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The Formation Desk

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

Foreign registration picks · North Dakota

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in North Dakota (2026)

The The Formation Desk call for foreign registration services in North Dakota in 2026: North Dakota Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and ND Registered Agents.org ($199), in that order. North Dakota Registered Agent.co takes the call: $199 plus the state fee, one year of registered agent service included, then $99 a year for the agent.
Written by The Formation Desk editorial team
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Our top pick

1. North Dakota Registered Agent.co: best for adding only North Dakota

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

Editorial score 9.5 out of 10

The desk picks North Dakota Registered Agent.co: the North Dakota 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.

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

In the price

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

Strengths

  • Registers the company for $199, plus the state's fee
  • $99 a year for the agent from year two
  • Year-one registered agent service is in the price

Cons

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

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

A $199 service fee plus state fees ($334 today), then $149 a year for the agent

Editorial score 9.3 out of 10

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

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

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

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

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

Cons

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

3. ND Registered Agents.org: best for North Dakota registrations only

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

Editorial score 9.1 out of 10

Third, ND Registered Agents.org: the North Dakota 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.

ND Registered Agents.org lines up with North Dakota Registered Agent.co on price and plan features, so little divides them.

In the price

  • The registration filing
  • The first year as your registered agent

Strengths

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

Cons

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

The desk's 3 picks in brief

Pick Service Desk score Service fee Year two Good for Visit
1 North Dakota Registered Agent.co 9.5 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit North Dakota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Mainstay Filing 9.3 $199 $149/yr Companies doing business in several states Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 ND Registered Agents.org 9.1 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit ND Registered Agents.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 North Dakota 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
North Dakota Registered Agent.co $199 $99 $99 $397 Included
Mainstay Filing $199 $149 $149 $497 Free
ND Registered Agents.org $199 $99 $99 $397 Included

Every price here was read off the company's own pages on November 12, 2026. North Dakota's $135 registration fee comes on top of every row and is left out of these totals.

Why North Dakota Registered Agent.co is the pick

Spend over three years made the call in North Dakota. 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%.

North Dakota 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 North Dakota: fee, form and who gets it

To register, the company files the Application for a Certificate of Authority (foreign limited liability company) with the North Dakota Secretary of State and pays the state's $135. North Dakota also wants certificate of status, good standing or existence from the home-state filing office.

From then on the company owes the annual report ($50), due November 15.

What to pull together first

  • Certificate of status, good standing or existence from the home-state filing office.
  • 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.
  • $135 for the state, paid when you file.
  • A date on your calendar for the annual report and its $50 fee.

North Dakota foreign registration service: reader questions

Does an LLC from elsewhere have to register to operate in North Dakota?

Yes, once it starts doing business there.

What will foreign registration cost you in North Dakota?

$135 goes to the state and $199 to the service.

Will North Dakota ask for something from your home state?

Yes: certificate of status, good standing or existence from the home-state filing office.

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?

North Dakota Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and ND Registered Agents.org ($199), best pick first.

Who is our pick for foreign registration in North Dakota?

North Dakota Registered Agent.co, since $199 over the state fee to register in North Dakota, agent renewing at $99.

See also

Where the numbers came from

  1. North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Division, last checked August 2026
  2. North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Division, last checked August 2026
  3. North Dakota report due date, last checked August 2026
  4. North Dakota formation fee: Filing fee, official source, last checked October 2026
  5. North Dakota registered agent statute, last checked October 2026
  6. Secretary of State, registered agents, last checked October 2026
  7. Secretary of State, business services, last checked October 2026
  8. North Dakota Registered Agent.co: pricing and service pages, as of November 12, 2026
  9. Mainstay Filing: North Dakota service page, as of November 12, 2026
  10. ND Registered Agents.org: pricing and service pages, as of November 12, 2026