Skip to content
LLC Factbook

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

Foreign LLC guide · Kentucky

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

Our 2026 recommendation for registering a foreign LLC in Kentucky, best first: KY Registered Agent.org ($199), Kentucky Registered Agent.co ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199). Registration with the Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings costs $90; every report after it costs $15. Over three years of state fees the rank is 38th of 50.

Compiled by the LLC Factbook editors

What Kentucky charges

38th out of 50 states, measured on foreign LLC charges
Rankings begin with the smallest bill. See the full 50-state table

Report, per cycle

$15
Annual report

State charges, years one to three

$645
The registration fee, then two years of reports, counting a minimum tax in each of the three years

Services that file for you, for Kentucky

How the order came about: three-year service charges first, then coverage, renewal, Kentucky fit and fee labeling (methodology).
Top of the book

1. KY Registered Agent.org: best for a thrifty Kentucky filing

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

Why KY Registered Agent.org leads: the Kentucky registration at $199 and a year of agent service, then $99 each year.

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

What the price buys

  • The registration is filed for you
  • A year of agent service

In its favor

  • $99 a year from year two
  • $199 to register
  • First-year agent duty is on the house

Against it

  • Serves Kentucky alone
State-based option

2. Kentucky Registered Agent.co: best for Kentucky registrations

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

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

On price it is level with KY Registered Agent.org.

What the price buys

  • The registration is filed for you
  • A year of agent service

In its favor

  • $199 to register
  • $99 a year from year two
  • First-year agent duty is on the house

Against it

  • Serves Kentucky alone
All fifty states

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

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

In third place we have Mainstay Filing, because $199 plus Kentucky's own fee, then the agent at $149 a year from year two.

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

Once the first year is over, the agent costs $149 per year.

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

  • First-year agent duty is covered
  • A service fee of $199
  • One fee in every state

Against it

  • A bigger agent renewal ($149)

The picks in numbers

No.ServiceFirst-year feeFrom year twoService charges, three years
1 KY Registered Agent.org $199$99/yr$397 Visit KY Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Kentucky Registered Agent.co $199$99/yr$397 Visit Kentucky Registered Agent.coPartner 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.
Company price pages, copied November 12, 2026. The state's $90 is not counted in the table.

Registration cost calculator

The registration fee is $90, with the $15 report from year two; the service's prices are added to it.
Using KY Registered Agent.org for 3 years costs $1,042, made up of $645 in state fees and $397 in service fees.

Kentucky next to the states ranked around it

PlaceStateThree-year foreign LLC fees
35thMaine$550
37thArkansas$570
38thKentucky$645
39thNorth Carolina$650
40thMaryland$700
Foreign LLC fees by state lists every state, least expensive first.

How a foreign LLC registers in Kentucky (2026)

An LLC formed in another state files the Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Entity) (Form FBE) with the Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings and pays $90.

Following registration it submits the annual report ($15), between January 1 and June 30 each year. There is also a tax for LLCs doing business here: Limited Liability Entity Tax: a $175 minimum each year to the Department of Revenue.

What to gather first

  • Name and formation date exactly as the home state records them.
  • A person located in Kentucky who acts as registered agent.
  • A way to pay the $90 filing fee.

Penalties for skipping registration in Kentucky

An unregistered LLC has no right to sue in the state's courts (KRS 14A.9-020(1)). Each day can add $2.

Why KY Registered Agent.org is first

In Kentucky the deciding criterion was three-year service charge, at 34% of the total.

Three years of service fees at KY Registered Agent.org come to $397, which is $100 less than Mainstay Filing.

Kentucky FAQ

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

$90 at the state office. Service fees: $199.

Which form does Kentucky use to register a foreign LLC?

Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Entity) (Form FBE), submitted to the Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings.

Does a foreign LLC owe anything every year?

Yes, the annual report, at $15.

What are the consequences of operating there without registering?

An unregistered LLC has no right to sue in the state's courts (KRS 14A.9-020(1)). Each day can add $2.

Does Kentucky 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?

KY Registered Agent.org, because a $199 service fee and a $99 agent renewal in Kentucky. Behind it come Kentucky Registered Agent.co and Mainstay Filing.

More on this state

Sources for this chapter

  1. Kentucky Secretary of State comes from sos.ky.gov; page opened August 2026
  2. Kentucky Secretary of State comes from sos.ky.gov; page opened August 2026
  3. Kentucky report due date comes from apps.legislature.ky.gov; page opened August 2026
  4. KRS 275.025 comes from apps.legislature.ky.gov; page opened August 2026
  5. Kentucky formation fee: Filing fee, official source comes from sos.ky.gov; page opened October 2026
  6. Kentucky registered agent statute comes from apps.legislature.ky.gov; page opened October 2026
  7. Kentucky Secretary of State, business filings comes from sos.ky.gov; page opened October 2026
  8. Form FBE, Certificate of Authority comes from web.sos.ky.gov; page opened October 2026
  9. KRS 14A.9-020, consequences of transacting business without authority comes from apps.legislature.ky.gov; page opened October 2026
  10. KRS 14A.9-010, authority to transact business required comes from apps.legislature.ky.gov; page opened October 2026
  11. Kentucky other cost: Limited Liability Entity Tax, official comes from revenue.ky.gov; page opened October 2026
  12. Maine Secretary of State, foreign entities comes from maine.gov; page opened October 2026
  13. Form MLLC-12 comes from maine.gov; page opened October 2026
  14. 31 MRSA § 1622, foreign qualification comes from legislature.maine.gov; page opened October 2026
  15. 31 MRSA § 1623, activities that do not comes from legislature.maine.gov; page opened October 2026
  16. 31 MRSA § 1629, consequences of not qualifying comes from legislature.maine.gov; page opened October 2026
  17. 31 MRSA § 1680, fees comes from legislature.maine.gov; page opened October 2026
  18. Arkansas Secretary of State, foreign LLC forms and comes from sos.arkansas.gov; page opened October 2026
  19. Form FL-01 comes from sos.arkansas.gov; page opened October 2026
  20. Act 1041 of 2021, Uniform LLC Act comes from arkleg.state.ar.us; page opened October 2026
  21. 2026 LLC franchise tax report and instructions comes from sos.arkansas.gov; page opened October 2026
  22. Form FL-04, application for cancellation comes from sos.arkansas.gov; page opened October 2026
  23. North Carolina Secretary of State, Business Registration comes from sosnc.gov; page opened October 2026
  24. Form L-09, Application for Certificate of Authority comes from sosnc.gov; page opened October 2026
  25. Secretary of State guide to registering a foreign comes from sosnc.gov; page opened October 2026
  26. G.S comes from ncleg.gov; page opened October 2026
  27. Annual report due dates comes from sosnc.gov; page opened October 2026
  28. Maryland Business Express comes from egov.maryland.gov; page opened October 2026
  29. Business Express fee schedule comes from egov.maryland.gov; page opened October 2026
  30. Corporations and Associations § 4A-1002, registration comes from mgaleg.maryland.gov; page opened October 2026
  31. Corporations and Associations § 4A-1009, activities that are comes from mgaleg.maryland.gov; page opened October 2026
  32. Corporations and Associations § 4A-1007, effect of not comes from mgaleg.maryland.gov; page opened October 2026
  33. Tax-Property § 11-101, annual report comes from mgaleg.maryland.gov; page opened October 2026
  34. Pricing page at KY Registered Agent.org, noted November 12, 2026
  35. Pricing page at Kentucky Registered Agent.co, noted November 12, 2026
  36. Kentucky service page at Mainstay Filing, noted November 12, 2026