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LLC 101 Guide

Unit 3 · Pennsylvania

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

Ranked for 2026, the services worth hiring for registering an out-of-state LLC in Pennsylvania are Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and PA Registered Agent.org ($199). Plan on 4 tasks and a $250 filing fee.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Read this first

Fee at the state office
$250
pa.gov (page read October 2026)
Report fee
$7
Annual report
State cost, years 1 to 3
$264
Registration and reports
Tasks in this unit
4
From first to last

You will leave able to

  • When the rule kicks in
  • The official form and fee
  • What staying registered costs
  • Who we would hire to file

Who we would hire in Pennsylvania

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. Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co: best for adding just Pennsylvania

Our first pick$199 and the $250 state fee, then $99 yearly

Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co earns the top grade in Pennsylvania: $199 over the state fee to register, then $99 yearly.

A smaller three-year total than Mainstay Filing earns it first place; cost counts 34%.

What the price covers

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • No agent fee in year one
  • $199 and the state fee
  • Then $99 per year

What to weigh

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

Top of the class

2. Mainstay Filing: best for several registrations

Does most of the work$199 and the $250 state fee, then $149 yearly

Pick number 2 is Mainstay Filing, where $199 beyond the state fee in any state, with year one of the agent included.

Counted over three years, it trails Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co by $100.

At renewal the agent becomes $149 a year, in every state.

What the price covers

  • Registration prepared and sent
  • One fee wherever you register

What works

  • A $199 service charge
  • One price anywhere

What to weigh

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

Top of the class

3. PA Registered Agent.org: best for a local filer

Focused on Pennsylvania$199 and the $250 state fee, then $99 yearly

Pick number 3 is PA Registered Agent.org, where $199 over the state fee to register, then $99 yearly.

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

What the price covers

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • No agent fee in year one
  • Then $99 per year
  • $199 and the state fee

What to weigh

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

Grades and prices together

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Pennsylvania 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.
3PA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit PA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Taken from each company's price page on November 13, 2026. None of the rows includes the $250 state fee.

The tasks

  1. Task 1

    When registration is required

    Vocabulary: a foreign LLC is one formed in a different state. It registers before it does business in Pennsylvania. The cost of not registering: Until it registers, the LLC cannot bring a lawsuit in Pennsylvania courts (15 Pa.C.S. 411(b)). Its contracts can still be enforced (15 Pa.C.S. 411(c)).

    Source: pa.gov (page read October 2026)

  2. Task 2

    Appoint the Pennsylvania registered agent

    Pennsylvania requires a registered office (a Pennsylvania street address or a Commercial Registered Office Provider), not an agent. The address has to be an actual street address or rural route box number in Pennsylvania. A P.O. box alone is not accepted.

    Our recommendations cover this role.

    Source: legis.state.pa.us (page read October 2026)

  3. Task 3

    Put together the Foreign Registration Statement

    Fill in the Foreign Registration Statement (DSCB:15-412), include $250, and mail or upload it to the Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations.

    Source: pa.gov (page read October 2026)

  4. Task 4

    Stay registered

    Plan for the annual report and its $7 fee (September 30).

Pennsylvania costs by task

ItemReceiverAmount
Registration feeState office$250
Annual reportState office$7
Paid helpThe service company$199 in the first year
Three-year state totalState office$264
State fees were read from the official pages named in the sources. Three years means the filing, two years of reports and the minimum tax where there is one.

How we ordered the Pennsylvania picks

What decided it was course fee across three years, which carries 34% of the grade.

Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co wins the cost criterion with $397 over three years, against $100 more at Mainstay Filing.

Pennsylvania questions

What is Pennsylvania's fee for a foreign LLC?

$250 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 Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

Until it registers, the LLC cannot bring a lawsuit in Pennsylvania courts (15 Pa.C.S. 411(b)). Its contracts can still be enforced (15 Pa.C.S. 411(c)).

What is due after registering?

After you register, the LLC has to file the annual report, and each filing costs $7.

Which services are in this lesson?

The picks are Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co, Mainstay Filing and PA Registered Agent.org, strongest first.

Which service should handle the registration?

The order is Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co, Mainstay Filing and PA Registered Agent.org, and Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co is first since registration is $199 plus state fees, and year one of the agent is already paid for.

Reading list and sources

  1. Want proof for what the unit says about Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and? Go to pa.gov; the copy we used dates from August 2026.
  2. Want proof for what the unit says about Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and? Go to pa.gov; the copy we used dates from August 2026.
  3. Want proof for what the unit says about 15 Pa.C.S. § 8821? Go to pa.gov; the copy we used dates from August 2026.
  4. Want proof for what the unit says about Pennsylvania formation fee: Filing fee, official source? Go to pa.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  5. Want proof for what the unit says about Pennsylvania registered agent statute? Go to legis.state.pa.us; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  6. Want proof for what the unit says about Pennsylvania DOS, foreign associations? Go to pa.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  7. Want proof for what the unit says about Foreign Registration Statement, DSCB:15-412? Go to pa.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  8. Want proof for what the unit says about Commercial registered office providers? Go to pa.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  9. Want proof for what the unit says about 15 Pa.C.S. 411, registration to do business in? Go to legis.state.pa.us; the copy we used dates from November 2026.
  10. Want proof for what the unit says about Pennsylvania Department of State, general rule and exclusions? Go to pa.gov; the copy we used dates from November 2026.
  11. pricing page of Pennsylvania Registered Agent.co, taken on November 13, 2026
  12. Pennsylvania service page of Mainstay Filing, taken on November 13, 2026
  13. pricing page of PA Registered Agent.org, taken on November 13, 2026