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

Unpacked · Delaware

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

In Delaware for 2026, unpack foreign registration services in this order: Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and DE Registered Agent.org ($199). Every option pays the state $200, then services total $397 to $497 across three years.
Unpacked by the LLC Unpacked editorial team

Top layer

Registration fee
$200
Certificate from home?
Yes (180 days old at most)
Once registered
$400, Annual LLC tax
Top of the stack
Delaware Registered Agent.ai, Mainstay Filing then DE Registered Agent.org

The Delaware stack, best on top

The order follows our five layers: three-year cost first, then what the price covers.
Top of the stack

1. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: best for registering in a single place

$199 to register; agent renewal $99

What puts Delaware Registered Agent.ai first: $199 gets the registration filed, and the agent renews at $99.

Three years cost less here than at Mainstay Filing, and cost counts most in our weighing.

Inside the price

  • Foreign filing handled
  • A first year of agent service

Inside, the good

  • A renewal of $99
  • Year one of the agent comes with it
  • $199 to register

Inside, the catch

  • Nothing outside this state
All fifty states

2. Mainstay Filing: best for registering in many states

$199 to register; agent renewal $149

Mainstay Filing sits second because the fee is $199 on top of Delaware's own, the registered agent is waived at first, and it settles at $149 a year.

Delaware Registered Agent.ai totals $100 less across three years, enough to outrank it.

Year one of the registered agent is inside the price; afterward it is $149 annually.

Inside the price

  • The registration filing, included
  • Registered agent, not charged in year one
  • The same fee in all fifty states

Inside, the good

  • Agent costs nothing the first year
  • The price does not change by state
  • $199 over the state fee

Inside, the catch

  • Renewal $50 over Delaware Registered Agent.ai
Delaware only

3. DE Registered Agent.org: best for another in-state option

$199 to register; agent renewal $99

DE Registered Agent.org lands third, and $199 gets the registration filed, and the agent renews at $99.

Its prices match Delaware Registered Agent.ai exactly, so the order between them is close.

Inside the price

  • Foreign filing handled
  • A first year of agent service

Inside, the good

  • $199 to register
  • Year one of the agent comes with it
  • A renewal of $99

Inside, the catch

  • Nothing outside this state

Inside each price

#CompanyOpening priceEach year afterTotal, 3 yearsCovers
1Delaware Registered Agent.ai$199$99/yr$397foreign filing handled; A first year of agent serviceSee Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497the registration filing, included; registered agent, not charged in year one; the same fee in all fifty statesSee Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3DE Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397foreign filing handled; A first year of agent serviceSee DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Read November 13, 2026. Three years means year one plus two renewals.

Layer by layer

When must an out-of-state LLC register here?

Registration sits at the front of the line for an out-of-state LLC heading into Delaware.

What an unregistered LLC can run into: Delaware's courts stay closed to it as a plaintiff until it registers (6 Del. C. 18-907(a)).

peek at corp.delaware.gov, confirmed October 2026

What is inside the cost of registering?

$200 goes to the state, and $199 more pays for help.

Three years of state fees, registration included, stack up to $1,000. peek at delcode.delaware.gov, confirmed October 2026

Which form is inside the filing, and where does it go?

You open one form, the Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company, and send it to the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations.

Attach certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation issued within the last 180 days.

What is due after the LLC registers?

Next in the box: the Annual LLC tax, at $400.

The state frames the deadline as June 1.

What put number one on top?

Delaware Registered Agent.ai is strongest on total across three years, a layer worth 34% of the score.

Two layers carry most of the weight, total across three years (34%) and what is inside the price (29%).

Delaware Registered Agent.ai stacks up to $397 over three years, $100 under Mainstay Filing.

The five layers

What Delaware requires to register

PartWhat is insidePeek at source
Registration fee$200peek at delcode.delaware.gov, confirmed October 2026
Good standing certificateYes, 180 dayspeek at corp.delaware.gov, confirmed October 2026
Annual LLC tax$400peek at corp.delaware.gov, confirmed October 2026
State fees, years one to three$1,000The rows above, stacked
The last row stacks the filing fee, the reports in years two and three and any minimum tax. A cost with no fixed amount, such as a newspaper notice, is explained above and kept out of the sum.

More boxes to open

Do I still need an agent in my home state?

Most likely. Each state wants an agent of its own, and while a one-state service covers only one of them, Mainstay Filing covers every state.

What do the picks cost over three years?

Opened up over three years: Delaware Registered Agent.ai at $397, Mainstay Filing at $497, DE Registered Agent.org at $397, services only.

What do these numbers rest on?

Official Delaware paperwork stands behind every state fee here, and every service price traces back to the company's own pricing.

Does the law require one?

No. Owners can file with the state directly. A service saves time and can act as agent, but nothing makes you hire one.

Can I hire someone to register the LLC?

Handled: submitting the registration is part of every pick's service, and the state's fee stays level.

Who tops the stack in Delaware?

Delaware Registered Agent.ai is on top: it charges $199 with first-year agent service inside, then $99 annually. Under it sit Mainstay Filing and DE Registered Agent.org.

What the page rests on

  1. Unpacking Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation led us to corp.delaware.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  2. Unpacking Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation led us to corp.delaware.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  3. Unpacking Delaware yearly filing: HB 400 led us to legis.delaware.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  4. Unpacking Delaware report due date led us to delcode.delaware.gov, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  5. Unpacking 6 Del led us to delcode.delaware.gov, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  6. Unpacking Delaware registered agent statute led us to delcode.delaware.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  7. Unpacking Foreign LLC registration form led us to corpfiles.delaware.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  8. Unpacking Delaware Code Title 6, chapter led us to delcode.delaware.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  9. Unpacking Division of Corporations fee schedule led us to corpfiles.delaware.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  10. Delaware Registered Agent.ai pricing page, read November 13, 2026
  11. Mainstay Filing Delaware service page, read November 13, 2026
  12. DE Registered Agent.org pricing page, read November 13, 2026