Foreign registration · no form number

South Dakota LLC Foreign Registration in North Dakota

North Dakota registers an LLC from South Dakota as a foreign LLC on an online registration (no form number), with $135 in state fees. North Dakota also wants South Dakota's Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20). We file it with the Secretary of State using your South Dakota records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What South Dakota and North Dakota each ask for

	South Dakota formed here	North Dakota registering here
Document	South Dakota Certificate of Good Standing/Existence	Foreign Business Limited Liability Company Certificate of Authority Application (no form number)
State fee	$20	$135 at order
How it is handled	South Dakota: online	Filed online with North Dakota
Office	South Dakota Secretary of State	North Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	sosenterprise.sd.gov	sos.nd.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Name endings	'limited liability company', 'limited company', or one of the abbreviations L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC (limited may be written Ltd. and company Co.)	the words limited liability company, or LLC or L.L.C.
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $55, every year	Annual Report, $50, every year
Due	During the entity's anniversary month each year	November 15
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your South Dakota registered agent	Our North Dakota registered agent

How South Dakota companies register with North Dakota

Order the South Dakota certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20) is ordered from South Dakota separately; it is not part of our North Dakota order. North Dakota wants the South Dakota certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your North Dakota registered agent, with your South Dakota name and formation date and the certificate attached. The South Dakota certificate comes first; then the North Dakota filing goes in. After approval, your South Dakota LLC is registered with North Dakota.

North Dakota costs for South Dakota companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$135
Certificate of Good Standing/Existence, paid to South Dakota	$20
Our service, with a year of North Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, South Dakota certificate included	$354

Your South Dakota name and North Dakota's rules

North Dakota accepts your South Dakota name if it includes the words limited liability company, or LLC or L.L.C.. South Dakota's list ('limited liability company', 'limited company', or one of the abbreviations L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC (limited may be written Ltd. and company Co.)) is not the same, but an ending such as “limited liability company” works in both states. We search North Dakota's records for South Dakota's name on file before anything is filed.

Your North Dakota agent and the South Dakota one

South Dakota and North Dakota both call it a registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for South Dakota; ours takes North Dakota's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in South Dakota and North Dakota

Each year your LLC files South Dakota's Annual Report ($55) and North Dakota's Annual Report ($50). With our $149 registered agent renewal, South Dakota plus North Dakota comes to $254 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, South Dakota to North Dakota

A corporation formed in South Dakota files its own registration with North Dakota ($145 in state fees). After that come South Dakota's Annual Report and North Dakota's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

Registering a North Dakota company in South Dakota

An LLC formed in North Dakota that registers with South Dakota files South Dakota's registration (no form number) with $750 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($20). See that filing.

Common questions: South Dakota to North Dakota

Does my South Dakota company need to register in North Dakota?

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

How much does the North Dakota registration cost?

$334 at checkout plus $20 to South Dakota for the Certificate of Good Standing/Existence, $354 in all (checkout is $135 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: North Dakota wants it ($20), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for South Dakota and North Dakota?

$254 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $55 to South Dakota and $50 to North Dakota for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with North Dakota?

North Dakota can charge a South Dakota company a civil penalty of up to $5,000.

Does North Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will North Dakota accept my South Dakota name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes the words limited liability company, or LLC or L.L.C.; “limited liability company” works in both states.

Can I form a new North Dakota LLC instead?

Yes, but South Dakota keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Dakota's Annual Report ($50), and the original keeps South Dakota's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from North Dakota later?

South Dakota companies leave by filing an Application for withdrawal of a foreign limited liability company; until then, North Dakota's report stays due alongside South Dakota's filings.

Official sources

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