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LLC 101 Guide

Unit 3 · Montana

Foreign LLC Registration in Montana (2026): 4 Tasks and the 3 Best Services

Our 2026 Montana picks for registering an out-of-state LLC, strongest to weakest, are Mainstay Filing ($199), Montana Registered Agent.co ($199) and Registered Agent MT.org ($199). Montana charges $70 for foreign registration, and the 4 tasks below explain how it works.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Need-to-know facts

Fee at the state office
$70
Taken from mca.legmt.gov in October 2026
Recurring report
None
Annual report
State cost, years 1 to 3
$70
Registration and reports
Unit tasks
4
Listed below

By the end you will know

  • When the rule kicks in
  • What to file and what it costs
  • What comes after registration
  • How the picks stack up

Who we would hire in Montana

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

Start with this oneService $199, renewal $149 a year

Mainstay Filing earns the top grade in Montana: $199 on top of the state fee, a free first year of registered agent service and $149 a year after that.

Three years run $100 higher than with Montana Registered Agent.co, but it completes more of the assignments, and the grade pays for that.

From year two the agent is $149 a year, whichever state you register in.

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

  • A $199 service charge
  • The agent costs nothing in year one
  • One price anywhere

What to weigh

  • Montana Registered Agent.co charges $50 less for the agent
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. Montana Registered Agent.co: best for an inexpensive Montana filing

In-state serviceService $199, renewal $99 a year

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

What the price covers

  • Filing made with the state
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • Agent covered in year one
  • A small $99 renewal
  • A $199 service charge

What to weigh

  • No help in other states
Visit Montana Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. Registered Agent MT.org: best for a small agent renewal

In-state serviceService $199, renewal $99 a year

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

It lists the same prices as Montana Registered Agent.co.

What the price covers

  • Filing made with the state
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • Agent covered in year one
  • A small $99 renewal
  • A $199 service charge

What to weigh

  • No help in other states
Visit Registered Agent MT.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The Montana picks compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Montana Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Montana Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Registered Agent MT.org$199$99/yr$397Visit Registered Agent MT.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. Every row also owes the $70 state fee.

How registration works in Montana

  1. Task 1

    Does the rule apply to you?

    An LLC formed in another state has to register in Montana before it does business there. Skipping registration has a price: An LLC that has not registered cannot be a plaintiff in Montana (MCA 35-8-1002(1)). Fines of $5.

    Source: Taken from mca.legmt.gov in October 2026

  2. Task 2

    Appoint the Montana registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be an actual street address or rural route box number in Montana. A P.O. box alone is not enough.

    Any of the recommended services can fill this seat.

    Source: Taken from mca.legmt.gov in October 2026

  3. Task 3

    File the Application for Certificate of Authority (foreign limited liability company)

    That filing is the registration, and the state bills $70 for it.

    Source: Taken from mca.legmt.gov in October 2026

  4. Task 4

    Stay registered

    Next on the list is the annual report, April 15.

What this unit costs

What forPaid toCost
Registration feeGoes to the state$70
Service fees (optional)The provider$199 in the first year
Three-year state totalGoes to the state$70
State amounts come from Montana'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.

The reasoning behind the order

Assignments the price completes settled first place in Montana. It is worth 31% of the grade, and the other 69% comes from course fee across three years, second-year fee, match with the state syllabus and plain pricing.

Because the LLC is active in two states, reach settled the order.

Common questions

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

$70 as the official fee. Our recommended services add $199.

Which form do I file to register?

Look for the Application for Certificate of Authority (foreign limited liability company); the Montana Secretary of State, Business Services takes it.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

An LLC that has not registered cannot be a plaintiff in Montana (MCA 35-8-1002(1)). Fines of $5.

What is due after registering?

Next comes the annual report.

Which services are in this lesson?

This unit ranks three services: Mainstay Filing ($199), Montana Registered Agent.co ($199) and Registered Agent MT.org ($199).

Which service should handle the registration?

Mainstay Filing, Montana Registered Agent.co and Registered Agent MT.org, from highest grade to lowest.

Reading list and sources

  1. Hand-in notes for Montana Secretary of State fee page and fee. Each statement rests on sosmt.gov, last opened October 2026.
  2. Hand-in notes for Montana yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source. Each statement rests on sosmt.gov, last opened October 2026.
  3. Hand-in notes for Montana yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source. Each statement rests on sosmt.gov, last opened October 2026.
  4. Hand-in notes for Montana report due date. Each statement rests on mca.legmt.gov, last opened August 2026.
  5. Hand-in notes for Mont. Each statement rests on mca.legmt.gov, last opened August 2026.
  6. Hand-in notes for Montana formation fee: Filing fee, official source. Each statement rests on sosmt.gov, last opened October 2026.
  7. Hand-in notes for Montana registered agent statute. Each statement rests on mca.legmt.gov, last opened October 2026.
  8. Hand-in notes for Montana Secretary of State, register a business. Each statement rests on help.sosmt.gov, last opened October 2026.
  9. Hand-in notes for MCA 35-8-1001, transacting business. Each statement rests on mca.legmt.gov, last opened October 2026.
  10. Hand-in notes for MCA 35-8-1002, consequences. Each statement rests on mca.legmt.gov, last opened October 2026.
  11. Hand-in notes for MCA 35-8-1003, application contents. Each statement rests on mca.legmt.gov, last opened October 2026.
  12. Figures from Mainstay Filing's Montana service page, November 13, 2026
  13. Figures from Montana Registered Agent.co's pricing page, November 13, 2026
  14. Figures from Registered Agent MT.org's pricing page, November 13, 2026