Register a South Dakota Foreign LLC

All LLCs in South Dakota must appoint a South Dakota registered agent. Your registered agent must reside in the state of South Dakota and be available to receive service of process during normal business hours.

You’ll need to acquire a Certificate of Good Standing from the state where you first formed your LLC.  The Certificate of Good Standing is also sometimes referred to as a Certificate of Existence. It’s confusing, but don’t let it trip you up. They’re the same thing. No matter what it’s called, it proves to South Dakota that your LLC has met all of its obligations (taxes, licenses, annual reports, etc…) in its home state.

You’ll need this step completed before you can submit your foreign registration filing or your application will be rejected. The certificate from your home state must also have been issued within 90 days prior to your foreign registration filing.

Once your business is up and running in the new state, you’ll want to be able to connect with the new market of consumers. Having a robust and localized digital presence can help build your business’ identity, which in turn will make your business seem more trustworthy and professional, even if you’ve only just started offering services/products. We can help you build a custom website that is securely hosted with an unique domain, plus give you a local phone number and a professional email address to help establish your business in South Dakota.

Learn more about how to launch your business identity in a new state.

The Application for Certificate of Authority is the form you’ll use to register your foreign LLC in South Dakota. You can complete this form online with South Dakota Secretary of State’s (SOS) eFile System. Just select (Foreign) Limited Liability Company from the drop down menu and you’re off to the races. You can also file by mail—either way, you’ll need to include the same information. Below is a checklist of everything you’ll need.

• Business entity name (you’ll need to confirm availability using the state search tool).
• The legal name of your LLC in your home state (if different than the name to be used in South Dakota).
• The kind of professional services your LLC will offer (only required for PLLCs).
• Principal address, aka the primary address of the business in the state where your LLC was formed.
• Mailing address (if different from principal address).
• Foreign address (required only if the state where you formed requires an in-state principal address).
• Your registered agent’s name and address or CRA# (if using a commercial registered agent).
• The name of your LLC’s home state or jurisdiction.
• The date your LLC was originally formed.
• The date your LLC will begin doing business in South Dakota.
• Whether your LLC is manager-managed or member-managed.
• A signature from someone authorized to do business on behalf of your LLC.

Ready to register your foreign LLC in South Dakota? File with Northwest.

Once your paperwork is processed by the state, you’ll receive a Certificate of Authority, which officially allows you to do business in South Dakota. Online filings are processed immediately, and mailed filings are processed the day they are received.