Skip to content
LLC Factbook

Every state's LLC costs, set down with their sources.

Foreign LLC guide · South Dakota

Registering an Out-of-State LLC in South Dakota (2026): Fees and the 3 Best Services

If you are registering a foreign LLC for South Dakota this year (2026), begin with Mainstay Filing ($199), South Dakota Registered Agent.co ($199) and SD Registered Agent.org ($199), working down the list. A foreign LLC pays $750 to register in South Dakota and $55 for each yearly report after that. Three-year state fees rank 45th of 50.

Compiled by the LLC Factbook editors

South Dakota state charges at a glance

45th out of 50 states, measured on foreign LLC charges
The smaller the number, the less the state charges. Every state compared

Foreign registration charge

$750
sdsos.gov (October 2026)

Report, per cycle

$55
Annual report

Home-state certificate

Required
Submitted with the application

State charges, years one to three

$860
The registration fee, then two years of reports

Our South Dakota shortlist

The order follows five published criteria. They are set out on the methodology page.
Number one

1. Mainstay Filing: best for an identical price in every state

$199 plus fees; $149 yearly later

Mainstay Filing is our first choice because registration costs $199 plus state fees, and the registered agent is free for the first year.

South Dakota Registered Agent.co is $100 cheaper across three years, but the coverage criterion pulls the other way.

Year two brings the agent charge, $149 a year, wherever the company registers.

What the price buys

  • Your registration is prepared and filed
  • No charge for the registered agent in the first year
  • Fifty-state service

In its favor

  • No agent fee in year one
  • Works for your next state too
  • $199 plus the state fee

Against it

  • South Dakota Registered Agent.co renews its agent for $50 less
State-based option

2. South Dakota Registered Agent.co: best for adding only South Dakota

$199 plus fees; $99 yearly later

Number 2 is South Dakota Registered Agent.co: the South Dakota registration at $199 and a year of agent service, then $99 each year.

What the price buys

  • The foreign registration filing
  • A year of agent service

In its favor

  • You do not pay an agent fee during year one
  • $199 above the state fee
  • A $99 renewal

Against it

  • Single-state service
State-based option

3. SD Registered Agent.org: best for a local filer

$199 plus fees; $99 yearly later

Number 3 is SD Registered Agent.org: the South Dakota registration at $199 and a year of agent service, then $99 each year.

The two publish identical prices, South Dakota Registered Agent.co and this service.

What the price buys

  • The foreign registration filing
  • A year of agent service

In its favor

  • You do not pay an agent fee during year one
  • $199 above the state fee
  • A $99 renewal

Against it

  • Single-state service

3 services in one table

No.ServiceFirst-year feeFrom year twoService charges, three years
1 Mainstay Filing $199$149/yr$497 Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 South Dakota Registered Agent.co $199$99/yr$397 Visit South Dakota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 SD Registered Agent.org $199$99/yr$397 Visit SD Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
We took these prices from the companies' sites on November 12, 2026. Add the $750 state fee to each row.

Foreign LLC calculator

The registration fee is $750, with the $55 report from year two; the service's prices are added to it.
$1,357 is what 3 years with Mainstay Filing adds up to; $860 goes to the state and $497 to the service.

South Dakota next to the states ranked around it

PlaceStateThree-year foreign LLC fees
43rdNevada$775
44thOregon$825
45thSouth Dakota$860
46thTennessee$900
47thDelaware$1,000
For the other states, go to Foreign LLC fees by state.

South Dakota foreign LLC registration fee and form (official)

Send the Application for Certificate of Authority, Foreign Limited Liability Company to the South Dakota Secretary of State with a payment of $750. Attach certificate of Existence.

Then, each cycle, it files the annual report ($55), 1st of the anniversary month.

Checklist

  • Certificate of Existence.
  • The exact legal name and formation date from the home state.
  • A registered agent within the state (included with every pick).
  • Funds to cover the $750 state fee.

What happens if you do not register

Its agreements stay enforceable (SDCL 47-34A-1008(b)).

What decided the order

In South Dakota the deciding criterion was paperwork the price takes on, at 26% of the total.

Covering several states outweighed South Dakota Registered Agent.co's smaller renewal.

Frequently asked questions

What fee does a foreign LLC pay to register with South Dakota?

$750 for the filing. Hiring one adds $199.

Which form does South Dakota use to register a foreign LLC?

Application for Certificate of Authority, Foreign Limited Liability Company, submitted to the South Dakota Secretary of State.

Does the home state have to issue a certificate?

Yes. certificate of Existence.

Does a foreign LLC owe anything every year?

Yes, the annual report, at $55.

What are the consequences of operating there without registering?

Its agreements stay enforceable (SDCL 47-34A-1008(b)).

Does South Dakota require a registered agent of a foreign LLC?

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Who should register my foreign LLC?

Mainstay Filing, South Dakota Registered Agent.co and SD Registered Agent.org, in that sequence.

Other chapters

Sources for this chapter

  1. South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services /: sdsos.gov, with the page last opened August 2026.
  2. South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services /: sosenterprise.sd.gov, with the page last opened August 2026.
  3. South Dakota yearly filing: Annual report: fee and: sdlegislature.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  4. South Dakota report due date: sdlegislature.gov, with the page last opened August 2026.
  5. SDCL 47-34A-203: sdlegislature.gov, with the page last opened August 2026.
  6. South Dakota formation fee: Filing fee, official source: sdsos.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  7. South Dakota formation fee: Filing fee, official source: sdlegislature.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  8. South Dakota registered agent statute: sdlegislature.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  9. South Dakota Secretary of State, business services: sdsos.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  10. Foreign LLC application for Certificate of Authority: sdsos.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  11. SDCL 47-34A-1003, transacting business: sdlegislature.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  12. SDCL 47-34A-1008, effect of not registering: sdlegislature.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  13. SDCL 47-34A-1001 to 47-34A-1009, foreign limited liability companies: sdlegislature.gov, with the page last opened November 2026.
  14. Nevada Secretary of State, limited-liability companies: nvsos.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  15. Nevada Revised Statutes, Chapter 86: leg.state.nv.us, with the page last opened October 2026.
  16. Nevada Revised Statutes, Chapter 77: leg.state.nv.us, with the page last opened October 2026.
  17. Nevada LLC formation and registration packet: bizhub.nv.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  18. Annual list and State Business License instructions: bizhub.nv.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  19. Oregon Secretary of State, foreign LLC forms: sos.oregon.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  20. Application for Authority, form instructions: sos.oregon.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  21. Business Registry fee schedule: sos.oregon.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  22. Registered agents and service of process: sos.oregon.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  23. Oregon Revised Statutes, chapter 63: oregonlegislature.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  24. Tennessee Secretary of State, business forms and fees: sos.tn.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  25. Form SS-4233, Certificate of Authority for a foreign: sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, with the page last opened October 2026.
  26. Tennessee Secretary of State, business FAQs: sos.tn.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  27. Form SS-4241, withdrawal or cancellation: sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, with the page last opened October 2026.
  28. Tennessee Revised LLC Act, Public Chapter 286: publications.tnsosfiles.com, with the page last opened October 2026.
  29. Foreign LLC registration form: corpfiles.delaware.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  30. Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter IX: delcode.delaware.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  31. Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter XI: delcode.delaware.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  32. Division of Corporations fee schedule, August 2026: corpfiles.delaware.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  33. Alternative entity annual tax instructions: corp.delaware.gov, with the page last opened October 2026.
  34. The South Dakota service page for Mainstay Filing, as published November 12, 2026
  35. The pricing page for South Dakota Registered Agent.co, as published November 12, 2026
  36. The pricing page for SD Registered Agent.org, as published November 12, 2026