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LLC 101 Guide

Unit 3 · Texas

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

Short answer for 2026: if you want help registering an out-of-state LLC in Texas, go with TX Registered Agent.org ($199), Texas Registered Agent.ai ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), ranked best first. 4 tasks cover the filing, the $750 fee and what you owe afterward.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Need-to-know facts

Fee at the state office
$750
Look it up at sos.state.tx.us; our reading dates from October 2026
Yearly filing
None
Public Information Report
What the state collects in three years
$750
Registration and reports
Tasks in this unit
4
Listed below

Unit goals

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

If you want someone else to file

Five published criteria decide the order; read them on how we grade.

Top of the class

1. TX Registered Agent.org: best for an inexpensive Texas filing

Start with this one$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

Start the list with TX Registered Agent.org, because a $199 service fee and $99 a year for the Texas agent after that.

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

  • A small $99 renewal
  • No agent fee in year one
  • $199 and the state fee

What to weigh

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

Top of the class

2. Texas Registered Agent.ai: best for a local filer

Local choice$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

Second goes to Texas Registered Agent.ai, since a $199 service fee and $99 a year for the Texas agent after that.

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

What the price covers

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

What works

  • A small $99 renewal
  • $199 and the state fee
  • No agent fee in year one

What to weigh

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

Top of the class

3. Mainstay Filing: best for several registrations

Does most of the work$199 plus the state fee, then $149 a year

Third goes to Mainstay Filing, since it files the Texas registration for $199 plus the state's fee, and the first agent year costs nothing.

After three years the total is $100 more than TX Registered Agent.org.

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

What the price covers

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

What works

  • $199 to register
  • Ready for the next state too
  • Year-one agent is covered

What to weigh

  • $50 more a year for the agent
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The Texas picks compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1TX Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit TX Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Texas Registered Agent.ai$199$99/yr$397Visit Texas Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Listed prices, read November 13, 2026. Add the $750 state fee to every row.

Registering with Texas, task by task

  1. Task 1

    Is Texas registration needed?

    If your LLC came from elsewhere and operates in Texas, foreign registration is how it gets permission. If you skip it: Its own lawsuits have to wait in Texas until it registers (BOC 9.051(b)). The agreements are not voided (BOC 9.051(c)).

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

  2. Task 2

    Name a registered agent for Texas

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a street address where papers can be handed to the agent during normal business hours. A mailbox service or answering service alone does not qualify.

    Any of the recommended services can fill this seat.

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

  3. Task 3

    Put together the Application for Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company

    the Texas Secretary of State receives the form and the $750 fee together.

    Source: Look it up at sos.state.tx.us; our reading dates from October 2026

  4. Task 4

    Stay registered

    The thing that repeats is the Public Information Report, May 15.

What each task costs in Texas

Line itemWho gets paidTotal
The registration taskState agency$750
Service, if you hire oneYour service$199 at the start
State fees over years one to threeState agency$750
State amounts come from Texas'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 Texas picks

pulled ahead of on course fee across three years, a criterion worth 34%.

Count three years and TX Registered Agent.org totals $397, $100 below Mainstay Filing.

Check your Texas answers

What will foreign registration in Texas cost?

$750 to the state. Put $199 on top if you hire a service.

Which form do I file to register?

The Texas Secretary of State receives this form from foreign LLCs.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

Its own lawsuits have to wait in Texas until it registers (BOC 9.051(b)). The agreements are not voided (BOC 9.051(c)).

What is due after registering?

Next comes the Public Information Report.

Which services are in this lesson?

This unit ranks three services: TX Registered Agent.org ($199), Texas Registered Agent.ai ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199).

Which service should handle the registration?

TX Registered Agent.org, because $199 over the state fee to register, then $99 yearly. After it come Texas Registered Agent.ai and Mainstay Filing.

Reading list and sources

  1. Further reading on Texas yearly filing: Annual report, official source: our unit draws on comptroller.texas.gov, which we reopened in October 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  2. Further reading on Texas report due date: our unit draws on statutes.capitol.texas.gov, which we reopened in August 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  3. Further reading on Tex: our unit draws on sos.texas.gov, which we reopened in August 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  4. Further reading on Texas registered agent statute: our unit draws on sos.texas.gov, which we reopened in October 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  5. Further reading on Texas Secretary of State, foreign entities FAQ: our unit draws on sos.state.tx.us, which we reopened in October 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  6. Further reading on Form 304 instructions: our unit draws on sos.state.tx.us, which we reopened in October 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  7. Further reading on Business Organizations Code, Chapter 9: our unit draws on statutes.capitol.texas.gov, which we reopened in October 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  8. Further reading on Texas Comptroller, franchise tax: our unit draws on comptroller.texas.gov, which we reopened in October 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  9. Further reading on Texas Business Organizations Code, Chapter 9: our unit draws on tcss.legis.texas.gov, which we reopened in November 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  10. Figures from TX Registered Agent.org's pricing page, November 13, 2026
  11. Figures from Texas Registered Agent.ai's pricing page, November 13, 2026
  12. Figures from Mainstay Filing's Texas service page, November 13, 2026