Registered Agent MT.org takes the top spot because registering costs $199 plus the state fee, with the first registered agent year covered, then $99 a year for the agent.
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 three-year bill is where it beats Mainstay Filing, and that criterion has the most weight along with coverage.
In the price
- Filing with the state
- Year-one registered agent service included
Good
- Registration costs $199 before the state fee
- Year one as your registered agent is covered
- Keeps the agent for $99 a year from year two
Watch for
- Montana only; your home state needs its own agent
- The EIN application is an extra charge ($99)
Mainstay Filing makes the list at number two because it charges $199 on top of the state fee, serves as registered agent free for year one and prices every state the same.
Past the free first year, agent service runs $149 a year, and that holds in every state.
Registered Agent MT.org undercuts it by $100 across three years, which leaves Mainstay Filing second on cost.
In the price
- Registration prepared and filed for you
- A free first year as your registered agent
- Service of process scanned and uploaded within the same business day, free
Good
- The same price in each of the fifty states
- No charge for registered agent service in year one
- Papers served on the company are scanned the same business day at no charge
- $199 service fee, with the state's fee added
Watch for
- The agent is $149 a year after year one, $50 above Registered Agent MT.org
Montana Registered Agent.co makes the list at number three because registering costs $199 plus the state fee, with the first registered agent year covered, then $99 a year for the agent.
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 Registered Agent MT.org and Montana Registered Agent.co are identical, so the order between them is a coin flip between solid options.
In the price
- Filing with the state
- The first year as registered agent
Good
- Registers the company for $199 and the state fee
- The registered agent role is free for the first year
- $99 yearly for the agent after year one
Watch for
- Montana 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.
Montana 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 $70 Montana registration fee comes on top of each row and is left out of the totals.
Why Registered Agent MT.org is first
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 Montana, three-year price made the difference.
Registered Agent MT.org adds up to $397 over three years, which is $100 below Mainstay Filing. Both services include year one, which left the renewal price to settle the order.
Every criterion and weight is set out on How we rank.
Registering a foreign LLC in Montana: fee, form and office
Registration goes to the Montana Secretary of State, Business Services on the Application for Certificate of Authority (foreign limited liability company). The state fee is $70.
Each year after that, the company files the annual report, due April 15.
What to have ready before you file
- 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 $70 state fee with the filing.
- A reminder in your own calendar for the annual report.
The cost of skipping Montana registration
An unregistered out-of-state LLC cannot sue in Montana courts (MCA 35-8-1002(1)). The state can charge $5 for each day.
Common questions about Montana foreign registration services
Must an LLC from another state register in Montana?
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 Montana?
The state fee is $70, and service fees run $199.
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?
Registered Agent MT.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Montana Registered Agent.co ($199), listed from the top pick down.
What does a foreign LLC file each year?
The annual report, once a year.
Which service leads the Montana foreign registration shortlist?
Registered Agent MT.org, because the Montana registration is $199 and includes year one as agent, with $99 a year after that.
Where the figures come from
- Montana Secretary of State fee page and fee sheet: standard annual report fee (checked again October 2026)
- Montana yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source (checked again October 2026)
- Montana yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source (checked again October 2026)
- Montana report due date (checked again August 2026)
- Mont. Code Ann. § 35-8-201 (checked again August 2026)
- Montana formation fee: Filing fee, official source (checked again October 2026)
- Montana registered agent statute (checked again October 2026)
- Montana Secretary of State, register a business (checked again October 2026)
- MCA 35-8-1001, transacting business (checked again October 2026)
- MCA 35-8-1002, consequences (checked again October 2026)
- MCA 35-8-1003, application contents (checked again October 2026)
- Pulled from Registered Agent MT.org: pricing and service pages, November 12, 2026
- Pulled from Mainstay Filing: Montana service page, November 12, 2026
- Pulled from Montana Registered Agent.co: pricing and service pages, November 12, 2026