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Biz Formation Academy

A plain textbook on LLC paperwork, one state per chapter.

Chapter 3 · Delaware

Foreign LLC Registration Chapter, Delaware (2026): 5 Sections and the 3 Best Services

The recommended reading for registering an LLC formed elsewhere in Delaware in 2026 is Mainstay Filing ($199), DE Registered Agent.org ($199) and Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($199), in that order. Expect 5 sections and one fee of $200.
Written by the Biz Formation Academy editorial board

Chapter summary

Registration fee $200 Reference: delcode.delaware.gov, consulted October 2026
Proof of good standing 180 days Maximum age at filing
Yearly filing $400 Annual LLC tax
Three years of state fees $1,000 Registration, reports and any minimum tax
Sections in this chapter 5 First to last

Learning objectives

  • Which LLCs must register
  • How the filing is made
  • Remaining in good standing
  • How the recommended services compare

Who we recommend in Delaware

The editorial board's five criteria are explained on how we grade and determine the order.

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a series of registrations

Read this one first
$199 plus fees; renewal $149 annually

This chapter recommends Mainstay Filing above the others, because registration with Delaware costs $199 over the state fee, with year one of the registered agent included.

Compared with DE Registered Agent.org, the reader pays $100 more across three years and keeps fewer filings to prepare.

Beyond year one the agent is billed at $149 a year, whichever state applies.

Price covers

  • The registration is prepared and submitted
  • The registered agent carries no charge in year one
  • Service in all fifty states

Advantages

  • The first agent year is included
  • Any state at one fee
  • $199 plus the state fee

Limitations

  • Renewal $50 above DE Registered Agent.org's
Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

2. DE Registered Agent.org: best for a low yearly agent fee

Delaware specialist
$199 plus fees; renewal $99 annually

DE Registered Agent.org takes second position; a service fee of $199 and a yearly agent renewal of $99.

Price covers

  • The Delaware registration, prepared and submitted
  • A year of agent service is built into the price

Advantages

  • $199 to register
  • First-year agent service at no added cost
  • A modest $99 renewal

Limitations

  • Works in Delaware only, leaving the home state without an agent
Visit DE Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: best for a local filer

Delaware specialist
$199 plus fees; renewal $99 annually

Delaware Registered Agent.ai takes third position; a service fee of $199 and a yearly agent renewal of $99.

DE Registered Agent.org and this service cost the same.

Price covers

  • The Delaware registration, prepared and submitted
  • A year of agent service is built into the price

Advantages

  • First-year agent service at no added cost
  • $199 to register
  • A modest $99 renewal

Limitations

  • Works in Delaware only, leaving the home state without an agent
Visit Delaware Registered Agent.ai Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

All prices in one table

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1 Mainstay Filing $199$149/yr$497 Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 DE Registered Agent.org $199$99/yr$397 Visit DE Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 Delaware Registered Agent.ai $199$99/yr$397 Visit Delaware Registered Agent.ai Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Prices come from each company's own site, consulted November 13, 2026. Each row still owes Delaware's $200 registration fee.

The Delaware registration, in sequence

  1. Section 1

    Decide if the LLC must register

    Key term: foreign LLC. It is an LLC formed in a different state, and Delaware asks it to register before operating here. An LLC that operates unregistered faces: until registered, the LLC cannot bring suit before Delaware's courts (6 Del. C. 18-907(a)) its contracts can still be enforced (6 Del. C. 18-907(b))

    Reference: Reference: corp.delaware.gov, consulted October 2026

  2. Section 2

    Request the home-state certificate

    Delaware requires certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, issued no earlier than 180 days.

    Request it shortly before the filing date.

  3. Section 3

    Select the Delaware registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a registered office in Delaware. An entity agent keeps a business office there that is generally open; an individual agent has to be generally present there. A virtual office or mail-forwarding service alone does not qualify.

    Every recommended service provides the registered agent.

    Reference: Reference: delcode.delaware.gov, consulted October 2026

  4. Section 4

    Your paperwork here is the Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company

    Filing is the act of registering, and the state charges $200.

    Reference: Reference: delcode.delaware.gov, consulted October 2026

  5. Section 5

    Keep the registration in force

    What follows registration is the Annual LLC tax, priced at $400, with timing of June 1.

The price list

PurposeRecipientTotal
Fee to register The state$200
Annual LLC tax The state$400
Filing service (optional) The service company$199 at the start
Three years of state fees The state$1,000

The three-year state row is computed as the filing fee, plus the report in each of years two and three, plus any yearly minimum tax. Service fees have their own rows.

How the Delaware recommendations were ranked

finished ahead of on chapters the price completes, which counts for 30%.

Registration involves two states, and a provider that covers both finished ahead of DE Registered Agent.org.

What readers ask

What is the cost to register a foreign LLC with Delaware?

$200 at the filing office. The services here charge $199 more.

Which form do I file to register?

Out-of-state LLCs hand this form to The Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, issued within 180 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

until registered, the LLC cannot bring suit before Delaware's courts (6 Del. C. 18-907(a)) its contracts can still be enforced (6 Del. C. 18-907(b))

What is due after registering?

Once registered, the LLC will owe the Annual LLC tax, billed at $400 each time.

Which service should handle the registration?

The ranking is Mainstay Filing, DE Registered Agent.org and Delaware Registered Agent.ai, and Mainstay Filing is first since $199 above the state fee in any state; the registered agent costs nothing the first year, then $149 yearly.

More chapters

Bibliography and primary texts

  1. Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source rests on corp.delaware.gov, a text consulted October 2026.
  2. Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source rests on corp.delaware.gov, a text consulted October 2026.
  3. Delaware yearly filing: HB 400, official source rests on legis.delaware.gov, a text consulted October 2026.
  4. Delaware report due date rests on delcode.delaware.gov, a text consulted August 2026.
  5. 6 Del rests on delcode.delaware.gov, a text consulted August 2026.
  6. Delaware registered agent statute rests on delcode.delaware.gov, a text consulted October 2026.
  7. Foreign LLC registration form rests on corpfiles.delaware.gov, a text consulted October 2026.
  8. Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter IX rests on delcode.delaware.gov, a text consulted October 2026.
  9. Division of Corporations fee schedule, August 2026 rests on corpfiles.delaware.gov, a text consulted October 2026.
  10. Prices quoted from the Delaware service page at Mainstay Filing on November 13, 2026
  11. Prices quoted from the pricing page at DE Registered Agent.org on November 13, 2026
  12. Prices quoted from the pricing page at Delaware Registered Agent.ai on November 13, 2026