Skip to content
Founder Primer

LLC paperwork, boiled down for founders.

Primer 3 · Louisiana

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

Short answer for Louisiana, 2026: use Louisiana Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and LA Registered Agent.org ($199), ranked best to worst, if you want help registering an LLC from another state. First, do you need to register? Then 5 moves and a $185 fee.
From the Founder Primer desk

The short version

Registration fee
$185
Source page static.sos.la.gov, October 2026
Home-state certificate
90 days
How fresh it must be
Annual filing
$35
Annual report
What the state collects in 3 years
$255
No service fees counted
Move count
5
Each one explained

Primer goals

  • When the rule applies
  • How the filing is made
  • Staying in good standing
  • The services we rank

Louisiana: services we rank

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

Our pick $199 plus state fee, then $99/yr

1. Louisiana Registered Agent.co: best for one extra state

We start with Louisiana Registered Agent.co: $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
  • Filing with the state
  • One year of agent service
In its favor
  • No agent fee in year one
  • $199 above the state fee
  • A low $99 renewal
Against it
  • No help in other states
Visit Louisiana Registered Agent.co Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Any state $199 plus state fee, then $149/yr

2. Mainstay Filing: best for a second state and more

Mainstay Filing lands second: service fee $199, plus Louisiana's fee; the agent is $149 a year from year two.

Add up three years: $100 more than Louisiana Registered Agent.co.

Once the free year ends, expect $149 a year for the agent whichever state it covers.

Inside the price
  • Filing with the state
  • Registered agent free in year one
  • A fifty-state service
In its favor
  • A $199 service fee
  • No agent fee in year one
  • Any state, one fee
Against it
  • A pricier agent renewal ($149)
Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Louisiana focus $199 plus state fee, then $99/yr

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

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

Louisiana Registered Agent.co and this service charge alike.

Inside the price
  • Filing with the state
  • One year of agent service
In its favor
  • A low $99 renewal
  • $199 above the state fee
  • No agent fee in year one
Against it
  • No help in other states
Visit LA Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services side by side

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

Prices come from each company's own site, read November 13, 2026. The $185 state fee is not in these figures.

How registration works in Louisiana

  1. Move 1

    When registration is required

    LLCs from other states file a foreign registration to transact business in Louisiana. What skipping it does: Louisiana courts shut the door on unregistered LLCs as plaintiffs (La. R.S. 12:1354(A)). Signed contracts keep their force (La. R.S. 12:1354(B)). Back fees for the unregistered stretch are owed too.

    Where this comes from: Source page legis.la.gov, October 2026

  2. Move 2

    Order the certificate from home

    Louisiana requires certificate of existence or good standing from the jurisdiction of organization, no older than 90 days.

    Leave this for just before you file.

  3. Move 3

    Get a registered agent with a Louisiana address

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a registered office in Louisiana, which the law treats as the company's domicile. P.O. boxes and virtual offices are not accepted.

    Each pick includes the registered agent.

    Where this comes from: Source page legis.la.gov, October 2026

  4. Move 4

    Prepare the Application for Authority to Transact Business in Louisiana, Foreign Limited Liability Company

    the Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division takes the form and the $185 fee together.

    Where this comes from: Source page static.sos.la.gov, October 2026

  5. Move 5

    Look at the recurring filing

    Registered LLCs file the annual report ($35), on or before the anniversary of your qualification.

What each move costs in Louisiana

Item Paid to Cost
Foreign registration Paid to the state $185
Annual report Paid to the state $35
A service, if you hire one The provider $199 in the first year
Three years of state fees Paid to the state $255

These are the official Louisiana fees, cited below. The three-year line adds the filing fee, the year-two and year-three reports and any minimum tax.

Why Louisiana Registered Agent.co is first

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

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

What founders ask

What does an LLC from elsewhere pay to register in Louisiana?

$185 as the official fee. Our picks add $199.

Which form do I file to register?

Fill in the form named in move 4 and send it to the Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certificate of existence or good standing from the jurisdiction of organization, issued within 90 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

Louisiana courts shut the door on unregistered LLCs as plaintiffs (La. R.S. 12:1354(A)). Signed contracts keep their force (La. R.S. 12:1354(B)). Back fees for the unregistered stretch are owed too.

What is due after registering?

Next is the annual report at $35.

Which service should handle the registration?

Louisiana Registered Agent.co, Mainstay Filing and LA Registered Agent.org, best mark first.

More primers

Sources, so you can check us

  1. Verify Louisiana Secretary of State at geauxbiz.sos.la.gov. Our copy of it is from August 2026.
  2. Verify Louisiana Secretary of State at sos.la.gov. Our copy of it is from August 2026.
  3. Verify Louisiana yearly filing: Annual report, official source at legis.la.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  4. Verify Louisiana Secretary of State fee changes effective October at static.sos.la.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  5. Verify Louisiana registered agent statute at legis.la.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  6. Verify Louisiana Secretary of State, forms and fee schedule at sos.la.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  7. Verify Form 972, foreign LLC application at sos.la.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  8. Verify R.S. 12:1345, application for authority at legis.la.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  9. Verify R.S. 12:1354, effect of failing to obtain authority at legis.la.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  10. Verify R.S. 12:1350, registered agent at legis.la.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  11. pricing page at Louisiana Registered Agent.co, pulled November 13, 2026
  12. Louisiana service page at Mainstay Filing, pulled November 13, 2026
  13. pricing page at LA Registered Agent.org, pulled November 13, 2026