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The Formation Desk

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

Foreign registration picks · Hawaii

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in Hawaii (2026)

The The Formation Desk call for foreign registration services in Hawaii in 2026: Mainstay Filing ($199), HI Registered Agent.org ($199) and Hawaii Registered Agent.co ($199), in that order. Mainstay Filing takes the call: it files the Hawaii registration for $199 and serves as your registered agent, free in year one, then $149 a year.
Written by The Formation Desk editorial team
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Top pick on this page

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

$199 for the service, $250 due at checkout with the state fee; agent $149 a year after year one

Editorial score 9.4 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 HI 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

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

Cons

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

2. HI Registered Agent.org: best for adding only Hawaii

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

Editorial score 9.0 out of 10

Runner-up, HI Registered Agent.org: the Hawaii registration for $199, first agent year included, then $99 yearly.

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

In the price

  • Registration prepared and filed
  • A first year of registered agent service

Strengths

  • Registers the company for $199, plus the state's fee
  • Registered agent service for year one is covered
  • $99 a year for the agent from year two

Cons

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

3. Hawaii Registered Agent.co: best for Hawaii registrations only

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

Editorial score 8.7 out of 10

Third, Hawaii Registered Agent.co: the Hawaii registration for $199, first agent year included, then $99 yearly.

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

Hawaii Registered Agent.co lines up with HI Registered Agent.org on price and plan features, so little divides them.

In the price

  • Registration prepared and filed
  • A first year of registered agent service

Strengths

  • Registered agent service for year one is covered
  • Then $99 a year for agent service
  • $199 to register, state fee extra

Cons

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

The desk's 3 picks in brief

Pick Service Desk score Service fee Year two Good for Visit
1 Mainstay Filing 9.4 $199 $149/yr Companies doing business in several states Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 HI Registered Agent.org 9.0 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit HI Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 Hawaii Registered Agent.co 8.7 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit Hawaii Registered Agent.coPartner 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 Hawaii 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
HI Registered Agent.org $199 $99 $99 $397 Included
Hawaii Registered Agent.co $199 $99 $99 $397 Included

Every price here was read off the company's own pages on November 12, 2026. Hawaii's $51 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 Hawaii. 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 HI Registered Agent.org.

The full criteria and weights are on How we rank.

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

To register, the company files the Application for Certificate of Authority for Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form FLLC-1) with the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA), Business Registration Division and pays the state's $51. Hawaii also wants original certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, issued within 60 days of the filing.

From then on the company owes the annual report ($12.50), due end of the quarter in which the LLC was registered.

What to pull together first

  • Original certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, issued in the 60 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.
  • $51 for the state, paid when you file.
  • A date on your calendar for the annual report and its $12.50 fee.

What it costs to ignore Hawaii registration

Until it registers, an outside LLC has no right to sue in Hawaii courts (HRS 414-432(a); 428-1008(a)). The contracts it signs stay good (HRS 414-432(e); 428-1008(b)). Back fees for the years it operated unregistered come due too.

Hawaii foreign registration service: reader questions

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

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 Hawaii?

$51 goes to the state and $199 to the service.

What does Hawaii call its foreign registration form?

It goes to the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA), Business Registration Division, and the form's title is on the facts line above.

Will Hawaii ask for something from your home state?

Yes: original certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, issued in the last 60 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 Hawaii?

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

Read next

Where the numbers came from

  1. Hawaii DCCA Business Registration Division release of July 1, 2026, last checked October 2026
  2. Hawaii yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source, last checked October 2026
  3. Hawaii formation fee: Filing fee, official source, last checked October 2026
  4. Hawaii formation fee: Filing fee, official source, last checked October 2026
  5. Hawaii registered agent statute, last checked October 2026
  6. Hawaii DCCA, foreign LLC registration, last checked October 2026
  7. Form FLLC-1, last checked October 2026
  8. Foreign LLC filing fees, last checked October 2026
  9. Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-1003, activities that are not transacting business, last checked October 2026
  10. New Hawaii business registration portal FAQs, last checked October 2026
  11. Hawaii Revised Statutes 414-432, consequences of transacting business without authority, last checked November 2026
  12. Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-1008, effect of failure to obtain certificate of authority, last checked November 2026
  13. Mainstay Filing: Hawaii service page, as of November 12, 2026
  14. HI Registered Agent.org: pricing and service pages, as of November 12, 2026
  15. Hawaii Registered Agent.co: pricing and service pages, as of November 12, 2026