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LLC 101 Guide

Unit 3 · Delaware

Foreign LLC Registration in Delaware (2026): 5 Tasks and the 3 Best Services

Our 2026 Delaware picks for registering an out-of-state LLC, strongest to weakest, are Mainstay Filing ($199), DE Registered Agent.org ($199) and Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($199). Delaware charges $200 for foreign registration, and the 5 tasks below explain how it works.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Key facts for this unit

Registration fee
$200
Look it up at delcode.delaware.gov; our reading dates from October 2026
Home certificate
180 days
Age limit
Report fee
$400
Annual LLC tax
What the state collects in three years
$1,000
State charges only
How many tasks
5
One by one

Unit goals

  • When an LLC from elsewhere must register in Delaware
  • The filing, its price and its office
  • The recurring filing
  • Our recommendations, with reasons

The Delaware honor roll

What counts most: three-year cost and how many assignments the price finishes. How we grade lists all five criteria.

Top of the class

1. Mainstay Filing: best for companies adding a second state

Top of the class$199 plus fees; renewal $149 yearly

Mainstay Filing comes out first, and the reason is that $199 beyond the state fee in any state, with year one of the agent included.

Over three years it costs $100 above DE Registered Agent.org, and in return more of the work is handled.

Agent service after the first year is $149 a year.

What the price covers

  • Registration is filed for you
  • The registered agent costs nothing in year one
  • A service for all fifty states

What works

  • $199 on top of Delaware's fee
  • First year of the agent is included
  • Ready for the next state too

What to weigh

  • A pricier agent renewal ($149)
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. DE Registered Agent.org: best for adding just Delaware

One-state plan$199 plus fees; renewal $99 yearly

Our second choice, DE Registered Agent.org: $199 above the state fee, first agent year covered, then $99 a year.

What the price covers

  • The Delaware registration, prepared and sent
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • A year of agent service is included
  • Then $99 per year
  • $199 plus the state fee

What to weigh

  • Delaware only; your home state needs its own agent
Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: best for registering only in Delaware

One-state plan$199 plus fees; renewal $99 yearly

Our third choice, Delaware Registered Agent.ai: $199 above the state fee, first agent year covered, then $99 a year.

It lists the same prices as DE Registered Agent.org.

What the price covers

  • The Delaware registration, prepared and sent
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • $199 plus the state fee
  • A year of agent service is included
  • Then $99 per year

What to weigh

  • Delaware only; your home state needs its own agent
Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Grades and prices together

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2DE Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner 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 company's posted price on November 13, 2026. Every row also owes the $200 state fee.

Registering with Delaware, task by task

  1. Task 1

    See if your LLC must register in Delaware

    Out-of-state LLCs that do business in Delaware register first as foreign LLCs. If you skip it: Its own lawsuits have to wait in Delaware until it registers (6 Del. C. 18-907(a)). Contracts it has already signed still hold (6 Del. C. 18-907(b)).

    Source: Look it up at corp.delaware.gov; our reading dates from October 2026

  2. Task 2

    Order the home-state certificate

    Your filing must include certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, not older than 180 days.

    Time the request so the certificate is recent on filing day.

  3. Task 3

    Arrange a Delaware registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a registered office in Delaware. An entity agent keeps a business office there that is generally open; an individual agent has to be generally present there. A virtual office or mail-forwarding service alone does not qualify.

    Every recommended service includes the registered agent.

    Source: Look it up at delcode.delaware.gov; our reading dates from October 2026

  4. Task 4

    Fill out and send in the Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company

    To register, send the Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company to the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations with $200.

    Source: Look it up at delcode.delaware.gov; our reading dates from October 2026

  5. Task 5

    Handle Delaware's recurring filing

    You keep the registration going by filing the Annual LLC tax at $400, June 1.

Costs, task by task

TaskPaid toCost
Registering the LLCState agency$200
Annual LLC taxState agency$400
Optional serviceThe provider$199 for year one
Three-year state totalState agency$1,000
State amounts come from Delaware's official fee schedules (see the sources below); service prices come from each company's site. The three-year state total adds the filing, the reports for years two and three and any minimum tax.

How we ordered the Delaware picks

On assignments the price completes (31% of the grade) won out, with right behind.

Your LLC was formed in one state and works in another, so a provider that serves both scored highest.

Delaware questions

Which fees does Delaware charge when a foreign LLC registers?

$200 at the state office. The services here charge $199 on top.

Which form do I file to register?

One form does the job, and the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations is where it goes.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

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

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

Its own lawsuits have to wait in Delaware until it registers (6 Del. C. 18-907(a)). Contracts it has already signed still hold (6 Del. C. 18-907(b)).

What is due after registering?

Next comes the Annual LLC tax at $400.

Which service should handle the registration?

Mainstay Filing is first, DE Registered Agent.org and Delaware Registered Agent.ai follow, and Mainstay Filing wins on assignments the price completes.

Reading list and sources

  1. Everything about Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source above traces to corp.delaware.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  2. Everything about Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source above traces to corp.delaware.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  3. Everything about Delaware yearly filing: HB 400, official source above traces to legis.delaware.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  4. Everything about Delaware report due date above traces to delcode.delaware.gov, a page we reread in August 2026.
  5. Everything about 6 Del above traces to delcode.delaware.gov, a page we reread in August 2026.
  6. Everything about Delaware registered agent statute above traces to delcode.delaware.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  7. Everything about Foreign LLC registration form above traces to corpfiles.delaware.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  8. Everything about Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter IX above traces to delcode.delaware.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  9. Everything about Division of Corporations fee schedule, August 2026 above traces to corpfiles.delaware.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  10. We opened the Delaware service page at Mainstay Filing on November 13, 2026
  11. We opened the pricing page at DE Registered Agent.org on November 13, 2026
  12. We opened the pricing page at Delaware Registered Agent.ai on November 13, 2026