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

Unpacked · Virginia

2 Best Foreign Registration Services in Virginia (2026), Opened Up

Opened up for 2026, the foreign registration services in Virginia rank Mainstay Filing ($199) and VA Registered Agent.org ($199), best on top. Every option pays the state $100, then services total $397 to $497 across three years.
Unpacked by the LLC Unpacked editorial team

Top layer

State fee to register
$100
Certificate packed in?
Yes (365 days old at most)
Once registered
$50, annual registration fee
Top of the stack
Mainstay Filing then VA Registered Agent.org

Virginia: ranked

Curious about the order? The method is here.
Top of the stack

1. Mainstay Filing: best for registering in many states

Service $199 plus $100 to the state; agent renewal $149

What puts Mainstay Filing first: $199 over the state fee registers you, with the registered agent not charged in year one and $149 a year after.

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

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

Inside the price

  • The registration filing, included
  • Registered agent, waived for the first year
  • The same fee in all fifty states

Inside, the good

  • Ready for the next state
  • $199 to file
  • Agent costs nothing the first year

Inside, the catch

  • VA Registered Agent.org renews its agent $50 lower
The Virginia specialist

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

Service $199 plus $100 to the state; agent renewal $99

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

Inside the price

  • Virginia registration filing
  • A first year of agent service

Inside, the good

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

Inside, the catch

  • Nothing outside this state

Inside each price

#CompanyYear oneRenewalThree-year totalWhat is inside
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497the registration filing, included; registered agent, waived for the first year; the same fee in all fifty statesSee Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2VA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397virginia registration filing; A first year of agent serviceSee VA 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?

The order matters: the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk gets the registration first, and the LLC starts doing business in Virginia afterward.

What an unregistered LLC can run into: it loses the right to bring its own lawsuits in Virginia (Va. Code 13.1-1057(A)).

peek at law.lis.virginia.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 $200. peek at scc.virginia.gov, confirmed October 2026

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

Your LLC is registered when the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk accepts the Application for Certificate of Registration to Transact Business in Virginia as a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC1052).

Attach certified copy of articles of organization and all amendments issued within the last 365 days.

Is there a filing that repeats?

Expect the annual registration fee ($50).

The state frames the deadline as last day of your registration month.

Why is the stack in this order?

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

What Virginia requires to register

RequirementAmount or rulePeek at source
Registration fee$100peek at scc.virginia.gov, confirmed October 2026
Certificate from homeYes, 365 dayspeek at law.lis.virginia.gov, confirmed October 2026
Annual registration fee$50peek at law.lis.virginia.gov, confirmed October 2026
State fees, years one to three$200The rows above, stacked
Last row = filing fee + two later reports + minimum tax, if the state has one. Variable costs are described in the text, not added.

Also worth asking

Does the home state need its own agent?

Yes. Think of two separate rule books, your home state's and this one's. Mainstay Filing works in both, so a single account can serve the pair.

What do the picks cost over three years?

Mainstay Filing stacks up to $497, VA Registered Agent.org stacks up to $397, with state fees on top.

What do these numbers rest on?

The state-side figures were taken from Virginia'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?

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 Virginia?

Mainstay Filing, because the price is $199 in every state, and the first registered agent year is inside it. Then VA Registered Agent.org.

What the page rests on

  1. Under Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing sits law.lis.virginia.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  2. Under Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing sits scc.virginia.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  3. Under Va sits law.lis.virginia.gov, dated August 2026, as the original document
  4. Under Virginia formation fee: Filing fee sits law.lis.virginia.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  5. Under Virginia registered agent statute sits law.lis.virginia.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  6. Under SCC, foreign limited liability company sits scc.virginia.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  7. Under SCC, foreign business entities FAQ sits scc.virginia.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  8. Under SCC, foreign registration checklist sits scc.virginia.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  9. Under Code of Virginia § 13.1-1052 sits law.lis.virginia.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  10. Under Code of Virginia § 13.1-1059 sits law.lis.virginia.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  11. Under Code of Virginia § 13.1-1057 sits law.lis.virginia.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  12. Under Code of Virginia 13.1-1051 to sits law.lis.virginia.gov, dated November 2026, as the original document
  13. Mainstay Filing Virginia service page, read November 13, 2026
  14. VA Registered Agent.org pricing page, read November 13, 2026