Foreign registration · Form DSCB:15-412

South Dakota LLC Foreign Registration in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania registers an LLC from South Dakota as a foreign LLC on Form DSCB:15-412, with $250 in state fees. Pennsylvania asks nothing of South Dakota here, not even the Certificate of Good Standing/Existence. We file it with the Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations using your South Dakota records and act as your registered office there for the first year.

South Dakota vs Pennsylvania: the paperwork

	South Dakota formed here	Pennsylvania registering here
Document	South Dakota Certificate of Good Standing/Existence (not needed here)	Form DSCB:15-412, Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$20	$250 at order
How it is handled	South Dakota: online	Filed with Pennsylvania
Paid expedite		same-day $100, 3-hour $300, 1-hour $1,000
Office	South Dakota Secretary of State	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations
Official page	sosenterprise.sd.gov	pa.gov
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 term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $55, every year	Annual Report, $7, every year
Due	During the entity's anniversary month each year	September 30
Agent	Your South Dakota registered agent	Our Pennsylvania registered office

From South Dakota to Pennsylvania, step by step

We prepare and file Form DSCB:15-412
It lists us as your Pennsylvania registered office, next to your South Dakota name and formation date. Nothing has to come from South Dakota first, so the Pennsylvania filing can go in right away. Once Pennsylvania approves it, the South Dakota company can do business there.

Will your South Dakota name work for Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania accepts your South Dakota name if it includes the term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state. 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 check your exact South Dakota name against Pennsylvania's records before filing.

Your Pennsylvania agent and the South Dakota one

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

Staying in good standing in South Dakota and Pennsylvania

Each year your LLC files South Dakota's Annual Report ($55) and Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7). With our $149 registered office renewal, South Dakota plus Pennsylvania comes to $211 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, South Dakota to Pennsylvania

A corporation formed in South Dakota files Form DSCB:15-412 with Pennsylvania ($250 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come South Dakota's Annual Report and Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Pennsylvania into South Dakota

An LLC formed in Pennsylvania that registers with South Dakota files South Dakota's registration (no form number) with $750 in state fees, plus the Subsistence Certificate ($40). See that filing.

Questions South Dakota owners ask about Pennsylvania

Does my South Dakota company need to register in Pennsylvania?

Yes, once a South Dakota business operates there; Pennsylvania law lists 12 activities that do not count on their own.

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

$449 at checkout, with nothing to pay South Dakota.

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

No, Pennsylvania takes Form DSCB:15-412 without it.

What are the yearly costs for South Dakota and Pennsylvania?

$211 a year: our $149 registered office renewal, $55 to South Dakota and $7 to Pennsylvania for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Pennsylvania?

A South Dakota company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does Pennsylvania require a registered agent?

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

Will Pennsylvania accept my South Dakota name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes the term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state; “limited liability company” works in both states.

Can I form a new Pennsylvania LLC instead?

Yes, but South Dakota keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7), and the original keeps South Dakota's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Pennsylvania later?

South Dakota companies leave by filing a Statement of Withdrawal of Foreign Registration; until then, Pennsylvania's report stays due alongside South Dakota's filings.

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