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Founder Primer

LLC paperwork, boiled down for founders.

Guide 3 · Michigan

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

Our order for registering an LLC from another state in Michigan, 2026, is Michigan Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and MI Registered Agent.org ($199). 5 moves and a $50 state fee; later reports cost $25 each.
From the Founder Primer desk

The short version

State fee to register
$50
Per legislature.mi.gov, as of October 2026
Certificate from home
30 days
No older than
Repeating report
$25
Annual statement
State fees, three years
$100
No service fees counted
Move count
5
Each one explained

What you will be able to do

  • When registration is required
  • How the filing is made
  • Staying in good standing
  • Which services we pick and why

Michigan: services we rank

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

Best overall $199 plus state fee, then $99/yr

1. Michigan Registered Agent.co: best for a low yearly agent cost

Michigan Registered Agent.co leads the list, since Michigan registration filed for $199, with a year of agent service; renewal $99.

A lower three-year cost than Mainstay Filing puts it first; cost is worth 27%.

Inside the price
  • Registration filing
  • One year of agent service
In its favor
  • A $199 service fee
  • No agent fee in year one
  • Agent renews at $99
Against it
  • No help in other states
Visit Michigan Registered Agent.co Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Upkeep included $199 plus state fee, then $149/yr

2. Mainstay Filing: best for multiple registrations

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

Michigan Registered Agent.co is $100 lower over three years, which keeps this one out of first.

Free in year one, then $149 a year for the agent, anywhere you register.

Inside the price
  • Registration, prepared and sent
  • A fifty-state service
In its favor
  • One price anywhere
  • A $199 service fee
Against it
  • Agent renews at $149, $50 above Michigan Registered Agent.co
Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Michigan specialist $199 plus state fee, then $99/yr

3. MI Registered Agent.org: best for another Michigan option

Third place is MI Registered Agent.org, because Michigan registration filed for $199, with a year of agent service; renewal $99.

On price it ties with Michigan Registered Agent.co.

Inside the price
  • Registration filing
  • One year of agent service
In its favor
  • No agent fee in year one
  • Agent renews at $99
  • A $199 service fee
Against it
  • No help in other states
Visit MI Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

All prices in one table

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

Pulled from each company's pricing page on November 13, 2026. No row includes the $50 state fee.

The Michigan registration, in order

  1. Move 1

    Decide if the LLC must register in Michigan

    An LLC formed in another state registers with Michigan before doing business there. What skipping it does: A claim from an unregistered LLC will not go forward there (MCL 450.5007(1)). The agreements are not voided (MCL 450.5007(3)).

    Where this comes from: Per michigan.gov, as of October 2026

  2. Move 2

    Obtain what your home state issues

    Michigan requires certificate of good standing, no older than 30 days.

    Leave this for just before you file.

  3. Move 3

    Appoint a resident agent in Michigan

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a registered office in Michigan, which does not have to be the place of business. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    Our picks cover this.

    Where this comes from: Per legislature.mi.gov, as of October 2026

  4. Move 4

    Fill in and send the Application for Certificate of Authority to Transact Business in Michigan (for foreign limited liability companies)

    the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Corporations Division wants the filing above and $50.

    Where this comes from: Per legislature.mi.gov, as of October 2026

  5. Move 5

    Keep it going

    The repeat item is the annual statement at $25, February 15.

Costs, move by move

Cost item Paid to Cost
Registering the LLC To the state $50
Annual statement To the state $25
Service fees (optional) The service $199 to begin
State fees, years one to three To the state $100

State amounts are Michigan'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.

How we ordered the Michigan picks

Founder outlay over three years decided first place in Michigan. It is 27% of the mark; the rest is to-dos the price takes off you, year-two price, fit with the state's rules and pricing you can read at once.

Three years with Michigan Registered Agent.co come to $397, $100 under Mainstay Filing.

Michigan questions

What does Michigan charge a foreign LLC?

$50 for the filing. A service adds $199.

Which form do I file to register?

Fill in the form named in move 4 and send it to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Corporations Division.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certificate of good standing, issued within 30 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

A claim from an unregistered LLC will not go forward there (MCL 450.5007(1)). The agreements are not voided (MCL 450.5007(3)).

What is due after registering?

After registering, the LLC files the annual statement; each one costs $25.

Which service should handle the registration?

Michigan Registered Agent.co, since $199 service fee, $99 a year for the Michigan agent. Then Mainstay Filing and MI Registered Agent.org.

See also

Sources, so you can check us

  1. For Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations the primer cites michigan.gov, a page we went back to in August 2026.
  2. For Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations the primer cites michigan.gov, a page we went back to in August 2026.
  3. For Michigan report due date the primer cites michigan.gov, a page we went back to in August 2026.
  4. For MCL 450.4202 the primer cites legislature.mi.gov, a page we went back to in August 2026.
  5. For Michigan formation fee: Filing fee, official source the primer cites michigan.gov, a page we went back to in September 2026.
  6. For Michigan formation fee: Filing fee, official source the primer cites legislature.mi.gov, a page we went back to in September 2026.
  7. For Michigan registered agent statute the primer cites legislature.mi.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  8. For LARA limited liability company forms the primer cites michigan.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  9. For MCL 450.5002, certificate of authority the primer cites legislature.mi.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  10. For MCL 450.5008, activities that are not transacting business the primer cites legislature.mi.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  11. For MCL 450.5007, consequences of transacting business without a the primer cites legislature.mi.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  12. Michigan Registered Agent.co: pricing page, read on November 13, 2026
  13. Mainstay Filing: Michigan service page, read on November 13, 2026
  14. MI Registered Agent.org: pricing page, read on November 13, 2026