Skip to content
LLC UnpackedEvery filing, unpacked: the fee, the form, the catch.

Open it up · Maryland

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in Maryland (2026): Unpacked

Our 2026 stack of foreign registration services in Maryland, top to bottom: Mainstay Filing ($199), MD Registered Agent.org ($199) and Maryland Registered Agent.co ($199). Inside the cost: $100 goes to Maryland, and three years of service add $397 to $497.
Unpacked by the LLC Unpacked editorial team

Top layer

Registration fee
$100
Certificate from home?
Yes, include it (60 days old at most)
Afterward
$300, Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1
Our pick
Mainstay Filing, MD Registered Agent.org then Maryland Registered Agent.co

The Maryland 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 adding state after state

$199 to register; agent renewal $149

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

MD Registered Agent.org would save $100 across three years if the LLC stays in Maryland.

After the free first year, the resident agent renews at $149.

Inside the price

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

Inside, the good

  • All fifty states
  • $199 to file

Inside, the catch

  • MD Registered Agent.org renews its agent $50 lower
The Maryland specialist

2. MD Registered Agent.org: best for adding only this state

$199 to register; agent renewal $99

MD Registered Agent.org sits second because $199 gets the registration filed, and the agent renews at $99.

Inside the price

  • Foreign filing handled
  • Agent included in year one

Inside, the good

  • Agent renews at $99
  • A first year of agent service is inside
  • $199 plus the state fee

Inside, the catch

  • Maryland only, so the home state needs its own agent
The Maryland specialist

3. Maryland Registered Agent.co: best for another in-state option

$199 to register; agent renewal $99

Maryland Registered Agent.co sits third because $199 gets the registration filed, and the agent renews at $99.

Its prices match MD Registered Agent.org exactly, so the order between them is close.

Inside the price

  • Foreign filing handled
  • Agent included in year one

Inside, the good

  • $199 plus the state fee
  • A first year of agent service is inside
  • Agent renews at $99

Inside, the catch

  • Maryland only, so the home state needs its own agent

Inside each price

#CompanyYear oneRenewalTotal, 3 yearsWhat 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.
2MD Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397foreign filing handled; agent included in year oneOpen MD Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Maryland Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397foreign filing handled; agent included in year oneOpen Maryland Registered Agent.coPartner 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?

The order matters: the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division gets the registration first, and the LLC starts doing business in Maryland afterward.

What an unregistered LLC can run into: Maryland's courts stay closed to it as a plaintiff until it registers (4A-1007(a)).

peek at mgaleg.maryland.gov, confirmed October 2026

What is inside the cost of registering?

The state charges $100, and a service adds $199.

Three years of state fees, registration included, stack up to $700. peek at mgaleg.maryland.gov, confirmed October 2026

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

Your LLC is registered when the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division accepts the Limited Liability Company Registration (For non-Maryland Limited Liability Company).

Attach written proof of existence from the home state, equivalent to a certificate of good standing issued within the last 60 days.

What is due after the LLC registers?

A recurring Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1 follows, priced at $300.

The state frames the deadline as April 15.

What put number one on top?

Mainstay Filing wins the what is inside the price layer, which counts 29%.

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%).

MD Registered Agent.org serves Maryland only, so the home state would need someone else.

How we open it up

Maryland registration, unpacked

PartWhat is insideOfficial source
Fee to register$100peek at mgaleg.maryland.gov, confirmed October 2026
Good standing certificateYes, include it, 60 dayspeek at mgaleg.maryland.gov, confirmed October 2026
Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1$300peek at mgaleg.maryland.gov, confirmed October 2026
State fees, years one to three$700The rows above, stacked
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

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 stacks up to $497, MD Registered Agent.org stacks up to $397, Maryland Registered Agent.co stacks up to $397, services only.

Are the fees official?

The state-side figures were taken from Maryland's own publications, and the service prices from the price page each company posts. Dates for both appear on this page.

Do I have to use a service?

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

Will a service file the registration for me?

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

What is the best foreign registration service for Maryland?

Mainstay Filing is on top: the fee is $199 on top of Maryland's own, the resident agent is waived at first, and it settles at $149 a year. Under it sit MD Registered Agent.org and Maryland Registered Agent.co.

Originals behind this page

  1. Unpacking Maryland State Department of Assessments led us to dat.maryland.gov, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  2. Unpacking Maryland State Department of Assessments led us to dat.maryland.gov, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  3. Unpacking Maryland report due date led us to dat.maryland.gov, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  4. Unpacking Md led us to mgaleg.maryland.gov, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  5. Unpacking Maryland formation fee: Filing fee led us to mgaleg.maryland.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  6. Unpacking Maryland formation fee: Filing fee led us to egov.maryland.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  7. Unpacking Maryland registered agent statute led us to mgaleg.maryland.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  8. Unpacking Maryland Business Express led us to egov.maryland.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  9. Unpacking Corporations and Associations § 4A-1002 led us to mgaleg.maryland.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  10. Unpacking Corporations and Associations § 4A-1009 led us to mgaleg.maryland.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  11. Unpacking Corporations and Associations § 4A-1007 led us to mgaleg.maryland.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  12. Unpacking Tax-Property § 11-101, annual report led us to mgaleg.maryland.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  13. Mainstay Filing Maryland service page, read November 13, 2026
  14. MD Registered Agent.org pricing page, read November 13, 2026
  15. Maryland Registered Agent.co pricing page, read November 13, 2026