Skip to content
Founder Primer

LLC paperwork, boiled down for founders.

Primer 3 · Delaware

Foreign LLC Registration in Delaware (2026): 5 Moves and the 3 Best Services

Our 2026 marks for registering an LLC from another state in Delaware: Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and DE Registered Agent.org ($199), highest first. Delaware wants $200 from a foreign LLC. 5 moves show the rest.
From the Founder Primer desk

Start here

State fee to register
$200
Source page delcode.delaware.gov, October 2026
Home certificate
180 days
Must be issued within
Annual filing
$400
Annual LLC tax
Three years of state fees
$1,000
No service fees counted
Move count
5
Listed below

What you will be able to do

  • Whether Delaware registration applies to you
  • What to file and what it costs
  • What follows registration
  • Our picks and the reasoning

If you want someone else to file

Three-year cost and to-dos cleared weigh the most. How we score lists all five criteria.

Best overall $199 plus fees, then $99 yearly

1. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: best for a budget registration

First place goes to Delaware Registered Agent.ai because $199 plus the state fee, first agent year included, then $99 a year.

Mainstay Filing costs more across three years, so this service takes first.

Inside the price
  • Registration filing
  • One year of agent service
In its favor
  • A year of agent service included
  • A $199 service fee
  • $99 a year for the agent after
Against it
  • Serves only Delaware
Visit Delaware Registered Agent.ai Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Upkeep included $199 plus fees, then $149 yearly

2. Mainstay Filing: best for companies adding a state

Number 2 is Mainstay Filing, where service fee $199, plus Delaware's fee; the agent is $149 a year from year two.

Three years cost $100 more than Delaware Registered Agent.ai, and cost is 27% of the mark.

From the second year the agent bills $149 yearly, no matter the state.

Inside the price
  • Filing with the state
  • Registered agent free in year one
  • One fee in any state
In its favor
  • Same fee in every state
  • No agent fee in year one
  • $199 above the state fee
Against it
  • A pricier agent renewal ($149)
Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
One-state plan $199 plus fees, then $99 yearly

3. DE Registered Agent.org: best for a local filer

DE Registered Agent.org lands third: $199 plus the state fee, first agent year included, then $99 a year.

It costs the same as Delaware Registered Agent.ai.

Inside the price
  • Registration filing
  • One year of agent service
In its favor
  • A year of agent service included
  • $99 a year for the agent after
  • A $199 service fee
Against it
  • Serves only Delaware
Visit DE Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Marks and prices together

# Service First year From year two Three-year total
1 Delaware Registered Agent.ai $199 $99/yr $397 Visit Delaware Registered Agent.ai Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Mainstay Filing $199 $149/yr $497 Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 DE Registered Agent.org $199 $99/yr $397 Visit DE Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Prices come from each company's own site, read November 13, 2026. Add the $200 state fee to every row.

The moves

  1. Move 1

    Do you have to register?

    Operating here through an LLC formed elsewhere means foreign registration. Skip registration and: Until it registers, the LLC cannot sue in the state's courts (6 Del. C. 18-907(a)). The agreements are not voided (6 Del. C. 18-907(b)).

    Where this comes from: Source page corp.delaware.gov, October 2026

  2. Move 2

    Request proof of good standing

    You must have certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, issued within 180 days.

    Time it so the certificate is recent at filing.

  3. Move 3

    Line up a Delaware registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a registered office in Delaware. An entity agent keeps a business office there that is generally open; an individual agent has to be generally present there. A virtual office or mail-forwarding service alone does not qualify.

    Each pick includes the registered agent.

    Where this comes from: Source page delcode.delaware.gov, October 2026

  4. Move 4

    Prepare the Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company

    the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations takes the form and the $200 fee together.

    Where this comes from: Source page delcode.delaware.gov, October 2026

  5. Move 5

    After registration

    Next up: the Annual LLC tax, $400, June 1.

Delaware costs by move

Move Paid to Price
The registration move To the state $200
Annual LLC tax To the state $400
Optional service Service $199 up front
State fees for three years To the state $1,000

State amounts are Delaware's official fees (sources below); service prices come from each company's site. Three years of state cost is the filing, the reports in years two and three and any minimum tax.

Why this order

The deciding criterion: founder outlay over three years, at 27% of the mark.

Delaware Registered Agent.ai takes the cost criterion: $397 over three years, against $100 more at Mainstay Filing.

What founders ask

What does Delaware charge a foreign LLC?

$200 as the official fee. Add $199 if you hire a service.

Which form do I file to register?

Fill in the form named in move 4 and send it to the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, issued within 180 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

Until it registers, the LLC cannot sue in the state's courts (6 Del. C. 18-907(a)). The agreements are not voided (6 Del. C. 18-907(b)).

What is due after registering?

Plan for the Annual LLC tax, which costs $400.

Which service should handle the registration?

Our order: Delaware Registered Agent.ai, Mainstay Filing and DE Registered Agent.org. Delaware Registered Agent.ai leads because Delaware registration filed for $199, with a year of agent service; renewal $99.

Related primers

Sources, so you can check us

  1. Backup for the Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source section: corp.delaware.gov, read October 2026.
  2. Backup for the Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source section: corp.delaware.gov, read October 2026.
  3. Backup for the Delaware yearly filing: HB 400, official source section: legis.delaware.gov, read October 2026.
  4. Backup for the Delaware report due date section: delcode.delaware.gov, read August 2026.
  5. Backup for the 6 Del section: delcode.delaware.gov, read August 2026.
  6. Backup for the Delaware registered agent statute section: delcode.delaware.gov, read October 2026.
  7. Backup for the Foreign LLC registration form section: corpfiles.delaware.gov, read October 2026.
  8. Backup for the Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter IX section: delcode.delaware.gov, read October 2026.
  9. Backup for the Division of Corporations fee schedule, August 2026 section: corpfiles.delaware.gov, read October 2026.
  10. Delaware Registered Agent.ai pricing page as of November 13, 2026
  11. Mainstay Filing Delaware service page as of November 13, 2026
  12. DE Registered Agent.org pricing page as of November 13, 2026