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Founder Primer

LLC paperwork, boiled down for founders.

Guide 3 · Vermont

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

Short answer for Vermont, 2026: use VT Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Vermont Registered Agent.co ($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 $155 fee.
From the Founder Primer desk

The short version

Fee at the state
$155
Source page sos.vermont.gov, October 2026
Good-standing proof
90 days
Must be issued within
Report fee
$170
Annual report
State cost, years 1 to 3
$495
Registration plus reports
How many moves
5
One at a time

Primer goals

  • Whether Vermont registration applies to you
  • What to file and what it costs
  • The upkeep that repeats
  • Our picks and the reasoning

Our picks for Vermont

Five weighted criteria set the order (see how we score); three-year cost and to-dos cleared count most.

Top mark $199 plus fees, then $99 yearly

1. VT Registered Agent.org: best for a cheap Vermont filing

First place goes to VT Registered Agent.org because $199 service fee, $99 a year for the Vermont agent.

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

Inside the price
  • We prepare and file the registration
  • One year of agent service
In its favor
  • $99 yearly from year two
  • No agent fee in year one
  • $199 above the state fee
Against it
  • Serves only Vermont
Visit VT Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Upkeep included $199 plus fees, then $149 yearly

2. Mainstay Filing: best for companies adding a state

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

Three years cost $100 more than VT Registered Agent.org, and cost is 27% of the mark.

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

Inside the price
  • The filing is made for you
  • Registered agent free in year one
  • The same price in every state
In its favor
  • Year-one agent included
  • $199 over Vermont's fee
  • Any state, one fee
Against it
  • A pricier agent renewal ($149)
Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Vermont specialist $199 plus fees, then $99 yearly

3. Vermont Registered Agent.co: best for another Vermont option

Number 3 is Vermont Registered Agent.co, where $199 service fee, $99 a year for the Vermont agent.

Its prices match VT Registered Agent.org's, so either one works.

Inside the price
  • We prepare and file the registration
  • One year of agent service
In its favor
  • No agent fee in year one
  • $199 above the state fee
  • $99 yearly from year two
Against it
  • Serves only Vermont
Visit Vermont Registered Agent.co Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The Vermont picks compared

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

Pulled from each company's pricing page on November 13, 2026. Add the $155 state fee to every row.

Registering with Vermont, move by move

  1. Move 1

    Do you have to register?

    Term to know: a foreign LLC is formed in another state. It registers before doing business there. Without registration: A claim from an unregistered LLC will not go forward there (11 V.S.A. 4119(a)(1)). Contracts already signed still stand (11 V.S.A. 4119(b)). Fines of $50.

    Where this comes from: Source page legislature.vermont.gov, October 2026

  2. Move 2

    Request proof of good standing

    Vermont requires certificate of existence (certificate of good standing), from the past 90 days.

    Order it when everything else is ready.

  3. Move 3

    Name the Vermont registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a street address in Vermont. P.O. boxes and virtual addresses are not accepted.

    Our picks cover this.

    Where this comes from: Source page legislature.vermont.gov, October 2026

  4. Move 4

    Submit the Application for certificate of authority

    the Vermont Secretary of State, Business Services Division takes the form and the $155 fee together.

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

  5. Move 5

    After registration

    File the annual report for $170, within three months after your fiscal year ends and the registration stays alive.

What each move costs in Vermont

Move Goes to Price
Registering the LLC The state $155
Annual report The state $170
Paid help Service company $199 in year one
Three-year state total The state $495

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

How the marks came out

Founder outlay over three years is 27% of the mark, and it is where moved ahead in Vermont.

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

Vermont questions

How much is Vermont's fee for an out-of-state LLC?

$155 to the state. Our picks add $199.

Which form do I file to register?

Use the Application for certificate of authority; the Vermont Secretary of State, Business Services Division receives it.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certificate of existence (certificate of good standing), issued within 90 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

A claim from an unregistered LLC will not go forward there (11 V.S.A. 4119(a)(1)). Contracts already signed still stand (11 V.S.A. 4119(b)). Fines of $50.

What is due after registering?

Next is the annual report at $170.

Which service should handle the registration?

VT Registered Agent.org first, then Mainstay Filing and Vermont Registered Agent.co; VT Registered Agent.org wins on founder outlay over three years.

More primers

Sources, so you can check us

  1. Verify Vermont Secretary of State fee schedule, Annual Report at sos.vermont.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  2. Verify Vermont report due date at legislature.vermont.gov. Our copy of it is from August 2026.
  3. Verify Vermont formation fee: Filing fee, official source at legislature.vermont.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  4. Verify Vermont registered agent statute at legislature.vermont.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  5. Verify Vermont Secretary of State, foreign registration at sos.vermont.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  6. Verify 11 V.S.A. § 4112, application for certificate of at legislature.vermont.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  7. Verify 11 V.S.A. § 4113, activities that are not at legislature.vermont.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  8. Verify 11 V.S.A. § 4033, annual report at legislature.vermont.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  9. Verify 11 V.S.A. 4119, effect of failure to obtain at legislature.vermont.gov. Our copy of it is from November 2026.
  10. Verify 11A V.S.A. 15.02, consequences of transacting business without at legislature.vermont.gov. Our copy of it is from November 2026.
  11. The pricing page from VT Registered Agent.org, November 13, 2026
  12. The Vermont service page from Mainstay Filing, November 13, 2026
  13. The pricing page from Vermont Registered Agent.co, November 13, 2026