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Founder Primer

LLC paperwork, boiled down for founders.

Primer 3 · Pennsylvania

Foreign LLC Registration in Pennsylvania (2026): 4 Moves and the 3 Best Services

Best picks for registering an LLC from another state in Pennsylvania in 2026, in order: Mainstay Filing ($199), Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co ($199) and PA Registered Agent.org ($199). 4 moves and a $250 state fee; later reports cost $7 each.
From the Founder Primer desk

At a glance

Registration fee
$250
Per pa.gov, as of October 2026
Annual filing
$7
Annual report
What the state collects in 3 years
$264
Registration, reports, any minimum tax
Primer moves
4
First to last

What you get

  • When an LLC from elsewhere must register in Pennsylvania
  • The official form and fee
  • The upkeep that repeats
  • The services we rank

Who we would hire in Pennsylvania

Cost over three years first, then to-dos cleared, renewal, Pennsylvania fit and readable pricing (scoring page).

Top mark $199 plus the $250 state fee, then $149 a year

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

Mainstay Filing gets the top mark in Pennsylvania: service fee $199, plus Pennsylvania's fee; the agent is $149 a year from year two.

You pay $100 more than at Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co across three years and keep less of the paperwork.

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

Inside the price
  • Registration filing
  • The same price in every state
In its favor
  • $199 plus the state fee
  • One price anywhere
Against it
  • Renewal $50 over Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co's
One-state plan $199 plus the $250 state fee, then $99 a year

2. Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co: best for a budget registration

Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co takes second; $199 plus state fees to register; the agent is paid through year one.

Inside the price
  • The filing is made for you
  • One year of agent service
In its favor
  • A free first agent year
  • $99 a year for the agent after
  • $199 to register
Against it
  • No help in other states
One-state plan $199 plus the $250 state fee, then $99 a year

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

PA Registered Agent.org takes third; $199 plus state fees to register; the agent is paid through year one.

It lists the same prices as Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co.

Inside the price
  • The filing is made for you
  • One year of agent service
In its favor
  • $199 to register
  • A free first agent year
  • $99 a year for the agent after
Against it
  • No help in other states

The Pennsylvania picks compared

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

Posted prices, read November 13, 2026. The $250 state fee is not in these figures.

How registration works in Pennsylvania

  1. Move 1

    Decide if the LLC must register in Pennsylvania

    An LLC formed in another state registers with Pennsylvania before doing business there. Without registration: Pennsylvania courts shut the door on unregistered LLCs as plaintiffs (15 Pa.C.S. 411(b)). Signed contracts keep their force (15 Pa.C.S. 411(c)).

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

  2. Move 2

    Appoint a registered agent in Pennsylvania

    Pennsylvania requires a registered office (a Pennsylvania street address or a Commercial Registered Office Provider), not an agent. The address has to be an actual street address or rural route box number in Pennsylvania. A P.O. box alone is not accepted.

    Each pick includes the registered agent.

    Where this comes from: Per legis.state.pa.us, as of October 2026

  3. Move 3

    Send in the Foreign Registration Statement

    The registration is the Foreign Registration Statement (DSCB:15-412) plus $250, addressed to the Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations.

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

  4. Move 4

    Look at the recurring filing

    File the annual report for $7, September 30 and the registration stays alive.

What you will pay

Move Goes to Cost
Registration fee State office $250
Annual report State office $7
Service fees (optional) The provider $199 to begin
State fees for three years State office $264

Filing plus the reports in years two and three plus any minimum tax: that is the state's three-year total. Sources are listed below.

Why this order

To-dos the price takes off you decided first place in Pennsylvania. It is 38% of the mark; the rest is founder outlay over three years, year-two price, fit with the state's rules and pricing you can read at once.

With the LLC active in two states, reach settled the order.

What founders ask

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

$250 to the state. Add $199 if you hire a service.

Which form do I file to register?

Use the Foreign Registration Statement (DSCB:15-412); the Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations receives it.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

Pennsylvania courts shut the door on unregistered LLCs as plaintiffs (15 Pa.C.S. 411(b)). Signed contracts keep their force (15 Pa.C.S. 411(c)).

What is due after registering?

Move 4 has it: the annual report for $7.

Which services are in this lesson?

3 services get marks: Mainstay Filing at $199, Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co at $199 and PA Registered Agent.org at $199.

Which service should handle the registration?

Mainstay Filing, Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co and PA Registered Agent.org, best mark first.

Next primer

Sources, so you can check us

  1. For Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and the primer cites pa.gov, a page we went back to in August 2026.
  2. For Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and the primer cites pa.gov, a page we went back to in August 2026.
  3. For 15 Pa.C.S. § 8821 the primer cites pa.gov, a page we went back to in August 2026.
  4. For Pennsylvania formation fee: Filing fee, official source the primer cites pa.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  5. For Pennsylvania registered agent statute the primer cites legis.state.pa.us, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  6. For Pennsylvania DOS, foreign associations the primer cites pa.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  7. For Foreign Registration Statement, DSCB:15-412 the primer cites pa.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  8. For Commercial registered office providers the primer cites pa.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  9. For 15 Pa.C.S. 411, registration to do business in the primer cites legis.state.pa.us, a page we went back to in November 2026.
  10. For Pennsylvania Department of State, general rule and exclusions the primer cites pa.gov, a page we went back to in November 2026.
  11. Mainstay Filing Pennsylvania service page as of November 13, 2026
  12. Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co pricing page as of November 13, 2026
  13. PA Registered Agent.org pricing page as of November 13, 2026