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The Formation Desk

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

Foreign registration picks · New York

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in New York (2026)

The The Formation Desk call for foreign registration services in New York in 2026: Mainstay Filing ($199), New York Registered Agent.ai ($199) and NY Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. Mainstay Filing takes the call: $199 plus the state's own fee, the agent for service of process free for year one and the same price in every state.
Written by The Formation Desk editorial team
1
Number one here

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

$199 for the service, $449 due at checkout with the state fee; agent $149 a year after year one

Editorial score 9.6 out of 10

The desk picks Mainstay Filing: it files the New York registration for $199 and serves as your agent for service of process, free in year one, then $149 a year.

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 New York Registered Agent.ai, and the desk thinks the wider coverage is worth it.

In the price

  • The registration, prepared and filed for you
  • A free agent for service of process for the first year
  • Same-business-day upload of scanned service of process, no fee

Strengths

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

Cons

  • Agent renewal of $149 is $50 above New York Registered Agent.ai
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. Mainstay Filing up close
2
Best for a New York-only company

2. New York Registered Agent.ai: best for adding only New York

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

Editorial score 9.4 out of 10

Runner-up, New York Registered Agent.ai: $199 over the state fee to register in New York, 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
  • A first year of agent for service of process service

Strengths

  • Then $99 a year for agent service
  • $199 to register, state fee extra
  • Year-one agent for service of process service is in the price

Cons

  • New York only; your home state needs its own agent
  • EIN application will cost you $99 more
Visit New York Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. New York Registered Agent.ai up close
3
Best value here

3. NY Registered Agent.org: best for New York registrations only

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

Editorial score 9.2 out of 10

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

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

NY Registered Agent.org lines up with New York Registered Agent.ai on price and plan features, so little divides them.

In the price

  • Foreign registration done for you
  • The first year as your agent for service of process

Strengths

  • A year of agent for service of process service comes in the price
  • Then $99 a year for agent service
  • $199 to register, state fee extra

Cons

  • New York only; your home state needs its own agent
  • EIN application will cost you $99 more
Visit NY Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. NY 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 New York Registered Agent.ai 9.4 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit New York Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 NY Registered Agent.org 9.2 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit NY Registered Agent.orgPartner 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 New York 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
New York Registered Agent.ai $199 $99 $99 $397 Included
NY Registered Agent.org $199 $99 $99 $397 Included

Every price here was read off the company's own pages on November 12, 2026. New York's $250 registration fee comes on top of every row and is left out of these totals.

Behind the order

Work the price removes made the call in New York. 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 New York Registered Agent.ai.

The full criteria and weights are on How we rank.

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

To register, the company files the Application for Authority of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form DOS-1361-f-a) with the New York Department of State, Division of Corporations and pays the state's $250. New York also wants certificate of Existence (also called a Certificate of Good Standing), issued within 365 days of the filing.

From then on the company owes the biennial statement ($9), due every two years, in the month the application was filed.

What to pull together first

  • Certificate of Existence (also called a Certificate of Good Standing), issued in the 365 days before you file.
  • The company name exactly as the home state spells it, and when it was formed.
  • An in-state agent for service of process; any service the desk picked can fill that seat.
  • $250 for the state, paid when you file.
  • A date on your calendar for the biennial statement and its $9 fee.

New York foreign registration service: reader questions

Does an LLC from elsewhere have to register to operate in New York?

Yes, once it starts doing business there.

What will foreign registration cost you in New York?

$250 goes to the state and $199 to the service.

What does New York call its foreign registration form?

It goes to the New York Department of State, Division of Corporations, and the form's title is on the facts line above.

Will New York ask for something from your home state?

Yes: certificate of Existence (also called a Certificate of Good Standing), issued in the last 365 days.

Do you still need a agent for service of process after you register?

The Secretary of State is the agent for service of process for every New York LLC; naming a registered agent is optional.

Who is our pick for foreign registration in New York?

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

Keep reading

Where the numbers came from

  1. New York Department of State, Division of Corporations, State Records and Uniform Commercial Code, last checked August 2026
  2. New York Department of State, Division of Corporations, State Records and Uniform Commercial Code, last checked August 2026
  3. New York report due date, last checked August 2026
  4. NY Limited Liability Company Law § 203, last checked August 2026
  5. New York formation fee: Filing fee, official source, last checked October 2026
  6. New York registered agent statute, last checked October 2026
  7. Department of State, Application for Authority, last checked October 2026
  8. LLC Law § 802, application for authority, last checked October 2026
  9. LLC Law § 808, consequences of doing business without authority, last checked October 2026
  10. Department of State, Certificate of Publication, last checked October 2026
  11. Mainstay Filing: New York service page, as of November 12, 2026
  12. New York Registered Agent.ai: pricing and service pages, as of November 12, 2026
  13. NY Registered Agent.org: pricing and service pages, as of November 12, 2026