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The Formation Desk

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

Foreign registration picks · Maryland

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in Maryland (2026)

The The Formation Desk call for foreign registration services in Maryland in 2026: Maryland Registered Agent.co ($199), MD Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), in that order. Maryland Registered Agent.co takes the call: the Maryland registration for $199, first agent year included, then $99 yearly.
Written by The Formation Desk editorial team
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Our top pick in Maryland

1. Maryland Registered Agent.co: best for adding only Maryland

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

Editorial score 9.2 out of 10

The desk picks Maryland Registered Agent.co: $199 over the state fee to register in Maryland, agent renewing at $99.

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

It wins the three-year cost comparison with Mainstay Filing.

In the price

  • Filing with the state
  • A first year of resident agent service

Strengths

  • A year of resident agent service comes in the price
  • The agent costs $99 after year one
  • A $199 registration price, state fee on top

Cons

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

2. MD Registered Agent.org: best for Maryland registrations only

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

Editorial score 8.7 out of 10

Runner-up, MD Registered Agent.org: $199 over the state fee to register in Maryland, 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 Maryland Registered Agent.co from MD Registered Agent.org; take whichever you like.

In the price

  • Filing with the state
  • A first year of resident agent service

Strengths

  • Registration at $199 before state fees
  • The agent costs $99 after year one
  • The first resident agent year is included

Cons

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

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

$199 plus the state fee, then the agent at $149 a year from year two

Editorial score 8.6 out of 10

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

The first agent year is free, and after that the agent runs $149 a year, in any state.

Maryland Registered Agent.co undercuts Mainstay Filing by $100 over three years, and that is why Mainstay sits lower on cost.

In the price

  • Your foreign registration, handled
  • Same-business-day upload of scanned service of process, no fee

Strengths

  • Same price in all fifty states
  • Free scans of served papers on the same business day
  • $199 service fee, state fee on top

Cons

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

The desk's 3 picks in brief

Pick Service Desk score Service fee Year two Good for Visit
1 Maryland Registered Agent.co 9.2 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit Maryland Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 MD Registered Agent.org 8.7 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit MD Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 Mainstay Filing 8.6 $199 $149/yr Companies doing business in several states Visit Mainstay FilingPartner 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 Maryland 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
Maryland Registered Agent.co $199 $99 $99 $397 Included
MD Registered Agent.org $199 $99 $99 $397 Included
Mainstay Filing $199 $149 $149 $497 Not stated

Every price here was read off the company's own pages on November 12, 2026. Maryland's $100 registration fee comes on top of every row and is left out of these totals.

Behind the order

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 Maryland, spend over three years made the call.

Maryland Registered Agent.co comes to $397 over three years, $100 less than Mainstay Filing. Both include a first year of agent service, so the renewal price made the call.

The full criteria and weights are on How we rank.

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

To register, the company files the Limited Liability Company Registration (For non-Maryland Limited Liability Company) with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division and pays the state's $100. Maryland also wants written proof of existence from the home state, equivalent to a certificate of good standing, issued within 60 days of the filing.

From then on the company owes the Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1 ($300), due April 15.

What to pull together first

  • Written proof of existence from the home state, equivalent to a certificate of good standing, 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 resident agent; any service the desk picked can fill that seat.
  • $100 for the state, paid when you file.
  • A date on your calendar for the Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1 and its $300 fee.

What it costs to ignore Maryland registration

Until it registers, an outside LLC has no right to sue in Maryland courts (4A-1007(a)). The contracts it signs stay good (4A-1007(b)).

Maryland foreign registration service: reader questions

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

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 Maryland?

$100 goes to the state and $199 to the service.

Will Maryland ask for something from your home state?

Yes: written proof of existence from the home state, equivalent to a certificate of good standing, issued in the last 60 days.

Do you still need a resident agent after you register?

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

Which foreign registration services did the desk rank here?

Maryland Registered Agent.co ($199), MD Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), best pick first.

Who is our pick for foreign registration in Maryland?

Maryland Registered Agent.co, since $199 plus the state fee, one year of resident agent service included, then $99 a year for the agent.

See also

Where the numbers came from

  1. Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation, last checked August 2026
  2. Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation, last checked August 2026
  3. Maryland report due date, last checked August 2026
  4. Md. Code, Corporations & Associations sec. 4A-202, last checked August 2026
  5. Maryland formation fee: Filing fee, official source, last checked October 2026
  6. Maryland formation fee: Filing fee, official source, last checked October 2026
  7. Maryland registered agent statute), last checked October 2026
  8. Maryland Business Express, last checked October 2026
  9. Corporations and Associations § 4A-1002, registration, last checked October 2026
  10. Corporations and Associations § 4A-1009, activities that are not doing business, last checked October 2026
  11. Corporations and Associations § 4A-1007, effect of not registering, last checked October 2026
  12. Tax-Property § 11-101, annual report, last checked October 2026
  13. Maryland Registered Agent.co: pricing and service pages, as of November 12, 2026
  14. MD Registered Agent.org: pricing and service pages, as of November 12, 2026
  15. Mainstay Filing: Maryland service page, as of November 12, 2026