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The Formation Desk

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

Foreign registration picks · Texas

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in Texas (2026)

The The Formation Desk call for foreign registration services in Texas in 2026: Mainstay Filing ($199), Texas Registered Agent.ai ($199) and TX 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
Number one here

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

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

Editorial score 9.6 out of 10

The desk picks Mainstay Filing: it files the Texas 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 Texas Registered Agent.ai, 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
  • Free scans of service of process, uploaded the same business day

Strengths

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

Cons

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

2. Texas Registered Agent.ai: best for adding only Texas

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

Editorial score 9.3 out of 10

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

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

Strengths

  • The agent costs $99 after year one
  • Includes a first year as your registered agent
  • A $199 registration price, state fee on top

Cons

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

3. TX Registered Agent.org: best for Texas registrations only

$199 with the state's fee added; agent renewal at $99

Editorial score 9.2 out of 10

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

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

Texas Registered Agent.ai and TX Registered Agent.org list the same prices and plan features, so it is close and either one works.

In the price

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

Strengths

  • Year-one registered agent service is in the price
  • $99 yearly to keep the agent
  • Registers the company for $199, plus the state's fee

Cons

  • Texas only; your home state needs its own agent
  • EIN application will cost you $99 more
Visit TX Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. TX 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 Texas Registered Agent.ai 9.3 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit Texas Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 TX Registered Agent.org 9.2 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit TX Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The scores out of 10 are the desk's own, drawn from the criteria on How we rank. They are not customer ratings.

What a Texas 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
Texas Registered Agent.ai $199 $99 $99 $397 Included
TX Registered Agent.org $199 $99 $99 $397 Included

Every price here was read off the company's own pages on November 12, 2026. Texas's $750 registration fee comes on top of every row and is left out of these totals.

How the desk made the call

The desk's method puts 33% on spend over three years and 33% on work the price removes, and 34% across what renewal looks like, fit with the state and plain price display. For Texas, work the price removes did the deciding.

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

The full criteria and weights are on How we rank.

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

To register, the company files the Application for Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form 304) with the Texas Secretary of State and pays the state's $750.

From then on the company owes the Public Information Report, due May 15.

What to pull together first

  • 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.
  • $750 for the state, paid when you file.
  • A date on your calendar for the Public Information Report.

What it costs to ignore Texas registration

Until it registers, an outside LLC has no right to sue in Texas courts (BOC 9.051(b)). The contracts it signs stay good (BOC 9.051(c)).

Texas foreign registration service: reader questions

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

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 Texas?

$750 goes to the state and $199 to the service.

What does Texas call its foreign registration form?

It goes to the Texas Secretary of State, and the form's title is on the facts line above.

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?

Mainstay Filing ($199), Texas Registered Agent.ai ($199) and TX Registered Agent.org ($199), best pick first.

Who is our pick for foreign registration in Texas?

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

More from us

Where the numbers came from

  1. Texas yearly filing: Annual report, official source, last checked October 2026
  2. Texas report due date, last checked August 2026
  3. Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code § 3.005, last checked August 2026
  4. Texas registered agent statute, last checked October 2026
  5. Texas Secretary of State, foreign entities FAQ, last checked October 2026
  6. Form 304 instructions, last checked October 2026
  7. Business Organizations Code, Chapter 9, last checked October 2026
  8. Texas Comptroller, franchise tax, last checked October 2026
  9. Texas Business Organizations Code, Chapter 9, last checked November 2026
  10. Mainstay Filing: Texas service page, as of November 12, 2026
  11. Texas Registered Agent.ai: pricing and service pages, as of November 12, 2026
  12. TX Registered Agent.org: pricing and service pages, as of November 12, 2026