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The Formation Desk

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

Foreign registration picks · Washington

2 Best Foreign Registration Services in Washington (2026)

The The Formation Desk call for foreign registration services in Washington in 2026: WA Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), in that order. WA Registered Agent.org 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. WA Registered Agent.org: best for adding only Washington

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

Editorial score 9.1 out of 10

The desk picks WA Registered Agent.org: the Washington 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.

Its three-year bill sits under Mainstay Filing's, which counts heavily in our method.

In the price

  • Washington registration filed for you
  • The first year as your registered agent

Strengths

  • The first registered agent year is included
  • Then $99 a year for agent service
  • $199 to register, state fee extra

Cons

  • Washington only; your home state needs its own agent
  • EIN application will cost you $99 more
Visit WA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. WA Registered Agent.org up close
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Best for multi-state companies

2. 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

Runner-up, Mainstay Filing: it files the Washington registration for $199 and serves as your registered agent, free in year one, then $149 a year.

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

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

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

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

Cons

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

The desk's 2 picks in brief

Pick Service Desk score Service fee Year two Good for Visit
1 WA Registered Agent.org 9.1 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit WA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 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 Washington 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
WA Registered Agent.org $199 $99 $99 $397 Included
Mainstay Filing $199 $149 $149 $497 Free

Every price here was read off the company's own pages on November 12, 2026. Washington's $180 registration fee comes on top of every row and is left out of these totals.

How the desk made the call

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 Washington, spend over three years made the call.

WA Registered Agent.org 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 Washington: fee, form and who gets it

To register, the company files the Foreign Registration Statement with the Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division and pays the state's $180. Washington also wants certificate of existence (good standing) or similar document, issued within 60 days of the filing.

From then on the company owes the annual report ($70), due last day of your registration month.

What to pull together first

  • Certificate of existence (good standing) or similar document, 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.
  • $180 for the state, paid when you file.
  • A date on your calendar for the annual report and its $70 fee.

Washington foreign registration service: reader questions

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

Yes, once it starts doing business there.

What will foreign registration cost you in Washington?

$180 goes to the state and $199 to the service.

Will Washington ask for something from your home state?

Yes: certificate of existence (good standing) or similar document, 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.

Which foreign registration services did the desk rank here?

WA Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), best pick first.

Who is our pick for foreign registration in Washington?

WA Registered Agent.org, since $199 over the state fee to register in Washington, agent renewing at $99.

More from us

Where the numbers came from

  1. Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division, last checked August 2026
  2. Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division, last checked August 2026
  3. Washington yearly filing: Annual report, official source, last checked October 2026
  4. Washington report due date, last checked August 2026
  5. Washington formation fee: Filing fee, official source, last checked October 2026
  6. Washington formation fee: Filing fee, official source, last checked October 2026
  7. Washington registered agent statute, last checked October 2026
  8. Washington SOS, register a foreign LLC online, last checked October 2026
  9. Washington SOS, fee schedules and priority services, last checked October 2026
  10. RCW 23.95.520, activities that are not doing business, last checked October 2026
  11. RCW 23.95.505, consequences of not registering, last checked October 2026
  12. RCW 23.95.510, foreign registration statement, last checked October 2026
  13. Washington SOS, registered agents, last checked October 2026
  14. WA Registered Agent.org: pricing and service pages, as of November 12, 2026
  15. Mainstay Filing: Washington service page, as of November 12, 2026