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LLC 101 Guide

Course unit 3 · Hawaii

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

Our 2026 Hawaii picks for registering an out-of-state LLC, strongest to weakest, are Hawaii Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and HI Registered Agent.org ($199). Registering takes 5 tasks and a $51 state fee, plus $12.50 each time the report comes around.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Key facts for this unit

State filing fee
$51
Official page cca.hawaii.gov, last read October 2026
Certificate you must attach
60 days
How fresh it has to be
Maintenance filing
$12.50
Annual report
State fees over three years
$76
Registration, reports and any minimum tax
Tasks
5
Each one explained

Course objectives

  • When the rule kicks in
  • The filing, its price and its office
  • The recurring filing
  • Which services we recommend and why

Who we would hire in Hawaii

Graded on the grading page: three-year cost (34%), assignments completed (31%), renewal price, fit with Hawaii's rules and plain pricing.

Top of the class

1. Hawaii Registered Agent.co: best for adding just Hawaii

Best overall$199 plus fees; renewal $99 yearly

Start the list with Hawaii Registered Agent.co, because the Hawaii registration is filed for $199 and includes a year of agent service, with renewal at $99.

Three years cost less here than at Mainstay Filing, and three-year cost is 34% of the grade.

What the price covers

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

What works

  • $199 to register
  • The agent renews at $99
  • Agent covered in year one

What to weigh

  • Serves Hawaii alone
Visit Hawaii Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. Mainstay Filing: best for a second state and more after it

Works in every state$199 plus fees; renewal $149 yearly

Second goes to Mainstay Filing, since $199 on top of the state fee, a free first year of registered agent service and $149 a year after that.

A $100 difference from Hawaii Registered Agent.co over three years decides where it lands.

Past year one, agent service costs $149 yearly.

What the price covers

  • Filing made with the state
  • The registered agent costs nothing in year one
  • Covers all fifty states

What works

  • The agent costs nothing in year one
  • Any state, one fee
  • $199 plus the state fee

What to weigh

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

Top of the class

3. HI Registered Agent.org: best for another Hawaii choice

Local choice$199 plus fees; renewal $99 yearly

Our third choice, HI Registered Agent.org: the Hawaii registration is filed for $199 and includes a year of agent service, with renewal at $99.

Its prices are the same as Hawaii Registered Agent.co's, so either works.

What the price covers

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

What works

  • The agent renews at $99
  • $199 to register
  • Agent covered in year one

What to weigh

  • Serves Hawaii alone
Visit HI Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

A comparison of the services

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Hawaii Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Hawaii Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3HI Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit HI Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Each company's posted price on November 13, 2026. Every row also owes the $51 state fee.

How registration works in Hawaii

  1. Task 1

    Find out whether you have to register

    If your LLC came from elsewhere and operates in Hawaii, foreign registration is how it gets permission. Doing business without registering means: Hawaii courts will not hear a claim from an unregistered LLC (HRS 414-432(a); 428-1008(a)). Signed contracts keep their force (HRS 414-432(e); 428-1008(b)). Back fees are collected in addition.

    Source: Official page cca.hawaii.gov, last read October 2026

  2. Task 2

    Request the certificate your home state issues

    Get original certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, dated within 60 days.

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

  3. Task 3

    Choose the Hawaii registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a place of business with a street address in Hawaii. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    Each of the recommended services serves as the registered agent.

    Source: Official page capitol.hawaii.gov, last read October 2026

  4. Task 4

    Put together the Application for Certificate of Authority for Foreign Limited Liability Company

    To register, send the Application for Certificate of Authority for Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form FLLC-1) to the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA), Business Registration Division with $51.

    Source: Official page cca.hawaii.gov, last read October 2026

  5. Task 5

    Keep the registration alive

    After registering, a foreign LLC files the annual report ($12.50), end of the quarter in which the LLC was registered.

What this unit costs

EntryPaid toPrice
Registering the LLCPaid to the state$51
Annual reportPaid to the state$12.50
Service, if you hire oneThe service$199 for year one
State fees over years one to threePaid to the state$76
State amounts come from Hawaii'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.

Why Hawaii Registered Agent.co is first

On course fee across three years (34% of the grade) won out, with right behind.

Count three years and Hawaii Registered Agent.co totals $397, $100 below Mainstay Filing.

Check your Hawaii answers

How much does Hawaii charge an out-of-state LLC to register?

$51 at the state office. A service adds $199.

Which form do I file to register?

One form does the job, and the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA), Business Registration Division is where it goes.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: original certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, issued within 60 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

Hawaii courts will not hear a claim from an unregistered LLC (HRS 414-432(a); 428-1008(a)). Signed contracts keep their force (HRS 414-432(e); 428-1008(b)). Back fees are collected in addition.

What is due after registering?

Get ready for the annual report, which costs $12.50.

Which service should handle the registration?

The order is Hawaii Registered Agent.co, Mainstay Filing and HI Registered Agent.org, and Hawaii Registered Agent.co is first since a $199 service fee and $99 a year for the Hawaii agent after that.

Reading list and sources

  1. Reading list entry for Hawaii DCCA Business Registration Division release of July: cca.hawaii.gov, reread October 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  2. Reading list entry for Hawaii yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source: files.hawaii.gov, reread October 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  3. Reading list entry for Hawaii formation fee: Filing fee, official source: cca.hawaii.gov, reread October 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  4. Reading list entry for Hawaii formation fee: Filing fee, official source: cca.hawaii.gov, reread October 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  5. Reading list entry for Hawaii registered agent statute: capitol.hawaii.gov, reread October 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  6. Reading list entry for Hawaii DCCA, foreign LLC registration: cca.hawaii.gov, reread October 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  7. Reading list entry for Form FLLC-1: files.hawaii.gov, reread October 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  8. Reading list entry for Foreign LLC filing fees: cca.hawaii.gov, reread October 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  9. Reading list entry for Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-1003, activities that are not: capitol.hawaii.gov, reread October 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  10. Reading list entry for New Hawaii business registration portal FAQs: cca.hawaii.gov, reread October 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  11. Reading list entry for Hawaii Revised Statutes 414-432, consequences of transacting business: capitol.hawaii.gov, reread November 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  12. Reading list entry for Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-1008, effect of failure to: capitol.hawaii.gov, reread November 2026, the document behind these numbers.
  13. Hawaii Registered Agent.co pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  14. Mainstay Filing Hawaii service page, opened November 13, 2026
  15. HI Registered Agent.org pricing page, opened November 13, 2026