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Foreign LLC guide · Delaware

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

For registering a foreign LLC in Delaware in 2026, we recommend DE Registered Agent.org ($199), Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), in that order. Registration with the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations costs $200; every report after it costs $400. Over three years of state fees the rank is 47th of 50.

Compiled by the LLC Factbook editors

Delaware in numbers

47th of 50 by what a foreign LLC pays the state
First place is the smallest bill. The whole table

Report, per cycle

$400
Annual LLC tax

Home-state certificate

180 days
Must have been issued after this point

State charges, years one to three

$1,000
Only the state's charges across three years

Delaware: our recommendations

Five criteria set the order, led by three-year service charges and the filings covered; the methodology has the weights.
Number one

1. DE Registered Agent.org: best for a low yearly agent fee

$199 plus the state fee; the agent is $99 a year from year two

DE Registered Agent.org takes the top place, as a $199 service fee and a $99 agent renewal in Delaware.

Cost settles this ranking: three years with this service cost less than three years with Mainstay Filing.

What the price buys

  • A filing with the state office
  • A year of agent service

In its favor

  • The price already covers the first agent year
  • $99 a year from year two
  • $199 and the state's fee

Against it

  • Single-state service
Local pick

2. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: best for Delaware registrations

$199 plus the state fee; the agent is $99 a year from year two

Delaware Registered Agent.ai comes next: a $199 service fee and a $99 agent renewal in Delaware.

Price for price, it equals DE Registered Agent.org.

What the price buys

  • A filing with the state office
  • A year of agent service

In its favor

  • $99 a year from year two
  • The price already covers the first agent year
  • $199 and the state's fee

Against it

  • Single-state service
All fifty states

3. Mainstay Filing: best for companies adding a second state

$199 plus the state fee; the agent is $149 a year from year two

Our third pick, Mainstay Filing, earns its place since a $199 service fee in whichever state you choose, plus a free first year of agent service.

That $100 difference against DE Registered Agent.org across three years is what keeps it from first place.

When the free year ends, the agent is $149 a year in any state.

What the price buys

  • Your registration is prepared and filed
  • No charge for the registered agent in the first year
  • A single price anywhere

In its favor

  • The registered agent is free for year one
  • A service fee of $199
  • Covers all fifty states

Against it

  • A bigger agent renewal ($149)

3 services in one table

No.ServiceFirst-year feeFrom year twoService charges, three years
1 DE Registered Agent.org $199$99/yr$397 Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Delaware Registered Agent.ai $199$99/yr$397 Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 Mainstay Filing $199$149/yr$497 Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
We took these prices from the companies' sites on November 12, 2026. The $200 state fee is not part of any row.

Registration cost calculator

The registration fee is $200, with the $400 report from year two; the service's prices are added to it.
$1,397 is what 3 years with DE Registered Agent.org adds up to; $1,000 goes to the state and $397 to the service.

Delaware next to the states ranked around it

PlaceStateThree-year foreign LLC fees
45thSouth Dakota$860
46thTennessee$900
47thDelaware$1,000
48thRhode Island$1,450
49thMassachusetts$1,500
The complete ranking applies one method to all fifty states.

The Delaware filing for LLCs formed elsewhere

The Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations accepts the Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company from foreign LLCs for $200. The state wants certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, no more than 180 days.

It keeps filing the Annual LLC tax ($400), June 1.

Papers you need

  • Certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, at most 180 days.
  • The exact legal name and formation date from the home state.
  • A registered agent in Delaware, which every pick below supplies.
  • Funds to cover the $200 state fee.

Penalties for skipping registration in Delaware

An LLC that wants to sue in the state has to register first (6 Del. C. 18-907(a)). Its contracts remain valid (6 Del. C. 18-907(b)).

The reasoning behind the order

Three-year service charge decided first place in Delaware. It counts for 34% of the score; the remaining criteria are paperwork the price takes on, year-two price, match to the state's calendar, fee labeling.

At $397 for three years, $100 less than Mainstay Filing, DE Registered Agent.org wins on cost.

Delaware foreign registration service questions answered

What fee does a foreign LLC pay to register with Delaware?

$200 at the state office. Service fees: $199.

Which form does Delaware use to register a foreign LLC?

Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company, submitted to the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations.

Does the home state have to issue a certificate?

Yes. certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation; it has to be dated within 180 days of the filing.

Does a foreign LLC owe anything every year?

Yes, the Annual LLC tax, at $400.

What are the consequences of operating there without registering?

An LLC that wants to sue in the state has to register first (6 Del. C. 18-907(a)). Its contracts remain valid (6 Del. C. 18-907(b)).

Does Delaware 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?

DE Registered Agent.org, because $199 over the state fee to register, then $99 yearly. Behind it come Delaware Registered Agent.ai and Mainstay Filing.

Related chapters

Sources for this chapter

  1. For Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source, see corp.delaware.gov (opened October 2026)
  2. For Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source, see corp.delaware.gov (opened October 2026)
  3. For Delaware yearly filing: HB 400, official source, see legis.delaware.gov (opened October 2026)
  4. For Delaware report due date, see delcode.delaware.gov (opened August 2026)
  5. For 6 Del, see delcode.delaware.gov (opened August 2026)
  6. For Delaware registered agent statute, see delcode.delaware.gov (opened October 2026)
  7. For Foreign LLC registration form, see corpfiles.delaware.gov (opened October 2026)
  8. For Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter IX, see delcode.delaware.gov (opened October 2026)
  9. For Division of Corporations fee schedule, August 2026, see corpfiles.delaware.gov (opened October 2026)
  10. For South Dakota Secretary of State, business services, see sdsos.gov (opened October 2026)
  11. For Filing fee schedule, see sdsos.gov (opened October 2026)
  12. For Foreign LLC application for Certificate of Authority, see sdsos.gov (opened October 2026)
  13. For SDCL 47-34A-1003, transacting business, see sdlegislature.gov (opened October 2026)
  14. For SDCL 47-34A-1008, effect of not registering, see sdlegislature.gov (opened October 2026)
  15. For Tennessee Secretary of State, business forms and fees, see sos.tn.gov (opened October 2026)
  16. For Form SS-4233, Certificate of Authority for a foreign, see sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com (opened October 2026)
  17. For Tennessee Secretary of State, business FAQs, see sos.tn.gov (opened October 2026)
  18. For Form SS-4241, withdrawal or cancellation, see sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com (opened October 2026)
  19. For Tennessee Revised LLC Act, Public Chapter 286, see publications.tnsosfiles.com (opened October 2026)
  20. For Form 450, Application for Registration, see docs.sos.ri.gov (opened October 2026)
  21. For Business Services fee schedule, see docs.sos.ri.gov (opened October 2026)
  22. For R.I, see webserver.rilegislature.gov (opened October 2026)
  23. For R.I, see webserver.rilegislature.gov (opened October 2026)
  24. For Form 452, Certificate of Cancellation, see docs.sos.ri.gov (opened October 2026)
  25. For Rhode Island other cost, see tax.ri.gov (opened October 2026)
  26. For Massachusetts Corporations Division, foreign LLC page, see sec.state.ma.us (opened October 2026)
  27. For Corporations Division fee schedule, see sec.state.ma.us (opened October 2026)
  28. For G.L. c. 156C § 48, foreign LLC registration, see malegislature.gov (opened October 2026)
  29. For G.L. c. 156C § 54, failure to register, see malegislature.gov (opened October 2026)
  30. For G.L. c. 156D § 15.01, transacting business, see malegislature.gov (opened October 2026)
  31. For 950 CMR 112.00, limited liability companies, see sec.state.ma.us (opened October 2026)
  32. Pricing page at DE Registered Agent.org, noted November 12, 2026
  33. Pricing page at Delaware Registered Agent.ai, noted November 12, 2026
  34. Delaware service page at Mainstay Filing, noted November 12, 2026