Foreign registration · no form number

South Dakota LLC Foreign Registration in Montana

To do business in Montana, an LLC formed in South Dakota registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $70 in state fees. Montana needs nothing from South Dakota: no Certificate of Good Standing/Existence. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Services from your South Dakota records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

South Dakota vs Montana: the paperwork

	South Dakota formed here	Montana registering here
Document	South Dakota Certificate of Good Standing/Existence (not needed here)	Certificate of Authority (no form number)
State fee	$20	$70 at order
How it is handled	South Dakota: online	Filed online with Montana
Office	South Dakota Secretary of State	Montana Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	sosenterprise.sd.gov	help.sosmt.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $55, every year	Annual Report, $20, every year
Due	During the entity's anniversary month each year	April 15
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$15 late fee
Agent	Your South Dakota registered agent	Our Montana registered agent

From South Dakota to Montana, step by step

We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your Montana registered agent, with your South Dakota name and formation date. Nothing has to come from South Dakota first, so the Montana filing can go in right away. After approval, your South Dakota LLC is registered with Montana.

Will your South Dakota name work for Montana?

We search Montana's records for South Dakota's name on file before anything is filed.

Your Montana agent and the South Dakota one

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

Staying in good standing in South Dakota and Montana

Each year your LLC files South Dakota's Annual Report ($55) and Montana's Annual Report ($20). With our $149 registered agent renewal, South Dakota plus Montana comes to $224 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, South Dakota to Montana

A corporation formed in South Dakota files its own registration with Montana ($70 in state fees, the same). After that come South Dakota's Annual Report and Montana's Annual Report (no fee). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Montana into South Dakota

An LLC formed in Montana that registers with South Dakota files South Dakota's registration (no form number) with $750 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($5). See that filing.

Common questions: South Dakota to Montana

Does my South Dakota company need to register in Montana?

Yes, once a South Dakota business operates there; Montana does not count a one-off deal finished within 30 days.

How much does the Montana registration cost?

$269 at checkout, with nothing to pay South Dakota.

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

No, Montana takes the registration without it.

What are the yearly costs for South Dakota and Montana?

$224 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $55 to South Dakota and $20 to Montana for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Montana?

A South Dakota company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Montana can add a penalty of $5 a day, up to $1,000 a year.

Does Montana require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Montana LLC instead?

Yes, but South Dakota keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Montana's Annual Report ($20), and the original keeps South Dakota's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Montana later?

South Dakota companies leave by filing an Application for Certificate of Withdrawal (foreign limited liability company); until then, Montana's report stays due alongside South Dakota's filings.

Official sources

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The same move for a corporation