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The Formation Desk

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

Foreign registration picks · Florida

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in Florida (2026)

The The Formation Desk call for foreign registration services in Florida in 2026: Mainstay Filing ($199), Florida Registered Agent.io ($199) and FL Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. Mainstay Filing takes the call: $199 plus the state's own fee, the registered agent free for year one and the same price in every state.
Written by The Formation Desk editorial team
1
Our top pick in Florida

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

A $199 service fee plus state fees ($324 today), then $149 a year for the agent

Editorial score 9.6 out of 10

The desk picks Mainstay Filing: it files the Florida registration for $199 and serves as your registered agent, free in year one, then $149 a year.

After a free first year, expect $149 a year for the agent, in this state or any other.

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

In the price

  • Registration paperwork prepared and filed
  • Registered agent service costs nothing in year one
  • Papers served on the company scanned and uploaded on the same business day, free

Strengths

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

Cons

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

2. Florida Registered Agent.io: best for adding only Florida

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

Editorial score 9.1 out of 10

Runner-up, Florida Registered Agent.io: $199 over the state fee to register in Florida, 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

  • Foreign registration done for you
  • The first year as your registered agent

Strengths

  • Includes a first year as your registered agent
  • Registers the company for $199, plus the state's fee
  • Year-two agent price: $99

Cons

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

3. FL Registered Agent.org: best for Florida registrations only

$199 plus the state fee, then the agent at $99 a year from year two

Editorial score 8.9 out of 10

Third, FL Registered Agent.org: $199 over the state fee to register in Florida, agent renewing at $99.

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

The published prices and features do not separate Florida Registered Agent.io from FL Registered Agent.org; take whichever you like.

In the price

  • Foreign registration done for you
  • The first year as your registered agent

Strengths

  • $99 a year for the agent from year two
  • $199 service fee, then the state fee
  • Year-one registered agent service is in the price

Cons

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

The desk's 3 picks in brief

Pick Service Desk score Service fee Year two Good for Visit
1 Mainstay Filing 9.6 $199 $149/yr Companies doing business in several states Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Florida Registered Agent.io 9.1 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit Florida Registered Agent.ioPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 FL Registered Agent.org 8.9 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit FL Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

A score out of 10 here is editorial judgment built on the criteria explained on How we rank, not an average of customer ratings.

What a Florida 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
Florida Registered Agent.io $199 $99 $99 $397 Included
FL Registered Agent.org $199 $99 $99 $397 Included

Every price here was read off the company's own pages on November 12, 2026. Florida's $125 registration fee comes on top of every row and is left out of these totals.

Why Mainstay Filing is the pick

Here is the weighting: 33% for spend over three years, 33% for work the price removes, 34% spread over what renewal looks like, fit with the state and plain price display. In Florida, work the price removes made the call.

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

The full criteria and weights are on How we rank.

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

To register, the company files the Application by Foreign Limited Liability Company for Authorization to Transact Business in Florida (Form CR2E027) with the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), Registration Section and pays the state's $125. Florida also wants certificate of existence (or record of similar import) from the jurisdiction of formation, issued within 90 days of the filing.

From then on the company owes the annual report ($138.75), due between January 1 and May 1.

What to pull together first

  • Certificate of existence (or record of similar import) from the jurisdiction of formation, issued in the 90 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.
  • $125 for the state, paid when you file.
  • A date on your calendar for the annual report and its $138.75 fee.

What it costs to ignore Florida registration

Until it registers, an outside LLC has no right to sue in Florida courts (Fla. Stat. 605.0904(1)). The contracts it signs stay good (Fla. Stat. 605.0904(4)). The state can also fine it between $500 and $1,000. Back fees for the years it operated unregistered come due too.

Florida foreign registration service: reader questions

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

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 Florida?

$125 goes to the state and $199 to the service.

What does Florida call its foreign registration form?

It goes to the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), Registration Section, and the form's title is on the facts line above.

Will Florida ask for something from your home state?

Yes: certificate of existence (or record of similar import) from the jurisdiction of formation, issued in the last 90 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.

Who is our pick for foreign registration in Florida?

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

Keep reading

Where the numbers came from

  1. Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, last checked August 2026
  2. Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, last checked August 2026
  3. Florida yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source, last checked October 2026
  4. Florida report due date, last checked August 2026
  5. Fla. Stat. § 605.0201, last checked August 2026
  6. Florida formation fee: Filing fee, official source, last checked October 2026
  7. Florida formation fee: Filing fee, official source, last checked October 2026
  8. Florida registered agent statute, last checked October 2026
  9. Form CR2E027, foreign LLC application, last checked October 2026
  10. Florida Statutes 605.0902, certificate of authority, last checked October 2026
  11. Florida Statutes 605.0905, activities that are not transacting business, last checked October 2026
  12. Florida Statutes 605.0904, consequences of transacting business without authority, last checked October 2026
  13. Form CR2E057, withdrawal, last checked October 2026
  14. Mainstay Filing: Florida service page, as of November 12, 2026
  15. Florida Registered Agent.io: pricing and service pages, as of November 12, 2026
  16. FL Registered Agent.org: pricing and service pages, as of November 12, 2026