Everything you need to register a foreign LLC in South Dakota.
State filing fee$750one-time
Registered agent$125/yearbased on Northwest RA
Total, all in$1,290
South Dakota data last reviewed Aug 22, 2026 · sosenterprise.sd.govTotals include the $750 filing fee once, Northwest RA at $125/year, and South Dakota recurring state costs over the selected period.
Foreign Qualification
Filing fee
$750
Form
Application for Certificate of Authority - Foreign Limited Liability Company
Annual obligation
$55/year
Processing time
South Dakota publishes no processing time for this filing. Expedited service costs $50 and the state defines it only as completion sooner than the normal course of business, publishing no turnaround for it
South Dakota data last reviewed Aug 22, 2026 · sosenterprise.sd.gov
Formation in South Dakota
Formation fee
$150
Annual cost
$55/year
State income tax
No state income tax
Privacy
Conditional
Whether your name reaches the public record depends on how you set the LLC up: South Dakota asks for manager names on the articles only if you elect manager-managed. What the annual report collects is not settled and we would rather say so than guess.
What triggers foreign qualification in South Dakota?
Physical office or place of business
Employees working in the state
Important to know
Foreign registration costs $750, tied with Texas for the highest in the country, against $150 to form domestically.
The annual report is $55 online and $70 by paper.
Activities that do NOT require registration in South Dakota
The following activities are explicitly carved out by statute. On their own, they do not require a foreign LLC to register in South Dakota.
Maintaining, defending, or settling a lawsuit or proceeding
Holding meetings and carrying on internal company affairs
Maintaining accounts at financial institutions
Maintaining a transfer, exchange, or registration office for the company's own securities
Selling through independent contractors
Soliciting or taking orders that must be accepted outside the state
Creating or acquiring debts, mortgages, or security interests in real or personal property
Collecting debts, enforcing security interests, and holding property acquired that way
A single isolated transaction completed within 30 days and not part of similar transactions
Transacting business in interstate commerce
Under SDCL 47-34A-1003. South Dakota has NO property-ownership safe harbor, and subsection (b) reverses it: owning income-producing real or tangible personal property in South Dakota DOES constitute transacting business.
This page provides general information based on publicly available state requirements. It is not legal advice. Verify with the South Dakota SOS before filing.