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

Foreign LLC guide · Rhode Island

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

Mainstay Filing ($199), Rhode Island Registered Agent.co ($199) and RI Registered Agent.org ($199): our 2026 order for foreign LLC registration in Rhode Island. Almanac figures: $150 to register, $50 per report after. That ranks Rhode Island 48th of 50.

Entry by the Statewise Business almanac desk ·

Rhode Island figures on file

48thacross 50 states, foreign LLC feesOrdered from least to most expensive. Compare all states
Foreign registration fee
$150docs.sos.ri.gov, read October 2026
Report each cycle
$50Annual report
Certificate from home
60 daysAge limit on the certificate
Yearly minimum tax
$400tax.ri.gov, read October 2026
State fees over three years
$1,450Registration plus the next two years of reports, with the minimum tax each year

Rhode Island shortlist

Why this order: service fees across three years first, then coverage, renewal, Rhode Island fit and fee clarity (methodology).

1. Mainstay Filing: best for companies working in several states

Top entry$199 and fees; $149 a year later

We enter Mainstay Filing first: the registration costs $199 plus state fees, and the first year as your resident agent is free.

Over three years it costs $100 more than Rhode Island Registered Agent.co; on our weights the extra filings it covers outweigh that.

Agent service after the free year: $149 a year in any state.

In the price

  • The registration filing, handled for you
  • All fifty states served

Strengths

  • The same fee in every state
  • $199 over the state fee

Weak points

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

2. Rhode Island Registered Agent.co: best for an inexpensive Rhode Island filing

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

Entry 2 is Rhode Island Registered Agent.co: $199 plus the state fee, first agent year included, then $99 a year for the agent.

In the price

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • A year of agent service

Strengths

  • No agent charge in year one
  • $199 to register
  • $99 yearly from year two

Weak points

  • The home state needs a separate agent
Visit Rhode Island Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3. RI Registered Agent.org: best for Rhode Island registrations

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

Entry 3 is RI Registered Agent.org: $199 plus the state fee, first agent year included, then $99 a year for the agent.

On price it ties with Rhode Island Registered Agent.co.

In the price

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • A year of agent service

Strengths

  • $99 yearly from year two
  • $199 to register
  • No agent charge in year one

Weak points

  • The home state needs a separate agent
Visit RI Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The 3 picks compared

#EntryYear-one priceYears two onService fees over three years
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Rhode Island Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Rhode Island Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3RI Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit RI Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Every price here was read on November 12, 2026. Rhode Island's $150 registration fee is extra in every row.

Rhode Island foreign LLC cost calculator

Registration fee $150, then the $50 report from year two, added to the service's prices.
State $1,450 and service $497 make $1,947 over 3 years with Mainstay Filing.

Rhode Island among its neighbors in the rank

PositionStateThree-year foreign LLC fees
46thTennessee$900
47thDelaware$1,000
48thRhode Island$1,450
49thMassachusetts$1,500
50thCalifornia$2,490
All fifty rows: Foreign LLC fees by state.

Rhode Island foreign registration: fee, form, office

Out-of-state LLCs use the Application for Registration for a Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form 450) and register with the Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division ($150). The application needs certificate of Good Standing or Letter of Status, no older than 60 days.

Each cycle comes the annual report ($50), between February 1 and May 1. Also on the state side: $400 a year minimum tax to the Division of Taxation (Form RI-1065), owed whether or not the LLC makes a profit.

Papers to gather

  • Certificate of Good Standing or Letter of Status, dated within 60 days.
  • The exact legal name from the home state, plus the date of formation.
  • A resident agent with a Rhode Island street address (each service above can serve).
  • Funds for the $150 registration fee.

If registration is skipped

A suit it tries to bring is blocked until registration is on file (R.I. Gen. Laws 7-16-54(a)). The company's contracts are not voided (R.I. Gen. Laws 7-16-54(b)).

How the Rhode Island order was set

Of the five criteria, requirements covered (28%) is where Mainstay Filing pulled ahead of Rhode Island Registered Agent.co in Rhode Island.

A company registering in Rhode Island already has a home state; covering both with one provider scored highest.

Common questions

What does a foreign LLC pay to register in Rhode Island?

$150 as the official fee. The picks add $199.

What is the foreign registration form in Rhode Island?

Application for Registration for a Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form 450), filed with the Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division.

Is a certificate from the home state required?

Yes, certificate of Good Standing or Letter of Status, dated within 60 days of the filing.

What does a foreign LLC owe each year?

It files the annual report for $50.

What happens if the LLC operates there unregistered?

A suit it tries to bring is blocked until registration is on file (R.I. Gen. Laws 7-16-54(a)). The company's contracts are not voided (R.I. Gen. Laws 7-16-54(b)).

Does a foreign LLC need a resident agent in Rhode Island?

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

Who should handle the registration?

Mainstay Filing, Rhode Island Registered Agent.co and RI Registered Agent.org, in the order shown.

Keep reading

Citations for this entry

  1. Read August 2026: Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division (docs.sos.ri.gov)
  2. Read August 2026: Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division (sos.ri.gov)
  3. Read August 2026: R.I (webserver.rilegislature.gov)
  4. Read October 2026: Rhode Island formation fee: Filing fee, official source (sos.ri.gov)
  5. Read October 2026: Rhode Island formation fee: Filing fee, official source (docs.sos.ri.gov)
  6. Read October 2026: Rhode Island registered agent statute (webserver.rilegislature.gov)
  7. Read October 2026: Form 450, Application for Registration (docs.sos.ri.gov)
  8. Read October 2026: R.I (webserver.rilegislature.gov)
  9. Read October 2026: R.I (webserver.rilegislature.gov)
  10. Read October 2026: Form 452, Certificate of Cancellation (docs.sos.ri.gov)
  11. Read October 2026: Rhode Island other cost (tax.ri.gov)
  12. Read October 2026: Tennessee Secretary of State, business forms and fees (sos.tn.gov)
  13. Read October 2026: Form SS-4233, Certificate of Authority for a foreign (sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com)
  14. Read October 2026: Tennessee Secretary of State, business FAQs (sos.tn.gov)
  15. Read October 2026: Form SS-4241, withdrawal or cancellation (sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com)
  16. Read October 2026: Tennessee Revised LLC Act, Public Chapter 286 (publications.tnsosfiles.com)
  17. Read October 2026: Foreign LLC registration form (corpfiles.delaware.gov)
  18. Read October 2026: Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter IX (delcode.delaware.gov)
  19. Read October 2026: Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter XI (delcode.delaware.gov)
  20. Read October 2026: Division of Corporations fee schedule, August 2026 (corpfiles.delaware.gov)
  21. Read October 2026: Alternative entity annual tax instructions (corp.delaware.gov)
  22. Read October 2026: Massachusetts Corporations Division, foreign LLC page (sec.state.ma.us)
  23. Read October 2026: Corporations Division fee schedule (sec.state.ma.us)
  24. Read October 2026: G.L. c. 156C § 48, foreign LLC registration (malegislature.gov)
  25. Read October 2026: G.L. c. 156C § 54, failure to register (malegislature.gov)
  26. Read October 2026: G.L. c. 156D § 15.01, transacting business (malegislature.gov)
  27. Read October 2026: 950 CMR 112.00, limited liability companies (sec.state.ma.us)
  28. Read October 2026: California Secretary of State, foreign LLC forms (sos.ca.gov)
  29. Read October 2026: Form LLC-5 (bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov)
  30. Read October 2026: Corporations Code section 17708.03 (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)
  31. Read October 2026: Revenue and Taxation Code section 19135 (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)
  32. Read October 2026: Franchise Tax Board, LLC filing requirements (ftb.ca.gov)
  33. Read October 2026: California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and (ftb.ca.gov)
  34. Rhode Island service page of Mainstay Filing, taken November 12, 2026
  35. Pricing page of Rhode Island Registered Agent.co, taken November 12, 2026
  36. Pricing page of RI Registered Agent.org, taken November 12, 2026