Skip to content
Statewise Business The state fee almanac for LLCs, sourced line by line.

Foreign LLC guide · Delaware

Delaware Foreign LLCs (2026): Registration Fees and the 3 Best Services

For foreign LLC registration in Delaware this year (2026), the order is DE Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($199). Delaware's fee for a foreign LLC is $200 plus $400 for each yearly report, which is 47th of 50.

Entry by the Statewise Business almanac desk ·

Delaware figures on file

47thin the 50-state table, foreign LLCsCounted up from the least expensive. The complete table
Foreign registration fee
$200delcode.delaware.gov as of October 2026
Report each cycle
$400Annual LLC tax
Certificate from home
180 daysAge limit on the certificate
State fees over three years
$1,000Three-year model for a foreign LLC

Delaware: the almanac's picks

The methodology sets this order with five criteria, led by what the service charges over three years and what the price covers.

1. DE Registered Agent.org: best for a small yearly agent cost

Where we would begin$199 and fees; $99 a year later

Rank one, DE Registered Agent.org: the Delaware registration at $199 with a year of agent service, then $99 yearly.

Lower three-year service fees than Mainstay Filing put it first; cost is 32% of the method.

In the price

  • A filing with the state office
  • A year of agent service

Strengths

  • Agent renews at $99
  • Agent covered in year one
  • A service fee of $199

Weak points

  • No help outside this state
Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

2. Mainstay Filing: best for multi-state registrations

Bundled filings$199 and fees; $149 a year later

Next in the almanac, Mainstay Filing: it files the Delaware registration at $199 beyond the state's fee, with year one of agent service thrown in.

DE Registered Agent.org is $100 lower over three years, which accounts for its higher rank.

From the second year, the agent costs $149 annually.

In the price

  • The registration filing, handled for you
  • The registered agent role costs nothing in year one
  • The same service fee in each state

Strengths

  • One price in any state
  • $199 over the state fee
  • Year-one agent at no cost

Weak points

  • $50 more a year for the agent
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: best for a local filer

In-state option$199 and fees; $99 a year later

Listed third: Delaware Registered Agent.ai, because the Delaware registration at $199 with a year of agent service, then $99 yearly.

On price it ties with DE Registered Agent.org.

In the price

  • A filing with the state office
  • A year of agent service

Strengths

  • A service fee of $199
  • Agent renews at $99
  • Agent covered in year one

Weak points

  • No help outside this state
Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Prices in a row

#EntryYear-one priceYears two onService fees over three years
1DE Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Delaware Registered Agent.ai$199$99/yr$397Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Each price was taken from the company's own pages on November 12, 2026. No row includes the $200 state fee.

Delaware foreign LLC cost calculator

Registration fee $200, then the $400 report from year two, added to the service's prices.
3 years with DE Registered Agent.org comes to $1,397: $1,000 in state fees and $397 in service fees.

Delaware among its neighbors in the rank

PositionStateThree-year foreign LLC fees
45thSouth Dakota$860
46thTennessee$900
47thDelaware$1,000
48thRhode Island$1,450
49thMassachusetts$1,500
The full ranking uses the same method for all fifty states.

Delaware foreign registration: fee, form, office

An LLC formed elsewhere sends the Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company to the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations with $200. Enclose certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, dated within 180 days.

Then the company owes the Annual LLC tax ($400), June 1.

Papers to gather

  • Certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, dated within 180 days.
  • The registered name and formation date from home.
  • A registered agent with a Delaware street address (each service above can serve).
  • Funds for the $200 official fee.

Risks of working unregistered

The state's courts will not take a suit it files before registering (6 Del. C. 18-907(a)). Its contracts stay valid (6 Del. C. 18-907(b)).

How the Delaware order was set

The deciding criterion in Delaware was added cost over three years, weighted 32%.

Three years with DE Registered Agent.org cost $397 in service fees, $100 less than with Mainstay Filing.

Quick answers

What does a foreign LLC pay to register in Delaware?

$200 at the state office. Add $199 for a service.

What is the foreign registration form in Delaware?

Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company, filed with the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations.

Is a certificate from the home state required?

Yes, certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, dated within 180 days of the filing.

What does a foreign LLC owe each year?

It files the Annual LLC tax for $400.

What happens if the LLC operates there unregistered?

The state's courts will not take a suit it files before registering (6 Del. C. 18-907(a)). Its contracts stay valid (6 Del. C. 18-907(b)).

Does a foreign LLC need a registered agent in Delaware?

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Who should handle the registration?

DE Registered Agent.org, Mainstay Filing and Delaware Registered Agent.ai, in the order shown.

See also

Citations for this entry

  1. Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source. Source: corp.delaware.gov. Last read October 2026.
  2. Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source. Source: corp.delaware.gov. Last read October 2026.
  3. Delaware yearly filing: HB 400, official source. Source: legis.delaware.gov. Last read October 2026.
  4. Delaware report due date. Source: delcode.delaware.gov. Last read August 2026.
  5. 6 Del. Source: delcode.delaware.gov. Last read August 2026.
  6. Delaware registered agent statute. Source: delcode.delaware.gov. Last read October 2026.
  7. Foreign LLC registration form. Source: corpfiles.delaware.gov. Last read October 2026.
  8. Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter IX. Source: delcode.delaware.gov. Last read October 2026.
  9. Division of Corporations fee schedule, August 2026. Source: corpfiles.delaware.gov. Last read October 2026.
  10. South Dakota Secretary of State, business services. Source: sdsos.gov. Last read October 2026.
  11. Filing fee schedule. Source: sdsos.gov. Last read October 2026.
  12. Foreign LLC application for Certificate of Authority. Source: sdsos.gov. Last read October 2026.
  13. SDCL 47-34A-1003, transacting business. Source: sdlegislature.gov. Last read October 2026.
  14. SDCL 47-34A-1008, effect of not registering. Source: sdlegislature.gov. Last read October 2026.
  15. Tennessee Secretary of State, business forms and fees. Source: sos.tn.gov. Last read October 2026.
  16. Form SS-4233, Certificate of Authority for a foreign. Source: sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com. Last read October 2026.
  17. Tennessee Secretary of State, business FAQs. Source: sos.tn.gov. Last read October 2026.
  18. Form SS-4241, withdrawal or cancellation. Source: sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com. Last read October 2026.
  19. Tennessee Revised LLC Act, Public Chapter 286. Source: publications.tnsosfiles.com. Last read October 2026.
  20. Form 450, Application for Registration. Source: docs.sos.ri.gov. Last read October 2026.
  21. Business Services fee schedule. Source: docs.sos.ri.gov. Last read October 2026.
  22. R.I. Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov. Last read October 2026.
  23. R.I. Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov. Last read October 2026.
  24. Form 452, Certificate of Cancellation. Source: docs.sos.ri.gov. Last read October 2026.
  25. Rhode Island other cost. Source: tax.ri.gov. Last read October 2026.
  26. Massachusetts Corporations Division, foreign LLC page. Source: sec.state.ma.us. Last read October 2026.
  27. Corporations Division fee schedule. Source: sec.state.ma.us. Last read October 2026.
  28. G.L. c. 156C § 48, foreign LLC registration. Source: malegislature.gov. Last read October 2026.
  29. G.L. c. 156C § 54, failure to register. Source: malegislature.gov. Last read October 2026.
  30. G.L. c. 156D § 15.01, transacting business. Source: malegislature.gov. Last read October 2026.
  31. 950 CMR 112.00, limited liability companies. Source: sec.state.ma.us. Last read October 2026.
  32. Pricing page of DE Registered Agent.org, taken November 12, 2026
  33. Delaware service page of Mainstay Filing, taken November 12, 2026
  34. Pricing page of Delaware Registered Agent.ai, taken November 12, 2026