North Dakota Foreign Registration / File it yourself

How to file a North Dakota foreign LLC registration yourself

Filing a North Dakota foreign LLC registration yourself costs $135 in state fees: create an NDLogin, order a certificate of good standing from your home state, and submit the certificate of authority application in the FirstStop Portal.

Before you open the portal

Gather six things: the exact LLC name from the formation record, the formation date, the managers or governors, the principal executive office, the registered agent with agreement in hand, and the home certificate. The certificate is the slow item because another state's office issues it.

Step 1: obtain the home certificate

Contact the filing office where the LLC was formed and request a certificate of good standing or existence. The statute requires it to be authenticated by the organizing officer where the LLC was formed. Order a digital or paper copy depending on what that office offers, and keep the file name or the paper safe until you upload or attach it.

Step 2: create or find your NDLogin

The portal uses NDLogin, North Dakota's single sign-on account. You may already have one if you have used another state agency's service. The Secretary of State's support page explains how to recover an existing login or create a new one. Choose a personal account if you alone will file and track the work, or a business account that can be shared. Support for login problems goes to the state IT service desk, not the Secretary of State.

Step 3: check the name

Use the portal's business search to see whether the LLC name is distinguishable from names on file. The Secretary of State makes the final decision on availability, and recommends that you make no commitment to a name until the filing is registered. If you want to operate under a different name, plan for a trade name registration at $25.

Step 4: start the application

From the Secretary of State's register-a-business page, follow the link to start a business in the portal and choose the foreign LLC version that fits: business, farm or ranch, or professional. Read each screen before you answer it. The application records the company name, its home state, the agent and the offices, and it asks for the home certificate.

Step 5: enter the agent

If you chose a commercial registered agent from the state's list, select it. If you chose a noncommercial agent, enter a complete physical address in North Dakota. Do not name yourself as the LLC's agent unless you are an individual who lives in North Dakota; the LLC itself cannot serve.

Step 6: attach the certificate and sign

Attach the home certificate as the portal directs. Then sign as an authorized person for the LLC. Review the summary page for typos in the name, because a mismatch with the certificate is the most common reason for a return.

Step 7: pay the fee

The fee is $135. Keep the receipt. The certificate comes back after the office has accepted the filing and the payment.

Step 8: watch your work queue

The portal keeps a work queue of your filings. With a personal account, it shows only the filings you submitted. With a business account, every user sees every filing for the organization, including the status of a filing, any corrections needed and any certificates. If a correction is requested, make it and resubmit.

Step 9: save the certificate of authority

Download and store the certificate when it issues, and send a copy to your bank or any agency that asked for proof of registration. Note the date, since the first annual report does not fall due until the year after approval.

Step 10: file the first report

The first report is due November 15, and the portal has the form. The report costs $50, needs no financial statements, and updates the mailing address, activities and stakeholders. A late report adds $50.

Where people get stuck

Four things trip owners up. The home certificate comes late. The agent has not agreed, or has no address in the state. The application and the certificate carry different spellings of the name. And the first report slips by because it is due in the year after registration. A short checklist before you submit prevents all four.

How long does it take?

Plan around the home certificate first, since that depends on your formation state. Once you have it, the application itself is a short online task. The Secretary of State reviews each filing, and we confirm the current handling time when we prepare your filing.

Questions while you file

The state's staff take form and fee questions but do not advise on whether your activity requires registration; the state points to an attorney or business advisor for that. If a form or fee question comes up while you work, write to us.

Costs of doing it yourself

Your costs are the state fee of $135, the home-state certificate and your time. If you register and file one report, the state charges total $185. The cost page lists every other charge.

When a preparer makes sense

Some owners hand the job over because the home certificate, the agent and the portal sit on different desks. We take your answers, prepare the application, check each item against the statute and file. The order button below starts that, at $199 plus the state fee. If you would rather file yourself, you now have the steps.

What to have open while you work

Keep three windows open: the portal, the home certificate, and the formation record. Compare the company name on each one as you type it. Keep a note of the agent's full legal name and address, and the signer's title. A person who files from memory is the person who files twice.

Handling a correction request

If the Secretary of State returns the application, the portal tells you what to fix. The usual items are a name that differs from the certificate, a missing address detail and an unsigned entry. Correct only what is asked, resubmit, and keep the earlier version. If the message is unclear, send it to us and we tell you what it asks for.

Who should not file it alone

Skip the do-it-yourself route if the LLC is a professional LLC, a farm or ranch LLC, or has series. Those versions carry added disclosures or board certification, and a wrong answer is slower to fix than a wrong name. Write to us first and we will say what the filing needs.

Doing the whole year in one pass

A tidy way to handle compliance is to put three dates in your calendar once the certificate is in hand: the November report, the home-state annual report, and a check a month ahead of each to confirm the agent and addresses still hold. North Dakota reports are short, and a reminder does most of the work of staying in good standing.

Filing the registration yourself

Request the home certificate
Good standing or existence, authenticated.
Create or find your NDLogin
Personal or business account.
Check the name
Use the portal business search.
Start the foreign LLC application
Business, farm or ranch, or professional.
Enter the agent and offices
Physical North Dakota address for a noncommercial agent.
Attach the certificate and sign
As an authorized person.
Pay and track
$135; watch the work queue.

Registered agent: first year included, then $149 a year

$199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.

What registering here costs

The state fee for an LLC is $135; a corporation pays $145. Our price is a separate line at checkout. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.

Register my LLC in North Dakota

$199

+ $135 state fee

The North Dakota application prepared from your answers
The home-state certificate checked against what the state asks for
A North Dakota registered agent from us, or one you name
The filed record sent to you
Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year