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Founder Primer

LLC paperwork, boiled down for founders.

Guide 3 · Florida

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

Our order for registering an LLC from another state in Florida, 2026, is FL Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Florida Registered Agent.io ($199). First, do you need to register? Then 5 moves and a $125 fee.
From the Founder Primer desk

Need to know

State fee to register
$125
flsenate.gov, read October 2026
Certificate from home
90 days
How old it can be
Repeating report
$138.75
Annual report
Three-year state cost
$402.50
Service fees excluded
Moves
5
Listed below

Primer goals

  • When registration is required
  • What to file and what it costs
  • What staying registered costs
  • How the picks compare

Who we would hire in Florida

Five published criteria set the order; read them on how we score.

Top mark $199 plus the $125 state fee, then $99 a year

1. FL Registered Agent.org: best for a budget registration

We start with FL Registered Agent.org: $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
  • The filing is made for you
  • One year of agent service
In its favor
  • Agent renews at $99
  • $199 above the state fee
  • Agent covered in year one
Against it
  • Home state needs a separate agent
Any state $199 plus the $125 state fee, then $149 a year

2. Mainstay Filing: best for one vendor for both states

Mainstay Filing lands second: $199 over the state fee in any state, first-year agent included.

Add up three years: $100 more than FL Registered Agent.org.

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

Inside the price
  • Registration filing
  • Registered agent free in year one
  • A fifty-state service
In its favor
  • Year-one agent included
  • $199 over Florida's fee
  • One price anywhere
Against it
  • A pricier agent renewal ($149)
One-state plan $199 plus the $125 state fee, then $99 a year

3. Florida Registered Agent.io: best for a low agent renewal

Third place is Florida Registered Agent.io, because $199 plus the state fee, first agent year included, then $99 a year.

It costs the same as FL Registered Agent.org.

Inside the price
  • The filing is made for you
  • One year of agent service
In its favor
  • Agent covered in year one
  • $199 above the state fee
  • Agent renews at $99
Against it
  • Home state needs a separate agent

All prices in one table

# Service First year From year two Three-year total
1 FL Registered Agent.org $199 $99/yr $397 Visit FL Registered Agent.org 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 Florida Registered Agent.io $199 $99/yr $397 Visit Florida Registered Agent.io Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Prices come from each company's own site, read November 13, 2026. Add the $125 state fee to every row.

The Florida registration, in order

  1. Move 1

    When registration is required

    Operating here through an LLC formed elsewhere means foreign registration. Without registration: Need to sue someday? Register first (Fla. Stat. 605.0904(1)). Its contracts stay valid (Fla. Stat. 605.0904(4)). The penalty runs from $500 to $1,000. You also owe back fees.

    Where this comes from: dos.fl.gov, read October 2026

  2. Move 2

    Pull the document from your home state

    Get certificate of existence (or record of similar import) from the jurisdiction of formation, dated within 90 days.

    Time it so the certificate is recent at filing.

  3. Move 3

    Name the Florida registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a Florida street address that matches the agent's business address. P.O. boxes are not accepted. Florida law sets minimum hours of 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m. on weekdays.

    The services above supply one.

    Where this comes from: flsenate.gov, read October 2026

  4. Move 4

    Fill in and send the Application by Foreign Limited Liability Company for Authorization to Transact Business in Florida

    the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), Registration Section wants the filing above and $125.

    Where this comes from: flsenate.gov, read October 2026

  5. Move 5

    Stay registered

    File the annual report for $138.75, between January 1 and May 1 and the registration stays alive.

Costs, move by move

Line Recipient Figure
The registration move State office $125
Annual report State office $138.75
Paid help Your service $199 to begin
Three-year state total State office $402.50

State fees come from the official pages in the sources. Three years means the filing, two years of reports and the minimum tax where one applies.

How we ordered the Florida picks

edged out on founder outlay over three years, worth 27%.

FL Registered Agent.org costs $397 for years one to three; Mainstay Filing costs $100 more.

Common questions

What does Florida charge a foreign LLC?

$125 as the official fee. Service fees: $199.

Which form do I file to register?

Find the Application by Foreign Limited Liability Company for Authorization to Transact Business in Florida (Form CR2E027), which goes to the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), Registration Section.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certificate of existence (or record of similar import) from the jurisdiction of formation, issued within 90 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

Need to sue someday? Register first (Fla. Stat. 605.0904(1)). Its contracts stay valid (Fla. Stat. 605.0904(4)). The penalty runs from $500 to $1,000. You also owe back fees.

What is due after registering?

The annual report keeps the registration alive, at $138.75.

Which service should handle the registration?

FL Registered Agent.org, Mainstay Filing and Florida Registered Agent.io, best mark first.

See also

Sources, so you can check us

  1. For Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations the primer cites dos.fl.gov, a page we went back to in August 2026.
  2. For Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations the primer cites dos.fl.gov, a page we went back to in August 2026.
  3. For Florida yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source the primer cites flsenate.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  4. For Florida report due date the primer cites leg.state.fl.us, a page we went back to in August 2026.
  5. For Fla the primer cites flsenate.gov, a page we went back to in August 2026.
  6. For Florida formation fee: Filing fee, official source the primer cites dos.fl.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  7. For Florida formation fee: Filing fee, official source the primer cites flsenate.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  8. For Florida registered agent statute the primer cites flsenate.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  9. For Form CR2E027, foreign LLC application the primer cites form.sunbiz.org, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  10. For Florida Statutes 605.0902, certificate of authority the primer cites flsenate.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  11. For Florida Statutes 605.0905, activities that are not transacting the primer cites flsenate.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  12. For Florida Statutes 605.0904, consequences of transacting business without the primer cites flsenate.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  13. For Form CR2E057, withdrawal the primer cites form.sunbiz.org, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  14. pricing page at FL Registered Agent.org, pulled November 13, 2026
  15. Florida service page at Mainstay Filing, pulled November 13, 2026
  16. pricing page at Florida Registered Agent.io, pulled November 13, 2026