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What foreign registration costs by state / Illinois

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

If you are budgeting for foreign registration services in Illinois this 2026, start with Mainstay Filing ($199), IL Registered Agent.org ($199) and Illinois Registered Agent.co ($199), in that order. You will pay Illinois $150 to register, then $397 to $497 to a service over three years.
Written by the Price Your LLC editorial team

↓ Ranked for you by: Your spend is 38% of the ranking and the work covered is 31% (more on this)

The short version

Fee you pay at registration $150 ilsos.gov (we looked on October 2026, so you can too)
Year-one range $199 The state fee is extra
Your three-year spend $397 to $497 First year and both renewals
What the state collects in 3 years $300 Not part of the ranking
When one overtakes another Never Ranking steady to year 10

Illinois: your options, best value first

Service prices only. Every option comes with the same $150 state fee.

1
First choice

1. Mainstay Filing: best for LLCs still growing

$199 for registration, $149 for the agent after that
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 Illinois: $199 to file, nothing for the agent in year one, and the same price in every state.

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

After the free year, the agent bills $149 annually.

Your price covers

  • Registration completed for you
  • Registered agent costs you nothing in year one
  • One fee wherever you register

What you get

  • The fee does not change by state
  • $199 added to Illinois's fee
  • Agent free for the first year

What to watch

  • Agent renews at $149, $50 above IL Registered Agent.org
2
Illinois only

2. IL Registered Agent.org: best for a low registration bill

$199 for registration, $99 for the agent after that
You pay in year 1 $199
You pay after year 1 $99/yr
You pay over 3 years $397

IL Registered Agent.org takes spot 2 because a Illinois 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

  • Starts at $199
  • Then $99 a year
  • First agent year included

What to watch

  • A second provider is needed at home
3
Illinois only

3. Illinois Registered Agent.co: best for a modest agent renewal

$199 for registration, $99 for the agent after that
You pay in year 1 $199
You pay after year 1 $99/yr
You pay over 3 years $397

Illinois Registered Agent.co takes spot 3 because a Illinois registration through this service costs you $199, and the agent renews at $99.

No price gap from IL Registered Agent.org.

Your price covers

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

What you get

  • Starts at $199
  • Then $99 a year
  • First agent year included

What to watch

  • A second provider is needed at home

Costs over time

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 IL Registered Agent.org $199 $298 $397 $595 Price out IL Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 Illinois Registered Agent.co $199 $298 $397 $595 Price out Illinois Registered Agent.co Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Prices as published November 13, 2026; you pay year one first, then each renewal is added. No break-even shows up inside ten years.

Pick your number of years

Tell us how many years you plan to keep the LLC and each service's running total updates.

At 3 years, your totals are Mainstay Filing $497, IL Registered Agent.org $397, Illinois Registered Agent.co $397. Lowest at that point: IL Registered Agent.org.

State fees with sources

What you pay for Amount Source
Registration filing $150 ilsos.gov (we looked on October 2026, so you can too)
Annual report $75 ilga.gov (we looked on October 2026, so you can too)
State fees summed, years 1 to 3 $300 Our sum

Each line links to the state's own page. Together they give you the three-year state total: filing, reports in years two and three, and a minimum tax if there is one.

Why this order for Illinois

Weight 31%: upkeep the price covers. That factor separated the top two.

With your LLC in two states, coverage decided it.

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

Working in Illinois with an LLC from another state means registering with the Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, Limited Liability Division, using the Application for Admission to Transact Business (Form LLC-45.5) and $150. Add certificate of Good Standing or Existence dated within 60 days.

The price of not registering: Illinois courts refusing to hear your own lawsuits (805 ILCS 180/45-45(a)); back fees on top.

The state's wording: ilga.gov (we looked on October 2026, so you can too)

If you skip the service

If you file everything yourself, all you pay is the state: $300 over three years. A service piles $397 to $497 on top for the paperwork.

Illinois money questions

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

$150 for the filing itself, and a service would add $199 in year one.

What will these services cost me over three years?

$397 to $497 in service fees, with state fees on top.

Which form do I file to register?

You file Application for Admission to Transact Business (Form LLC-45.5) with the Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, Limited Liability Division.

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

Yes, and it can be at most 60 days old: certificate of Good Standing or Existence.

What do I file after I register?

You file the annual report next, and it costs $75.

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 Illinois?

By our five factors the Illinois order is Mainstay Filing, IL Registered Agent.org and Illinois Registered Agent.co, led by Mainstay Filing on upkeep the price covers.

Where to go next

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 Illinois Secretary of State, Department at ilsos.gov, which we looked at in August 2026.
  2. You can verify Illinois Secretary of State, Department at ilsos.gov, which we looked at in August 2026.
  3. You can verify 805 ILCS 180/5-5 at ilga.gov, which we looked at in August 2026.
  4. You can verify Illinois formation fee: Filing fee at ilga.gov, which we looked at in October 2026.
  5. You can verify Illinois formation fee: Filing fee at ilsos.gov, which we looked at in October 2026.
  6. You can verify Illinois registered agent statute at ilga.gov, which we looked at in October 2026.
  7. You can verify Form LLC-45.5, Application for Admission at ilsos.gov, which we looked at in October 2026.
  8. You can verify Form LLC-45.40, Application for Withdrawal at ilsos.gov, which we looked at in October 2026.
  9. You can verify 805 ILCS 180/45-45, consequences of at ilga.gov, which we looked at in October 2026.
  10. You can verify 805 ILCS 180/45-47, activities that at ilga.gov, which we looked at in October 2026.
  11. You can verify 805 ILCS 180/45-45 at ilga.gov, which we looked at in November 2026.
  12. Illinois service page at Mainstay Filing, from November 13, 2026
  13. pricing page at IL Registered Agent.org, from November 13, 2026
  14. pricing page at Illinois Registered Agent.co, from November 13, 2026