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LLC UnpackedEvery filing, unpacked: the fee, the form, the catch.

Open it up · California

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in California (2026), Opened Up

Opened up for 2026, the foreign registration services in California rank Mainstay Filing ($199), CA Registered Agent.org ($199) and California Registered Agent.ai ($199), best on top. Inside the cost: $70 goes to California, and three years of service add $397 to $497.
Unpacked by the LLC Unpacked editorial team

Top layer

State fee to register
$70
Certificate packed in?
Yes (180 days old at most)
Afterward
$20, Statement of Information, Form LLC-12
Our pick
Mainstay Filing, CA Registered Agent.org then California Registered Agent.ai

The California stack, best on top

Prices come from each company's own page. See how we open it up.
Ranked first

1. Mainstay Filing: best for registering in many states

$199 plus the state fee, then $149 a year

Mainstay Filing sits on top in California because $199 over the state fee registers you, with the agent for service of process not charged in year one and $149 a year after.

The extra $100 over CA Registered Agent.org across three years is what coverage beyond California costs.

The agent for service of process is not charged in year one and costs $149 a year after that, in any state.

Inside the price

  • Out-of-state registration filed
  • One fee, any state

Inside, the good

  • All fifty states
  • $199 on top of California's fee

Inside, the catch

  • $50 more a year for the agent
California only

2. CA Registered Agent.org: best for registering in a single place

$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

What puts CA Registered Agent.org second: it charges $199 with first-year agent service inside, then $99 annually.

Inside the price

  • Foreign filing handled
  • Agent included in year one

Inside, the good

  • Then $99 yearly
  • A first year of agent service is inside
  • $199 over the state fee

Inside, the catch

  • Two states, two providers
California only

3. California Registered Agent.ai: best for one added state, no more

$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

What puts California Registered Agent.ai third: it charges $199 with first-year agent service inside, then $99 annually.

It charges what CA Registered Agent.org charges.

Inside the price

  • Foreign filing handled
  • Agent included in year one

Inside, the good

  • Then $99 yearly
  • $199 over the state fee
  • A first year of agent service is inside

Inside, the catch

  • Two states, two providers

Inside each price

#CompanyOpening priceEach year afterThree-year totalWhat is inside
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Out-of-state registration filed; one fee, any stateOpen Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2CA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397foreign filing handled; agent included in year oneOpen CA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3California Registered Agent.ai$199$99/yr$397foreign filing handled; agent included in year oneOpen California Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Service fees only, from company prices read November 13, 2026. State fees are the same whichever pick you open.

Layer by layer

Does my LLC from another state have to register?

Any LLC formed elsewhere should file its registration with the California Secretary of State, Business Entities ahead of its first California transaction.

Inside the risk of skipping it: California's courts stay closed to it as a plaintiff until it registers (Corp. Code 17708.07(a)).

peek at ftb.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026

How much does registration cost?

The state charges $70, and a service adds $199.

Over three years the state's fees reach $2,490, counting any recurring report and the minimum tax. peek at bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026

What registers the LLC?

The Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) (Form LLC-5) is the filing, and the California Secretary of State, Business Entities receives it.

Pack in certificate of good standing (existence or status) from the home state issued within the last 180 days.

Is there a filing that repeats?

A recurring Statement of Information, Form LLC-12 follows, priced at $20.

The state frames the deadline as Within 90 days of registering, then every 2 years.

Why is the stack in this order?

On what is inside the price (29%), Mainstay Filing comes out ahead.

Five layers set the order: total across three years (34%), what is inside the price (29%), price laid out in the open (14%), how the renewal behaves (12%) and how far it reaches (11%).

CA Registered Agent.org serves California only, so the home state would need someone else.

How we open it up

California: the registration checklist

RequirementWhat is insidePeek at source
Fee to register$70peek at bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026
Certificate from homeYes, 180 dayspeek at ftb.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026
Statement of Information, Form LLC-12$20peek at ftb.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026
Minimum tax$800 a yearpeek at ftb.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026
What the state collects in three years$2,490Our total of the rows above
To check the total yourself, add the filing fee, the next two reports and any minimum tax. Costs without a set amount are left out.

Also worth asking

Does the home state need its own agent?

Expect to appoint one in each state. A company that operates nationwide, Mainstay Filing for instance, can fill both roles.

How do the three-year totals compare?

Opened up over three years: Mainstay Filing at $497, CA Registered Agent.org at $397, California Registered Agent.ai at $397, with state fees on top.

What do these numbers rest on?

Two kinds of source feed this page: California's official documents for what the state charges, and company price pages for what services charge.

Does the law require one?

No law requires a service. It is a paid convenience.

Will a service file the registration for me?

Each company here handles the filing itself. What differs between them is only the service fee, since the state charges the same.

Which foreign registration service should I open first in California?

Mainstay Filing, because the price is $199 in every state, and the first agent for service of process year is inside it. Then CA Registered Agent.org and California Registered Agent.ai.

What the page rests on

  1. Unpacking California Secretary of State led us to sos.ca.gov, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  2. Unpacking California Secretary of State led us to bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  3. Unpacking California yearly filing: Statement of led us to sos.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  4. Unpacking Cal led us to leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  5. Unpacking California registered agent statute led us to leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  6. Unpacking California Secretary of State, foreign led us to sos.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  7. Unpacking Form LLC-5 led us to bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  8. Unpacking Corporations Code section 17708.03 led us to leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  9. Unpacking Revenue and Taxation Code section led us to leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  10. Unpacking Franchise Tax Board, LLC filing led us to ftb.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  11. Unpacking California Corporations Code 17708.07 led us to leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, confirmed November 2026, which you can open yourself
  12. Unpacking California other cost: Annual LLC led us to ftb.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  13. The Mainstay Filing California service page, opened November 13, 2026
  14. The CA Registered Agent.org pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  15. The California Registered Agent.ai pricing page, opened November 13, 2026