Mainstay Filing takes the top spot because it charges $199 on top of the state fee, serves as registered agent free for year one and prices every state the same.
Year one as agent costs nothing; every year after it is $149, wherever the company registers.
Its three-year total is $100 above Delaware Registered Agent.ai's, and what the price covers justifies that gap for us.
In the price
- The registration filing prepared and submitted
- Your registered agent for year one at no charge
- Same-business-day scans of anything served on the company, with no fee
Good
- $199 service fee, with the state's fee added
- The same price in each of the fifty states
- Papers served on the company are scanned the same business day at no charge
- No charge for registered agent service in year one
Watch for
- The agent is $149 a year after year one, $50 above Delaware Registered Agent.ai
Delaware Registered Agent.ai makes the list at number two because the Delaware registration is $199 and includes year one as agent, with $99 a year after that.
The registered office is an in-state street address supplied by the plan, and any papers served on the company show up as scans in your online account.
In the price
- Foreign registration done for you
- One year of registered agent service to start
Good
- Keeps the agent for $99 a year from year two
- $199 to register, plus state fees
- Covers your first year of registered agent service
Watch for
- Delaware only; your home state needs its own agent
- The EIN application is an extra charge ($99)
DE Registered Agent.org makes the list at number three because the Delaware registration is $199 and includes year one as agent, with $99 a year after that.
The registered office is an in-state street address supplied by the plan, and any papers served on the company show up as scans in your online account.
The published prices and features of Delaware Registered Agent.ai and DE Registered Agent.org are identical, so the order between them is a coin flip between solid options.
In the price
- Foreign registration done for you
- A first year as your registered agent
Good
- The registered agent role is free for the first year
- $199 for the service, state fee extra
- $99 a year afterward for the agent
Watch for
- Delaware only; your home state needs its own agent
- The EIN application is an extra charge ($99)
The 3 picks side by side
Filing Shortlist sets each score out of 10 itself, using the criteria on How we rank; no customer ratings feed in.
Delaware foreign registration service pricing in 2026: first year, renewals, three-year total
Every price comes from the company's own pages as of November 12, 2026. The $200 Delaware registration fee comes on top of each row and is left out of the totals.
Why these made the shortlist
On Filing Shortlist's shortlist, three-year price and what the price covers carry 28% each and renewal terms, fit for the state and price clarity share the other 44%. In Delaware, what the price covers made the difference.
Registering in a second state touches two states, and one provider with one price in both scored highest on coverage, ahead of Delaware Registered Agent.ai.
Every criterion and weight is set out on How we rank.
Registering a foreign LLC in Delaware: fee, form and office
Registration goes to the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations on the Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company. The state fee is $200. Along with the form, Delaware expects certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, no older than 180 days when you file.
Each year after that, the company files the Annual LLC tax for $400, due June 1.
What to have ready before you file
- Certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, dated within 180 days of filing.
- The company's exact legal name and its formation date in the home state.
- A registered agent at a street address in the state. Every company on this shortlist can be that agent.
- Payment of the $200 state fee with the filing.
- A reminder in your own calendar for the Annual LLC tax and its $400 fee.
The cost of skipping Delaware registration
An unregistered out-of-state LLC cannot sue in Delaware courts (6 Del. C. 18-907(a)). Its contracts remain valid (6 Del. C. 18-907(b)).
Common questions about Delaware foreign registration services
Must an LLC from another state register in Delaware?
It must, once it does business in the state. An unregistered company cannot sue in the state's courts until it does.
What is the full price of a foreign LLC registration in Delaware?
The state fee is $200, and service fees run $199.
Does Delaware ask for proof of good standing from home?
It does. The state wants certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, dated no more than 180 days before the filing.
Does a registered foreign LLC still need a registered agent?
Yes. The company keeps a registered agent in the state, at a street address there, for as long as it stays registered.
Which foreign registration services made this shortlist?
Mainstay Filing ($199), Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($199) and DE Registered Agent.org ($199), listed from the top pick down.
Which service leads the Delaware foreign registration shortlist?
Mainstay Filing, because $199 prepares the Delaware registration and the registered agent role costs nothing in year one, then $149 a year.
Where the figures come from
- Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source (checked again October 2026)
- Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source (checked again October 2026)
- Delaware yearly filing: HB 400, official source (checked again October 2026)
- Delaware report due date (checked again August 2026)
- 6 Del. C. § 18-201 (checked again August 2026)
- Delaware registered agent statute (checked again October 2026)
- Foreign LLC registration form (checked again October 2026)
- Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter IX (checked again October 2026)
- Division of Corporations fee schedule, August 2026 (checked again October 2026)
- Pulled from Mainstay Filing: Delaware service page, November 12, 2026
- Pulled from Delaware Registered Agent.ai: pricing and service pages, November 12, 2026
- Pulled from DE Registered Agent.org: pricing and service pages, November 12, 2026