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The Formation Desk

Rankings of registered agents, LLC formation and foreign registration services in all 50 states.

Foreign registration picks · Delaware

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in Delaware (2026)

The The Formation Desk call for foreign registration services in Delaware in 2026: Mainstay Filing ($199), DE Registered Agent.org ($199) and Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($199), in that order. Mainstay Filing takes the call: it files the Delaware registration for $199 and serves as your registered agent, free in year one, then $149 a year.
Written by The Formation Desk editorial team
1
Our top pick

1. Mainstay Filing: best for companies working in more than one state

$199 for the service, $399 due at checkout with the state fee; agent $149 a year after year one

Editorial score 9.1 out of 10

The desk picks Mainstay Filing: $199 on top of state fees in any state, with the first year of registered agent service included.

Agent service costs nothing in year one and $149 a year from then on, whichever state you register in.

Over three years Mainstay runs $100 more than DE Registered Agent.org, and the desk thinks the wider coverage is worth it.

In the price

  • The registration, prepared and filed for you
  • A free registered agent for the first year
  • Scanned service of process delivered the same business day at no cost

Strengths

  • $199 service fee, state fee on top
  • Free scans of served papers on the same business day
  • Registered agent costs nothing in year one
  • Same price in all fifty states

Cons

  • Agent renewal of $149 is $50 above DE Registered Agent.org
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. Mainstay Filing up close
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Low renewal

2. DE Registered Agent.org: best for adding only Delaware

$199 for the service, state fee on top; agent $99 a year after year one

Editorial score 8.8 out of 10

Runner-up, DE Registered Agent.org: $199 over the state fee to register in Delaware, agent renewing at $99.

You get an in-state street address as the registered office, and papers served there are scanned into your account.

In the price

  • The registration filing
  • A first year of registered agent service

Strengths

  • Year-two agent price: $99
  • Year-one registered agent service is in the price
  • $199 to register, state fee extra

Cons

  • Delaware only; your home state needs its own agent
  • EIN application will cost you $99 more
Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. DE Registered Agent.org up close
3
Low renewal

3. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: best for Delaware registrations only

A $199 service fee plus state fees, then $99 a year for the agent

Editorial score 8.5 out of 10

Third, Delaware Registered Agent.ai: $199 over the state fee to register in Delaware, agent renewing at $99.

You get an in-state street address as the registered office, and papers served there are scanned into your account.

Delaware Registered Agent.ai lines up with DE Registered Agent.org on price and plan features, so little divides them.

In the price

  • The registration filing
  • A first year of registered agent service

Strengths

  • Registration at $199 before state fees
  • Registered agent service for year one is covered
  • $99 yearly to keep the agent

Cons

  • Delaware only; your home state needs its own agent
  • EIN application will cost you $99 more
Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. Delaware Registered Agent.ai up close

The desk's 3 picks in brief

Pick Service Desk score Service fee Year two Good for Visit
1 Mainstay Filing 9.1 $199 $149/yr Companies doing business in several states Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 DE Registered Agent.org 8.8 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 Delaware Registered Agent.ai 8.5 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our editors assign each score out of 10 using the criteria on How we rank. Customer ratings play no part.

What a Delaware foreign registration service costs in 2026: year one, renewal and the three-year bill

Service Year one Year two Year three Bill over three years Agent covered in year one
Mainstay Filing $199 $149 $149 $497 Free
DE Registered Agent.org $199 $99 $99 $397 Included
Delaware Registered Agent.ai $199 $99 $99 $397 Included

Every price here was read off the company's own pages on November 12, 2026. Delaware's $200 registration fee comes on top of every row and is left out of these totals.

How the desk made the call

Work the price removes made the call in Delaware. The desk weighs spend over three years and work the price removes at 33% each and gives what renewal looks like, fit with the state and plain price display the remaining 34%.

Foreign registration means two states, and one provider at one price in both won on coverage, ahead of DE Registered Agent.org.

The full criteria and weights are on How we rank.

Registering a foreign LLC in Delaware: fee, form and who gets it

To register, the company files the Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company with the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations and pays the state's $200. Delaware also wants certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, issued within 180 days of the filing.

From then on the company owes the Annual LLC tax ($400), due June 1.

What to pull together first

  • Certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, issued in the 180 days before you file.
  • The company name exactly as the home state spells it, and when it was formed.
  • An in-state registered agent; any service the desk picked can fill that seat.
  • $200 for the state, paid when you file.
  • A date on your calendar for the Annual LLC tax and its $400 fee.

What it costs to ignore Delaware registration

Until it registers, an outside LLC has no right to sue in Delaware courts (6 Del. C. 18-907(a)). The contracts it signs stay good (6 Del. C. 18-907(b)).

Delaware foreign registration service: reader questions

Does an LLC from elsewhere have to register to operate in Delaware?

Yes, once it starts doing business there. Until it registers it cannot sue in the state's courts.

What will foreign registration cost you in Delaware?

$200 goes to the state and $199 to the service.

Will Delaware ask for something from your home state?

Yes: certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, issued in the last 180 days.

Do you still need a registered agent after you register?

Yes. Keep a registered agent with a street address in the state on file.

Which foreign registration services did the desk rank here?

Mainstay Filing ($199), DE Registered Agent.org ($199) and Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($199), best pick first.

Who is our pick for foreign registration in Delaware?

Mainstay Filing, since $199 plus the state's own fee, the registered agent free for year one and the same price in every state.

See also

Where the numbers came from

  1. Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source, last checked October 2026
  2. Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source, last checked October 2026
  3. Delaware yearly filing: HB 400, official source, last checked October 2026
  4. Delaware report due date, last checked August 2026
  5. 6 Del. C. § 18-201, last checked August 2026
  6. Delaware registered agent statute, last checked October 2026
  7. Foreign LLC registration form, last checked October 2026
  8. Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter IX, last checked October 2026
  9. Division of Corporations fee schedule, August 2026, last checked October 2026
  10. Mainstay Filing: Delaware service page, as of November 12, 2026
  11. DE Registered Agent.org: pricing and service pages, as of November 12, 2026
  12. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: pricing and service pages, as of November 12, 2026