Foreign registration · no form number

Vermont LLC Foreign Registration in Massachusetts

To do business in Massachusetts, an LLC formed in Vermont registers there on a paper registration (no form number), with $520 in state fees. Massachusetts also asks for Vermont's Certificate of Good Standing ($35), no older than 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division using your Vermont records and act as your resident agent there for the first year.

Vermont vs Massachusetts: the paperwork

	Vermont formed here	Massachusetts registering here
Document	Vermont Certificate of Good Standing	Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$35	$520 at order (filing fee $500 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Vermont: online as an instant download from the business dashboard	Filed on Massachusetts's paper form
Paid expedite		$20
Office	Vermont Secretary of State, Business Services Division	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division
Official page	sos.vermont.gov	sec.state.ma.us
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $45, every year	Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $500, every year
Due	By March 31 for calendar-year LLCs (within 3 months after end of fiscal year on record	On or before the anniversary date of registration to do business in Massachusetts
Agent	Your Vermont registered agent	Our Massachusetts resident agent

From Vermont to Massachusetts, step by step

Order the Vermont certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($35) is ordered from Vermont separately; it is not part of our Massachusetts order. Ordered from Vermont on filing day, it easily meets Massachusetts's limit of 90 days.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Massachusetts resident agent, next to your Vermont name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Vermont issues the certificate instantly, so the Massachusetts filing can go in the same day. After approval, your Vermont LLC is registered with Massachusetts.

First-year cost, Vermont to Massachusetts

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$520
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Vermont	$35
Our service, with a year of Massachusetts resident agent service	$199
First-year total, Vermont certificate included	$754

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

Will your Vermont name work for Massachusetts?

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

Agents: Massachusetts and Vermont

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

Staying in good standing in Vermont and Massachusetts

Each year your LLC files Vermont's Annual Report ($45) and Massachusetts's Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($500). With our $149 resident agent renewal, Vermont plus Massachusetts comes to $694 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

The other way: Massachusetts into Vermont

An LLC formed in Massachusetts that registers with Vermont files Vermont's registration (no form number) with $155 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Vermont owners ask about Massachusetts

Does my Vermont company need to register in Massachusetts?

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

How much does it cost to register a Vermont LLC in Massachusetts?

$719 at checkout plus $35 to Vermont for the Certificate of Good Standing, $754 in all (checkout is $520 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Vermont's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Massachusetts wants it ($35), no more than 90 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Vermont and Massachusetts?

$694 a year: our $149 resident agent renewal, $45 to Vermont and $500 to Massachusetts for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Massachusetts?

A Vermont 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 Vermont registered agent stays, and ours covers Massachusetts for year one.

Can I form a new Massachusetts LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Massachusetts later?

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

Official sources

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