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LLC 101 Guide

Section 3 · Illinois

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

Our 2026 Illinois picks for registering an out-of-state LLC, strongest to weakest, are Mainstay Filing ($199), IL Registered Agent.org ($199) and Illinois Registered Agent.co ($199). Plan on 5 tasks and a $150 filing fee.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Unit overview

Registration fee
$150
Look it up at ilsos.gov; our reading dates from October 2026
Certificate from your home state
60 days
Age limit
Report fee
$75
Annual report
State fees over three years
$300
Without any service fee
How many tasks
5
Listed below

Course objectives

  • Whether Illinois registration applies to your LLC
  • The form and the fee
  • Staying in good standing
  • Our recommendations, with reasons

Illinois: our recommended services

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

Top of the class

1. Mainstay Filing: best for one provider for home and away

Top of the classService $199, renewal $149 a year

Mainstay Filing earns the top grade in Illinois: a $199 service fee plus Illinois's fee, then $149 a year for the agent.

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

After the free first year, the agent costs $149 a year in any state.

What the price covers

  • Registration is filed for you
  • The registered agent costs nothing in year one
  • Any state, one price

What works

  • First year of the agent is included
  • The same fee in every state
  • $199 on top of Illinois's fee

What to weigh

  • Renewal $50 above IL Registered Agent.org
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. IL Registered Agent.org: best for an inexpensive Illinois filing

Illinois specialistService $199, renewal $99 a year

IL Registered Agent.org takes second place: $199 over the state fee to register, then $99 yearly.

What the price covers

  • The filing is done for you
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • $199 plus the state fee
  • A year of agent service is included
  • $99 a year for the agent after that

What to weigh

  • A single-state service
Visit IL Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. Illinois Registered Agent.co: best for a small agent renewal

Illinois specialistService $199, renewal $99 a year

Illinois Registered Agent.co takes third place: $199 over the state fee to register, then $99 yearly.

On price, it is level with IL Registered Agent.org.

What the price covers

  • The filing is done for you
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • $99 a year for the agent after that
  • A year of agent service is included
  • $199 plus the state fee

What to weigh

  • A single-state service
Visit Illinois Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

All the prices in one table

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2IL Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit IL Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Illinois Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Illinois Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Taken from each company's price page on November 13, 2026. Each row still needs Illinois's $150 registration fee.

Registering with Illinois, task by task

  1. Task 1

    Find out whether you have to register

    Out-of-state LLCs that do business in Illinois register first as foreign LLCs. Doing business without registering means: An LLC that has not registered cannot be a plaintiff in Illinois (805 ILCS 180/45-45(a)). Its contracts can still be enforced (805 ILCS 180/45-45(b)). Fees for the unregistered period come due as well.

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

  2. Task 2

    Order the home-state certificate

    Enclose certificate of Good Standing or Existence, from the last 60 days.

    Save this task for just before you file.

  3. Task 3

    Arrange an Illinois registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a registered office in Illinois that matches the agent's business office. A P.O. box alone is not accepted.

    Any of the recommended services can fill this seat.

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

  4. Task 4

    Put together the Application for Admission to Transact Business

    the Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, Limited Liability Division receives the form and the $150 fee together.

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

  5. Task 5

    Keep the registration alive

    You keep the registration going by filing the annual report at $75, within the 60 days before your anniversary month.

The bill

What forGoes toAmount
Foreign registrationState agency$150
Annual reportState agency$75
Optional serviceThe provider$199 in the first year
State total across three yearsState agency$300
State amounts come from Illinois'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 the list runs this way

pulled ahead of on assignments the price completes, a criterion worth 31%.

IL Registered Agent.org renews for less, but covering several states counted for more.

Questions students ask

What is Illinois's fee for a foreign LLC?

$150 as the official fee. The services here charge $199 on top.

Which form do I file to register?

Fill in the form named in task 4 and send it to the Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, Limited Liability Division.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certificate of Good Standing or Existence, issued within 60 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

An LLC that has not registered cannot be a plaintiff in Illinois (805 ILCS 180/45-45(a)). Its contracts can still be enforced (805 ILCS 180/45-45(b)). Fees for the unregistered period come due as well.

What is due after registering?

Get ready for the annual report, which costs $75.

Which service should handle the registration?

Mainstay Filing, IL Registered Agent.org and Illinois Registered Agent.co, from highest grade to lowest.

Reading list and sources

  1. Everything about Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services above traces to ilsos.gov, a page we reread in August 2026.
  2. Everything about Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services above traces to ilsos.gov, a page we reread in August 2026.
  3. Everything about 805 ILCS 180/5-5 above traces to ilga.gov, a page we reread in August 2026.
  4. Everything about Illinois formation fee: Filing fee, official source above traces to ilga.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  5. Everything about Illinois formation fee: Filing fee, official source above traces to ilsos.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  6. Everything about Illinois registered agent statute above traces to ilga.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  7. Everything about Form LLC-45.5, Application for Admission above traces to ilsos.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  8. Everything about Form LLC-45.40, Application for Withdrawal above traces to ilsos.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  9. Everything about 805 ILCS 180/45-45, consequences of transacting business without above traces to ilga.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  10. Everything about 805 ILCS 180/45-47, activities that are not transacting above traces to ilga.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  11. Everything about 805 ILCS 180/45-45 above traces to ilga.gov, a page we reread in November 2026.
  12. Mainstay Filing Illinois service page, opened November 13, 2026
  13. IL Registered Agent.org pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  14. Illinois Registered Agent.co pricing page, opened November 13, 2026