky.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $55, every year	Annual Report, $15, every year
Due	During the entity's anniversary month each year	On or before June 30
Agent	Your South Dakota registered agent	Our Kentucky registered agent

How South Dakota companies register with Kentucky

We prepare and file Form FBE
It lists us as your Kentucky registered agent, next to your South Dakota name and formation date. No South Dakota paperwork holds up the Kentucky filing. Once Kentucky approves it, the South Dakota company can do business there.

Will your South Dakota name work for Kentucky?

We check your exact South Dakota name against Kentucky's records before filing.

Your Kentucky agent and the South Dakota one

South Dakota and Kentucky both call it a registered agent. Kentucky papers come to us; South Dakota's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: Kentucky and South Dakota

Each year your LLC files South Dakota's Annual Report ($55) and Kentucky's Annual Report ($15). With our $149 registered agent renewal, South Dakota plus Kentucky comes to $219 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, South Dakota to Kentucky

A corporation formed in South Dakota files Form FBE with Kentucky ($90 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come South Dakota's Annual Report and Kentucky's Annual Report ($15). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Kentucky into South Dakota

An LLC formed in Kentucky that registers with South Dakota files South Dakota's registration (no form number) with $750 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10). See that filing.

Questions South Dakota owners ask about Kentucky

Does my South Dakota company need to register in Kentucky?

Yes, once a South Dakota business operates there; Kentucky law lists 11 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does it cost to register a South Dakota LLC in Kentucky?

$289 at checkout, with nothing to pay South Dakota.

Do I need South Dakota's certificate of good standing?

No, Kentucky takes Form FBE without it.

How long does the Kentucky registration take?

Kentucky's standard processing takes up to 3 business days; nothing comes from South Dakota first.

What are the yearly costs for South Dakota and Kentucky?

$219 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $55 to South Dakota and $15 to Kentucky for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Kentucky?

A South Dakota company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Kentucky can add a penalty of $2 a day.

Does Kentucky require a registered agent?

Yes: the South Dakota registered agent stays, and ours covers Kentucky for year one.

Can I form a new Kentucky LLC instead?

Yes, but South Dakota keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Kentucky's Annual Report ($15), and the original keeps South Dakota's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Kentucky later?

South Dakota companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal (Foreign Business Entity) ($40); until then, Kentucky's report stays due alongside South Dakota's filings.

Official sources

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