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

What is inside · New York

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

New York, 2026: Mainstay Filing ($199), NY Registered Agent.org ($199) and New York Registered Agent.ai ($199), in that order, are the foreign registration services worth opening first. Two parts make up the bill: $250 to register and $397 to $497 to a service over three years.
Unpacked by the LLC Unpacked editorial team

Four things inside

State fee to register
$250
Certificate from home?
Yes (365 days old at most)
Afterward
$9, biennial statement
Our pick
Mainstay Filing, NY Registered Agent.org then New York Registered Agent.ai

The New York 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 is first, and registering costs $199, and the agent for service of process comes free until year two.

NY Registered Agent.org would save $100 across three years if the LLC stays in New York.

Year one of the agent for service of process is inside the price; afterward it is $149 annually.

Inside the price

  • Out-of-state registration filed
  • Agent for service of process, not charged in year one
  • The same fee in all fifty states

Inside, the good

  • No agent for service of process fee in year one
  • Ready for the next state
  • Service fee of $199

Inside, the catch

  • Renewal $50 over NY Registered Agent.org
New York only

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

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

NY Registered Agent.org lands second, and it charges $199 with first-year agent service inside, then $99 annually.

Inside the price

  • New York registration filing
  • A first year of agent service

Inside, the good

  • A free agent year at the start
  • A renewal of $99
  • $199 plus the state fee

Inside, the catch

  • The home state needs a separate agent
New York only

3. New York Registered Agent.ai: best for another in-state option

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

New York Registered Agent.ai lands third, and it charges $199 with first-year agent service inside, then $99 annually.

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

Inside the price

  • New York registration filing
  • A first year of agent service

Inside, the good

  • A free agent year at the start
  • $199 plus the state fee
  • A renewal of $99

Inside, the catch

  • The home state needs a separate agent

Side by side

#PickYear oneEach year afterThree-year totalWhat is inside
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Out-of-state registration filed; agent for service of process, not charged in year one; the same fee in all fifty statesOpen Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2NY Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397New York registration filing; A first year of agent serviceOpen NY Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3New York Registered Agent.ai$199$99/yr$397New York registration filing; A first year of agent serviceOpen New York Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Read November 13, 2026. Three years means year one plus two renewals.

Opened up, question by question

Does my LLC from another state have to register?

Any LLC formed elsewhere should file its registration with the New York Department of State, Division of Corporations ahead of its first New York transaction.

dos.ny.gov holds the original, confirmed October 2026

How much does registration cost?

Two parts: $250 to the state and $199 to a service.

Three years of state fees, registration included, stack up to $259. ny.gov holds the original, confirmed October 2026

What registers the LLC?

You open one form, the Application for Authority of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form DOS-1361-f-a), and send it to the New York Department of State, Division of Corporations.

Pack in certificate of Existence (also called a Certificate of Good Standing) issued within the last 365 days.

What is due after the LLC registers?

A recurring biennial statement follows, priced at $9.

The state frames the deadline as every two years, in the month the application was filed.

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%).

An LLC registering out of state already works in two states, and the first pick can serve both.

How we open it up

New York: the registration checklist

PartWhat is insidePeek at source
Registration fee$250ny.gov holds the original, confirmed October 2026
Certificate from homeYes, 365 daysdos.ny.gov holds the original, confirmed October 2026
Biennial statement$9dos.ny.gov holds the original, confirmed October 2026
What the state collects in three years$259The rows above, stacked
Every row above links to its official source. The final row is our own total of the filing, two reports and any minimum tax.

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.

How do the three-year totals compare?

Mainstay Filing stacks up to $497, NY Registered Agent.org stacks up to $397, New York Registered Agent.ai stacks up to $397, with state fees on top.

What do these numbers rest on?

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

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?

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

What is the best foreign registration service for New York?

Mainstay Filing, 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. Then NY Registered Agent.org and New York Registered Agent.ai.

What the page rests on

  1. Under New York Department of State sits dos.ny.gov, dated August 2026, as the original document
  2. Under New York Department of State sits filing.dos.ny.gov, dated August 2026, as the original document
  3. Under New York report due date sits nysenate.gov, dated August 2026, as the original document
  4. Under NY Limited Liability Company Law sits nysenate.gov, dated August 2026, as the original document
  5. Under New York formation fee: Filing sits dos.ny.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  6. Under New York registered agent statute sits nysenate.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  7. Under Department of State, Application for sits dos.ny.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  8. Under LLC Law § 802, application sits nysenate.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  9. Under LLC Law § 808, consequences sits nysenate.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  10. Under Department of State, Certificate of sits dos.ny.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  11. Mainstay Filing New York service page, read November 13, 2026
  12. NY Registered Agent.org pricing page, read November 13, 2026
  13. New York Registered Agent.ai pricing page, read November 13, 2026