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Register Your Montana LLC in Florida
Step-by-step foreign qualification requirements, fees, and filing instructions for Montana LLCs expanding into Florida.
Cost Summary
- Florida filing fee
- $125
- Montana Certificate of Existence
- $5
- Annual obligation in Florida
- $138.75/year
- Estimated year 1 total
- $268.75
Note: Year 1 total includes the $125 filing fee in Florida, the $5 Certificate of Existence fee from Montana, and $138.75 in first-year Florida state charges. Registered agent fees (typically $100-$200/year) are not included.
Montana data last reviewed Aug 15, 2026 · sosmt.gov
Florida data last reviewed Aug 15, 2026 · dos.fl.gov
How to register your Montana LLC in Florida
1
Check name availability in Florida
Before filing, verify that your LLC name (or a distinguishable variation) is available in Florida. If your exact name is already taken, you may need to register under a fictitious or assumed name.
Search Florida business names ↗
2
Get a Certificate of Existence from Montana
Florida requires a Certificate of Existence from Montana to prove your LLC is in good standing. The fee is $5. Available to order online. No expiration printed; foreign-state applications typically require dating within 30-90 days.
Order from Montana ↗
3
File the Application by Foreign LLC for Authorization to Transact Business in Florida in Florida
Submit your application along with the Certificate of Existence and the $125 filing fee. Processing time is About 3 weeks. No paid expedited tier, but same-day walk-in service is available at the Division in Tallahassee.. Online filing may be available.
Florida filing portal ↗
4
Appoint a registered agent in Florida
You must designate a registered agent with a physical address in Florida to accept legal documents on behalf of your LLC. This is required as part of the foreign qualification application.
Ongoing compliance in Florida
- Annual report
- $138.75/year
- Report due
- May 1
- Processing time
- About 3 weeks. No paid expedited tier, but same-day walk-in service is available at the Division in Tallahassee.
Important to know about Florida
- Florida statutes define what does NOT constitute doing business rather than what does (Fla. Stat. 605.0905)
- Extremely high $400 late fee if annual report is filed after May 1. This is mandatory and non-waivable, making the total $538.75 if late.
Already operating in Florida without registering? Our guide to what Florida charges unregistered LLCs covers fines, back fees, and court access.
Activities that do NOT require registration in Florida
- Maintaining, defending, or settling a lawsuit or other legal proceeding
- Holding meetings of members or managers, or handling internal company affairs
- Maintaining bank accounts
- Maintaining agents or agencies to transfer, exchange, or register the company's own securities, or trustees or depositaries for those securities
- Selling through independent contractors
- Soliciting or taking orders, by mail or through employees or agents, if the orders must be accepted outside Florida to become contracts
- Creating or acquiring debts, mortgages, or security interests in real or personal property
- Securing or collecting debts, or enforcing mortgages and security interests in the property backing them
- Doing business in interstate commerce
- Conducting a single isolated transaction finished within 30 days that is not part of repeated transactions of a like kind
- Owning and controlling a subsidiary corporation or LLC that operates in Florida, and voting that subsidiary's stock or membership interests
- Owning a limited partner interest in a limited partnership doing business in Florida, so long as you do not manage or control the partnership or act as a general partner
- Owning real or personal property, and nothing more
Under Fla. Stat. Section 605.0905, all 13 items. IMPORTANT CARVE-BACK: subsection (3) states that owning income-producing real or tangible personal property in Florida DOES constitute transacting business. Passive ownership is exempt under (1)(m) but the moment the property earns income, such as a rental, registration is affirmatively triggered. Subsection (4) disclaims service of process, taxation and regulation under other Florida law.
Need a registered agent in Florida?
A registered agent is required for foreign qualification. These services operate in all 50 states.
Get Northwest Registered Agent ↗
Recommended · $125/year · Privacy included
Registered Agents Inc
$200/year · Report filing included, state fees extra
Harbor Compliance
$99 first year, then $149/year · Full-service compliance option
Not sure which service fits? Our full Northwest Registered Agent review and Harbor Compliance review cover pricing, renewal terms, and where each one fits.
Need a business address in Florida?
A virtual mailbox gives your LLC a professional address in Florida for mail forwarding, public filings, and banking, without leasing office space.
Independent mailbox providers
This page provides general information based on publicly available state requirements. It is not legal advice. Verify all fees and requirements with the Florida Secretary of State before filing.