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Key Takeaways:

  • Massachusetts is notorious for its complex and comprehensive lobbying laws, in particular the requirement that lobbyist employers must be registered to do business in the commonwealth.
  • If you try to register to lobby, but don’t register to do business, this will result in a rejection of the registration. This will also tip off authorities that the clock is ticking for late registration fines — and Massachusetts hands out fines like they are cake at a birthday party.
  • Here’s a guide for those considering lobbying in the commonwealth on the registration requirement and what you will need to be successful (and help you avoid fines).


The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is notorious for its complex and comprehensive lobbying laws. The most perplexing requirement for lobbyist employers in the commonwealth, however, is not one derived directly from the Massachusetts General Laws (at least not that we could find). We are talking about Massachusetts’ requirement that lobbyist employers be registered to do business in the commonwealth. 

Trying to register to lobby with the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office without registering to do business will result in a rejection of the registration. What’s worse is now the Secretary’s office has been tipped off that you have a contract with a lobbyist in the Commonwealth and the clock is ticking to avoid late registration fines. Massachusetts hands out fines like they are cake at a birthday party. Here’s a guide for those considering lobbying in the commonwealth on the registration requirement and what you will need to be successful.

Unless the lobbyist employer is registered as a domestic corporation in Massachusetts, if the employer wishes to lobby in the commonwealth, registration as a foreign corporation will be required. You may ask yourself “but my employer is a charitable non-profit with little flexibility in our budget, Massachusetts surely can’t mean that my employer has to register”; Massachusetts does mean that. You can call the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office and if they do not hang up on you, they will tell you that it is a requirement for all lobbyist employers.

So after getting this far, do you still want to lobby on Beacon Hill? Alright, you will need several items in order for the commonwealth to process your business registration:

  • Foreign Corporation Certificate of Registration.

  • Name under which your corporation will transact business in Massachusetts.

  • The name of a registered agent who will represent the foreign corporation’s interests in the state (this may be your lobbyist if they agree to the appointment).

  • A certificate of good standing dated within 90 days of the date of submission of your Massachusetts registration from your jurisdiction of incorporation. Depending on your domestic jurisdiction, getting this certificate could take weeks. (For example, Delaware sends a physical copy and you can expect processing time to take between two and four weeks. Texas and California will provide your certificate of good standing within minutes of request.)

  • $390 for the registration fee ($375 for the fee, $15 for the “expedited” fee of using your credit card.

  • A fax machine to fax your registration form, certificate of good standing, and any supplemental documentation.

As you are completing the registration form, make sure that you are reading it very carefully and completing every required field. The corporations division is almost as excited to reject filings as the lobbying division is. The good news is, you will know relatively quickly if your foreign corporation registration has been approved. In the event that your registration is rejected, save your fax cover sheet (we recommend printing a copy to PDF and saving it on your computer just in case) to be used again, otherwise, you will have to pay the $390 fee again.

If MultiState is filing your lobbying registrations, we will keep an eye on the corporation division filings to start the registration as soon as the corporate filing is accepted. However, you are encouraged to forward any emails you receive from the corporation division to MultiState.

Going forward, the lobbyist employer will owe an annual report to Massachusetts each year to update its registration. If this report is not filed, the foreign corporation risks administrative dissolution. Ensure that your legal counsel is up-to-date on the corporation’s business registrations so that they may coordinate annual report filing. The annual report is 2.5 months following the end of the corporation’s fiscal year.


Get Help with Lobbying and PAC Compliance

Don’t miss a critical deadline as we reach the midway point of the 2024 state legislative session season — learn more about our industry-leading lobbying compliance services. We can also help if you’re running a political committee and unsure of your compliance requirements. Don’t hesitate to reach out to our team with questions.