Foreign registration · no form number

South Dakota LLC Foreign Registration in Massachusetts

To do business in Massachusetts, an LLC formed in South Dakota registers there on a paper registration (no form number), with $520 in state fees. Massachusetts also asks for South Dakota's Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20), no older than 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division using your South Dakota records and act as your resident agent there for the first year.

South Dakota and Massachusetts side by side

	South Dakota formed here	Massachusetts registering here
Document	South Dakota Certificate of Good Standing/Existence	Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$20	$520 at order (filing fee $500 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	South Dakota: online	Filed on Massachusetts's paper form
Paid expedite		$20
Office	South Dakota Secretary of State	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division
Official page	sosenterprise.sd.gov	sec.state.ma.us
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $55, every year	Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $500, every year
Due	During the entity's anniversary month each year	On or before the anniversary date of registration to do business in Massachusetts
Agent	Your South Dakota registered agent	Our Massachusetts resident agent

From South Dakota to Massachusetts, step by step

Order the South Dakota certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20) is ordered from South Dakota separately; it is not part of our Massachusetts order. Massachusetts counts 90 days from the day South Dakota issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your Massachusetts resident agent, with your South Dakota name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once South Dakota's certificate is in hand, Massachusetts's filing goes in. Once Massachusetts approves it, the South Dakota company can do business there.

First-year cost, South Dakota to Massachusetts

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$520
Certificate of Good Standing/Existence, paid to South Dakota	$20
Our service, with a year of Massachusetts resident agent service	$199
First-year total, South Dakota certificate included	$739

Massachusetts's paid expedite is optional and not in the total.

Will your South Dakota name work for Massachusetts?

Massachusetts can hold a name for $30 before you file.

Agents: Massachusetts and South Dakota

Massachusetts calls it a resident agent; South Dakota says registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for South Dakota; ours takes Massachusetts's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in South Dakota and Massachusetts

Each year your LLC files South Dakota's Annual Report ($55) and Massachusetts's Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($500). With our $149 resident agent renewal, South Dakota plus Massachusetts comes to $704 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

Registering a Massachusetts company in South Dakota

An LLC formed in Massachusetts that registers with South Dakota files South Dakota's registration (no form number) with $750 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25). See that filing.

Common questions: South Dakota to Massachusetts

Does my South Dakota company need to register in Massachusetts?

Yes, once a South Dakota business operates there; Massachusetts registers it as a foreign LLC.

How much does the Massachusetts registration cost?

$719 at checkout plus $20 to South Dakota for the Certificate of Good Standing/Existence, $739 in all (checkout is $520 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: Massachusetts wants it ($20), no more than 90 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for South Dakota and Massachusetts?

$704 a year: our $149 resident agent renewal, $55 to South Dakota and $500 to Massachusetts for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Massachusetts?

A South Dakota company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Massachusetts can add a civil penalty of up to $500.

Does Massachusetts require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Massachusetts LLC instead?

Yes, but South Dakota keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520), and the original keeps South Dakota's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Massachusetts later?

South Dakota companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal ($100); until then, Massachusetts's report stays due alongside South Dakota's filings.

Official sources

People also search

LLC into Massachusetts, by home state (48)

South Dakota into other states (47)