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What foreign registration costs by state / California

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in California (2026): What You Pay

Your best-value options among California foreign registration services for 2026 are Mainstay Filing ($199), California Registered Agent.ai ($199) and CA Registered Agent.org ($199), ranked from first to third. The state's $70 is the same whoever you hire. Service fees add $397 to $497 by year three.
Written by the Price Your LLC editorial team

↓ Ranked for you by: Ranking = 38% what you spend + 31% work covered + three smaller factors (details)

California at a glance

Fee you pay at registration $70 bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov (we looked on October 2026, so you can too)
Opening cost range $199 The state fee is extra
Your three-year spend $397 to $497 Opening year plus two more
What the state collects in 3 years $2,490 Does not depend on the service
Crossover year Not within ten years Stable for a decade

Ranked for you

Options sit in value order, with prices taken from company pages. The $70 state fee stays outside the service prices.

1
First choice

1. Mainstay Filing: best for the same cost in each state

$199 to register, $149 yearly after
You pay in year 1 $199
You pay after year 1 $149/yr
You pay over 3 years $497

Mainstay Filing is the best value for you in California: a California registration adds $199 to state fees, with the opening agent year free.

Pay $100 more than California Registered Agent.ai across three years and the repeating filings stop being your problem.

You pay no agent charge in year one; $149 a year follows.

Your price covers

  • Registration handled for you
  • Fifty-state service

What you get

  • Service charge of $199
  • Same fee wherever you register

What to watch

  • A higher agent renewal ($149)
2
Local option

2. California Registered Agent.ai: best for a basic registration

$199 to register, $99 yearly after
You pay in year 1 $199
You pay after year 1 $99/yr
You pay over 3 years $397

Next, California Registered Agent.ai: a California registration through this service costs you $199, and the agent renews at $99.

Your price covers

  • Registration handled for you
  • Agent service for your first year

What you get

  • No agent charge in year one
  • A modest $99 renewal
  • $199 on top of the state fee

What to watch

  • Nothing outside this state
3
Local option

3. CA Registered Agent.org: best for a modest agent renewal

$199 to register, $99 yearly after
You pay in year 1 $199
You pay after year 1 $99/yr
You pay over 3 years $397

Next, CA Registered Agent.org: a California registration through this service costs you $199, and the agent renews at $99.

California Registered Agent.ai lists identical prices.

Your price covers

  • Registration handled for you
  • Agent service for your first year

What you get

  • No agent charge in year one
  • A modest $99 renewal
  • $199 on top of the state fee

What to watch

  • Nothing outside this state

What each service adds up to

Pick Service You pay in year 1 You pay by year 2 You pay by year 3 You pay by year 5
1 Mainstay Filing $199 $348 $497 $795 Price out Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 California Registered Agent.ai $199 $298 $397 $595 Price out California Registered Agent.ai Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 CA Registered Agent.org $199 $298 $397 $595 Price out CA Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Company prices from November 13, 2026, added up for you year by year. Ranked by running total, the order is steady for ten years.

Break-even check

Not sure how long you will keep the company? Try a few timelines below.

You would pay Mainstay Filing $497, California Registered Agent.ai $397, CA Registered Agent.org $397 over 3 years. Lowest of the totals: California Registered Agent.ai.

State fees with sources

What you pay for Amount Source
Filing to register your foreign LLC $70 bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov (we looked on October 2026, so you can too)
Statement of Information, Form LLC-12 $20 ftb.ca.gov (we looked on October 2026, so you can too)
Minimum tax per year $800 a year ftb.ca.gov (we looked on October 2026, so you can too)
State fees summed, years 1 to 3 $2,490 Filing, reports and any tax

To find what you owe the state across three years, add the filing fee, two later reports and any minimum tax. We mention open-ended costs without putting a number on them.

Why this order for California

For California, the deciding factor was upkeep the price covers (31% of the ranking), where Mainstay Filing came out ahead.

A foreign LLC already lives in two states, so a provider covering both came first.

What California charges you to register a foreign LLC and what it requires

Working in California with an LLC from another state means registering with the California Secretary of State, Business Entities, using the Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) (Form LLC-5) and $70. Attach certificate of good standing (existence or status) from the home state dated within 180 days.

If you never register, expect no standing to sue before California courts (Corp. Code 17708.07(a)).

In the state's words: ftb.ca.gov (we looked on October 2026, so you can too)

State fees only

Without a service you pay $2,490 in state fees across three years. Hiring one adds $397 to $497 to your bill.

Common questions

How much will it cost me to register my LLC in California?

$70 in state fees, with another $199 if you hire help.

What will these services cost me over three years?

After three years you will have paid $397 to $497 in service fees.

Which form do I file to register?

You file Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) (Form LLC-5) with the California Secretary of State, Business Entities.

Do I need a document from my home state to register in California?

Yes, and it can be at most 180 days old: certificate of good standing (existence or status) from the home state.

What do I file after I register?

You file the Statement of Information, Form LLC-12 next, and it costs $20.

When does one service end up costing more than another?

They keep one order for ten years.

Which foreign registration service is the best value for me in California?

Mainstay Filing, which wins on upkeep the price covers. California Registered Agent.ai and CA Registered Agent.org follow.

Keep comparing

What foreign registration costs by state for all 50 states Best foreign registration services for anyone How we rank your options

Where we looked

  1. You can verify California Secretary of State at sos.ca.gov, which we looked at in August 2026.
  2. You can verify California Secretary of State at bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, which we looked at in August 2026.
  3. You can verify California yearly filing: Statement of at sos.ca.gov, which we looked at in October 2026.
  4. You can verify Cal at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, which we looked at in August 2026.
  5. You can verify California registered agent statute at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, which we looked at in October 2026.
  6. You can verify California Secretary of State, foreign at sos.ca.gov, which we looked at in October 2026.
  7. You can verify Form LLC-5 at bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, which we looked at in October 2026.
  8. You can verify Corporations Code section 17708.03 at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, which we looked at in October 2026.
  9. You can verify Revenue and Taxation Code section at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, which we looked at in October 2026.
  10. You can verify Franchise Tax Board, LLC filing at ftb.ca.gov, which we looked at in October 2026.
  11. You can verify California Corporations Code 17708.07 at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, which we looked at in November 2026.
  12. You can verify California other cost: Annual LLC at ftb.ca.gov, which we looked at in October 2026.
  13. California service page at Mainstay Filing, from November 13, 2026
  14. pricing page at California Registered Agent.ai, from November 13, 2026
  15. pricing page at CA Registered Agent.org, from November 13, 2026