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

Unpacked · Washington

2 Best Foreign Registration Services in Washington (2026): Unpacked

Washington, 2026: WA Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), in that order, are the foreign registration services worth opening first. Inside the cost: $180 goes to Washington, and three years of service add $397 to $497.
Unpacked by the LLC Unpacked editorial team

Four things inside

State fee to register
$180
Certificate packed in?
Yes, include it (60 days old at most)
Once registered
$70, annual report
Top of the stack
WA Registered Agent.org then Mainstay Filing

The Washington stack, best on top

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

1. WA Registered Agent.org: best for adding only this state

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

WA Registered Agent.org sits on top in Washington because it charges $199 with first-year agent service inside, then $99 annually.

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

Inside the price

  • Washington registration filing
  • Agent included in year one

Inside, the good

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

Inside, the catch

  • Two states, two providers
Holds up anywhere

2. Mainstay Filing: best for adding state after state

$199 plus the state fee, then $149 a year

Mainstay Filing sits second because $199 over the state fee registers you, with the registered agent not charged in year one and $149 a year after.

A $100 three-year gap to WA Registered Agent.org explains the lower spot.

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
  • One fee, any state

Inside, the good

  • The price does not change by state
  • $199 to file
  • The first agent year is inside

Inside, the catch

  • WA Registered Agent.org renews its agent $50 lower

Inside each price

#CompanyYear oneRenewalTotal, 3 yearsWhat is inside
1WA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397washington registration filing; agent included in year oneOpen WA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497the registration filing, included; registered agent, not charged in year one; one fee, any stateOpen Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Prices as of November 13, 2026. The state's own fees are in the checklist below.

Opened up, question by question

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

Any LLC formed elsewhere should file its registration with the Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division ahead of its first Washington transaction.

sos.wa.gov holds the original, confirmed October 2026

What is inside the cost of registering?

The state charges $180, and a service adds $199.

Three years of state fees, registration included, stack up to $320. sos.wa.gov holds the original, confirmed October 2026

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

You open one form, the Foreign Registration Statement, and send it to the Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division.

Pack in certificate of existence (good standing) or similar document dated no earlier than 60 days.

What is due after the LLC registers?

Next in the box: the annual report, at $70.

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

What put number one on top?

On total across three years (34%), WA Registered Agent.org comes out ahead.

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%).

On cost, WA Registered Agent.org comes out ahead at $397, a $100 saving against Mainstay Filing.

The five layers

What Washington requires to register

RequirementAmount or rulePeek at source
Fee to register$180sos.wa.gov holds the original, confirmed October 2026
Certificate from homeYes, include it, 60 dayssos.wa.gov holds the original, confirmed October 2026
Annual report$70sos.wa.gov holds the original, confirmed October 2026
What the state collects in three years$320The 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.

Also worth asking

Does the home state need its own agent?

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?

WA Registered Agent.org stacks up to $397, Mainstay Filing stacks up to $497, before state fees.

Are the fees official?

The state-side figures were taken from Washington'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 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.

Who tops the stack in Washington?

Open WA Registered Agent.org first, then compare Mainstay Filing.

What the page rests on

  1. Unpacking Washington Secretary of State, Corporations led us to ccfs.sos.wa.gov, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  2. Unpacking Washington Secretary of State, Corporations led us to sos.wa.gov, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  3. Unpacking Washington yearly filing: Annual report led us to sos.wa.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  4. Unpacking Washington report due date led us to app.leg.wa.gov, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  5. Unpacking Washington formation fee: Filing fee led us to sos.wa.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  6. Unpacking Washington formation fee: Filing fee led us to sos.wa.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  7. Unpacking Washington registered agent statute led us to app.leg.wa.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  8. Unpacking Washington SOS, register a foreign led us to sos.wa.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  9. Unpacking Washington SOS, fee schedules and led us to sos.wa.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  10. Unpacking RCW 23.95.520, activities that are led us to app.leg.wa.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  11. Unpacking RCW 23.95.505, consequences of not led us to app.leg.wa.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  12. Unpacking RCW 23.95.510, foreign registration statement led us to app.leg.wa.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  13. Unpacking Washington SOS, registered agents led us to sos.wa.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  14. WA Registered Agent.org pricing page, read November 13, 2026
  15. Mainstay Filing Washington service page, read November 13, 2026