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Unpacked · Kentucky

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

Opened up for 2026, the foreign registration services in Kentucky rank Mainstay Filing ($199), Kentucky Registered Agent.co ($199) and KY Registered Agent.org ($199), best on top. Two parts make up the bill: $90 to register and $397 to $497 to a service over three years.
Unpacked by the LLC Unpacked editorial team

Top layer

State fee to register
$90
Certificate from home?
No
Afterward
$15, annual report
Our pick
Mainstay Filing, Kentucky Registered Agent.co then KY Registered Agent.org

Our Kentucky picks, opened up

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 to register; agent renewal $149

Mainstay Filing sits on top in Kentucky because the price is $199 in every state, and the first registered agent year is inside it.

The extra $100 over Kentucky Registered Agent.co across three years is what coverage beyond Kentucky costs.

The registered agent is not charged in year one and costs $149 a year after that, in any state.

Inside the price

  • Out-of-state registration filed
  • Registered agent, not charged in year one
  • The same fee in all fifty states

Inside, the good

  • $199 on top of Kentucky's fee
  • A free first year of agent service
  • The price does not change by state

Inside, the catch

  • $50 more a year for the agent
Kentucky only

2. Kentucky Registered Agent.co: best for registering in a single place

$199 to register; agent renewal $99

What puts Kentucky Registered Agent.co second: registering costs $199 over the state fee, with the agent covered in year one, then $99 a year.

Inside the price

  • Kentucky registration filing
  • A first year of agent service

Inside, the good

  • $199 over the state fee
  • $99 a year from year two
  • Year one of the agent comes with it

Inside, the catch

  • Two states, two providers
Kentucky only

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

$199 to register; agent renewal $99

What puts KY Registered Agent.org third: registering costs $199 over the state fee, with the agent covered in year one, then $99 a year.

Its prices match Kentucky Registered Agent.co exactly, so the order between them is close.

Inside the price

  • Kentucky registration filing
  • A first year of agent service

Inside, the good

  • $199 over the state fee
  • $99 a year from year two
  • Year one of the agent comes with it

Inside, the catch

  • Two states, two providers

Inside each price

#CompanyOpening priceRenewalThree-year totalWhat is inside
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Out-of-state registration filed; registered agent, not charged in year one; the same fee in all fifty statesLook inside Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Kentucky Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397kentucky registration filing; A first year of agent serviceLook inside Kentucky Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3KY Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397kentucky registration filing; A first year of agent serviceLook inside KY Registered Agent.orgPartner 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

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

Any LLC formed elsewhere should file its registration with the Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings ahead of its first Kentucky transaction.

Inside the risk of skipping it: it loses the right to bring its own lawsuits in Kentucky (KRS 14A.9-020(1)); an added fine for every day of $2.

peek at sos.ky.gov, confirmed October 2026

What is inside the cost of registering?

The state charges $90, and a service adds $199.

Over three years the state's fees reach $645, counting any recurring report and the minimum tax. peek at apps.legislature.ky.gov, confirmed October 2026

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

You open one form, the Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Entity) (Form FBE), and send it to the Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings.

The state does not list a good standing certificate among its requirements.

What is due after the LLC registers?

Expect the annual report ($15).

The state frames the deadline as Between January 1 and June 30 each year.

What put number one on top?

Mainstay Filing is strongest on what is inside the price, a layer worth 29% of the score.

63% of the score comes from total across three years and what is inside the price.

With two states in play, a provider for every state outranks Kentucky Registered Agent.co.

The five layers

What Kentucky requires to register

PartWhat is insidePeek at source
Registration fee$90peek at apps.legislature.ky.gov, confirmed October 2026
Good standing certificateNopeek at sos.ky.gov, confirmed October 2026
Annual report$15peek at sos.ky.gov, confirmed October 2026
Yearly minimum tax$175 a yearpeek at revenue.ky.gov, confirmed October 2026
What the state collects in three years$645Our total of the rows above
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?

Mainstay Filing runs to $497 and Kentucky Registered Agent.co runs to $397 and KY Registered Agent.org runs to $397, before state fees.

What do these numbers rest on?

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

Do I have to use a service?

Not required. The state takes filings from owners.

Will a service file the registration for me?

Yes. You hand over the details and the company files; the state's charge does not change with the company.

What is the best foreign registration service for Kentucky?

Mainstay Filing, because the fee is $199 on top of Kentucky's own, the registered agent is waived at first, and it settles at $149 a year. Then Kentucky Registered Agent.co and KY Registered Agent.org.

What the page rests on

  1. Under Kentucky Secretary of State sits sos.ky.gov, dated August 2026, as the original document
  2. Under Kentucky Secretary of State sits sos.ky.gov, dated August 2026, as the original document
  3. Under Kentucky report due date sits apps.legislature.ky.gov, dated August 2026, as the original document
  4. Under KRS 275.025 sits apps.legislature.ky.gov, dated August 2026, as the original document
  5. Under Kentucky formation fee: Filing fee sits sos.ky.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  6. Under Kentucky registered agent statute sits apps.legislature.ky.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  7. Under Kentucky Secretary of State, business sits sos.ky.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  8. Under Form FBE, Certificate of Authority sits web.sos.ky.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  9. Under KRS 14A.9-020, consequences of transacting sits apps.legislature.ky.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  10. Under KRS 14A.9-010, authority to transact sits apps.legislature.ky.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  11. Under Kentucky other cost: Limited Liability sits revenue.ky.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  12. The Mainstay Filing Kentucky service page, opened November 13, 2026
  13. The Kentucky Registered Agent.co pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  14. The KY Registered Agent.org pricing page, opened November 13, 2026