Register a Mississippi Foreign LLC
A Mississippi Foreign LLC is a limited liability company that was formed in another state but does business in Mississippi. To operate legally, that LLC must file an Application for Registration of Foreign LLC with the Mississippi Secretary of State and pay a $258 fee. The guide below gives you step-by-step instructions on how to file on your own.
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How To Register a Foreign LLC in Mississippi
The process to register a foreign LLC in Mississippi is known as foreign qualification. To foreign qualify your LLC in Mississippi, you need to do three things: appoint a Mississippi registered agent, obtain a certificate of good standing from your LLC’s home state, and complete an online Application for Registration of Foreign Limited Liability Company. Here’s how it works.
You don’t necessarily need to live in Mississippi to do business there, but you do need a Mississippi registered agent. Your registered agent must have a physical address in Mississippi (not a P.O. Box) where they can be reached during business hours. Your registered agent’s job is to accept important legal mail on your business’s behalf. While you could ask an individual to perform this role (as long as they live in Mississippi), most foreign LLCs hire a professional registered agent service.
In Mississippi, you’re required to submit a certificate of good standing (also called a certificate of existence) from your home state/jurisdiction, dated no more than six months before you file your foreign qualification application.
A strong local online presence helps build trust and credibility. Our Business Identity Service can set your foreign LLC up with a custom website, secure hosting, a unique domain, a local phone number, a professional email address, and a local business address that will help establish your LLC in Mississippi.
When you’re ready to officially file for foreign registration in Mississippi, you’ll need to complete the Application for Registration of Foreign Limited Liability Company. In Mississippi, you’re required to complete the application online through Mississippi Secretary of State’s website. Here’s the information you’ll need:
- Entity type
- Business name
- Name you’ll use in Mississippi if your business name is unavailable (get a Mississippi DBA)
- Business email
- Optional: Future date when the registration will go into effect, if you don’t want your LLC to be registered immediately (most businesses skip this)
- State/jurisdiction where your business was formed
- Date your business was formed
- If your LLC is managed by managers (rather than managed by the members/owners)
- NAICS Code (a number that describes the type of business you own)
- Principal office address
- Registered agent address (must be a street address in Mississippi)
- Registered agent email address
- Signature from an authorized person, stating that the registered agent has been informed of their appointment and agrees to perform this role
You will need to include your certificate of good standing with your application. The certificate must be dated no more than six months before you file.
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In about two business days, Mississippi’s Secretary of State will email you to confirm that your foreign qualification filing has been accepted.
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Mississippi Foreign LLC Registration FAQ
Mississippi charges $258 to file the Application for Registration.
Mississippi no longer accepts paper forms for business filing. This means you’ll need to complete your application online.
- Start by creating an account on the Secretary of State business services portal.
- Select Register an Out-of-State Corporation, Non-Profit, LLC, Partnership, or Business Trust on your account homepage.
- Type in the relevant information.
- Complete the application and pay online.
Note: If you don’t want to pay the filing fee online, you can print out your application and mail it to the Secretary of State’s office with a check.
No. Mississippi’s Certificate of Formation is for domestic Mississippi LLCs only.
You can request a certificate of good standing from the same state agency where you filed your LLC Articles of Organization (usually the Secretary of State). Each state’s process will be slightly different, but most states will let you request a certificate online for a small fee.
There is no hard-and-fast rule about what counts as doing business in Mississippi. That said, generally if you are providing services or products in exchange for money in Mississippi, or have a location in the state, or pay employees in Mississippi, you’re probably conducting business there.
Want to know more? Check out our page on what it means to do business in another state.
Only if you live and have an address in Mississippi. Otherwise you are best off hiring a professional registered agent service that will get your legal mail to you fast.
Not all business owners are able to sit around and wait on important mail. This is where a registered agent comes in handy. Plus, any registered agent worth hiring will allow you to use their address on public documents, which can help you live privately.
You can amend your Mississippi foreign LLC by filing a Foreign LLC Certificate of Amendment through the business services online portal. The filing fee is $50.
Yes. Foreign LLCs in Mississippi need to file the Mississippi Annual Report every year, just like domestic Mississippi LLCs. The annual report is free to file and must be filed online. The due date is April 15.
Unless they elect to be taxed as an S-corp or C-corp, Mississippi LLCs (foreign and domestic) are taxed as pass-through entities. This means that profits pass from the business to each LLC member. Members then report these profits (or losses) on their personal tax returns.
Note: Each LLC member will also be on the hook for self-employment taxes of 15.3% (12.4% for social security and 2.9% for Medicare).
You can withdraw your foreign business in Mississippi by filing a Certificate of Cancellation of Foreign Limited Liability Company through the business services online portal. There is a $25 fee.
