Foreign LLC Registration in Montana (2026): 4 Moves and the 3 Best Services
Our 2026 marks for registering an LLC from another state in Montana: Montana Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Registered Agent MT.org ($199), highest first. First, do you need to register? Then 4 moves and a $70 fee.
Pulled from each company's pricing page on November 13, 2026. Add the $70 state fee to every row.
The primer, move by move
Move 1
Is Montana registration needed?
If your out-of-state LLC does business in Montana, register as a foreign LLC first. Operating unregistered costs you: Montana courts shut the door on unregistered LLCs as plaintiffs (MCA 35-8-1002(1)). Every extra day may cost $5.
Where this comes from:mca.legmt.gov, read October 2026
Move 2
Appoint a registered agent in Montana
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be an actual street address or rural route box number in Montana. A P.O. box alone is not enough.
Where this comes from:mca.legmt.gov, read October 2026
Move 3
Fill in and send the Application for Certificate of Authority (foreign limited liability company)
Prepare the Application for Certificate of Authority (foreign limited liability company), add $70, and deliver both to the Montana Secretary of State, Business Services.
Where this comes from:mca.legmt.gov, read October 2026
Move 4
Look at the recurring filing
Registered LLCs file the annual report, April 15.
Costs, move by move
Cost item
Paid to
Price
Registration fee
State agency
$70
Service fees (optional)
Service
$199 to begin
State fees for three years
State agency
$70
State amounts are Montana'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 Montana picks
Founder outlay over three years decided first place in Montana. 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.
Montana Registered Agent.co takes the cost criterion: $397 over three years, against $100 more at Mainstay Filing.
Montana quick answers
How much is Montana's fee for an out-of-state LLC?
$70 to the state. A service adds $199.
Which form do I file to register?
Registration takes one form, and the Montana Secretary of State, Business Services handles it.
What if the LLC does business there without registering?
Montana courts shut the door on unregistered LLCs as plaintiffs (MCA 35-8-1002(1)). Every extra day may cost $5.
What is due after registering?
Plan for the annual report.
Which services are in this lesson?
We score three: Montana Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Registered Agent MT.org ($199).
Which service should handle the registration?
Montana Registered Agent.co, since Montana registration filed for $199, with a year of agent service; renewal $99. Then Mainstay Filing and Registered Agent MT.org.