3 Best Foreign Registration Services in California (2026), and What to Know First
Ask about Mainstay Filing ($199), California Registered Agent.ai ($199) and CA Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order, when you need foreign registration services in California in 2026. The state fee is $70, the same for everyone, and three years of service fees run $397 to $497.
Answered by the Ask About LLC editorial team ·
Four quick answers
State fee to register
$70
Do you bring a certificate from home?
Yes (180 day age limit)
Afterward
$20, Statement of Information, Form LLC-12
Who to ask
Mainstay Filing, California Registered Agent.ai then CA Registered Agent.org
1. Mainstay Filing: best for adding a third or fourth state
$199 plus the state fee, then $149 a year
Mainstay Filing is the one to ask first in California because the fee is $199 in every state, and the first agent for service of process year is included.
The extra $100 over three years, compared with California Registered Agent.ai, pays for coverage beyond California.
The agent for service of process is free in year one and $149 a year after, in any state.
What the price covers
The registration filing
One service fee for all fifty states
Good news
$199 on top of California's fee
Ready for the next state you add
The catch
Renewal lands $50 over California Registered Agent.ai
Prices as of November 13, 2026. The state's own fees are in the checklist below.
What owners want to know
When must an out-of-state LLC register here?
Register with the California Secretary of State, Business Entities before your LLC starts doing business in California.
An unregistered LLC risks the state's courts will not hear its claims (Corp. Code 17708.07(a)).
looked up at ftb.ca.gov in October 2026 to confirm
How much does registration cost?
Registering costs $70 at the state, plus $199 if you hire help.
Add three years of state fees, registration included, and you get $2,490. looked up at bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov in October 2026 to confirm
What registers the LLC?
You need one document, the Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) (Form LLC-5), and the California Secretary of State, Business Entities is where it is sent.
Attach certificate of good standing (existence or status) from the home state issued within the last 180 days.
What do I owe once the LLC is registered?
Afterward comes a Statement of Information, Form LLC-12 at $20.
Timing, in the state's words: Within 90 days of registering, then every 2 years.
Why is the list in this order?
Mainstay Filing does best on chores the price takes care of, which carries 29% of our score.
We weigh five questions: what you pay over three years (33%), chores the price takes care of (29%), answers on the price page (14%), what happens at renewal (13%) and room to add states (11%).
An LLC that registers out of state already works in two states, and the first pick can serve both.
looked up at ftb.ca.gov in October 2026 to confirm
Statement of Information, Form LLC-12
$20
looked up at ftb.ca.gov in October 2026 to confirm
Yearly minimum tax
$800 a year
looked up at ftb.ca.gov in October 2026 to confirm
State fees, years one to three
$2,490
The rows above, added up
How was the bottom line figured? Add the filing fee, the next two reports and the minimum tax if the state has one. Anything with no fixed price, a newspaper notice for instance, is described above and kept out of the sum.
Questions people also ask
Do I still need an agent in my home state?
Yes, and the two states do not share a rule book. Mainstay Filing works in both, so one account can cover the home state and this one.
What do the picks cost over three years?
Mainstay Filing comes to $497; California Registered Agent.ai comes to $397; CA Registered Agent.org comes to $397 for the services alone.
Where do these numbers come from?
Each state fee links to its official page, and each service price is read from the company's own site.
Do I have to use a service?
Hiring help is a convenience you pay for, never a legal duty.
Will a service file the registration for me?
Yes, filing is part of what each company on this page sells, and the state's fee is identical whoever sends it.
What is the best foreign registration service for California?
Mainstay Filing comes first: you pay $199 plus California's fee, owe nothing for the agent for service of process in year one and then $149 a year. Next are California Registered Agent.ai and CA Registered Agent.org.
Where did we look this up?
Ask-about note for California Secretary of State: the state publishes it at sos.ca.gov, confirmed August 2026, so you can look it up yourself
Ask-about note for California Secretary of State: the state publishes it at bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, confirmed August 2026, so you can look it up yourself
Ask-about note for California yearly filing: Statement of: the state publishes it at sos.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
Ask-about note for Cal: the state publishes it at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, confirmed August 2026, so you can look it up yourself
Ask-about note for California registered agent statute: the state publishes it at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
Ask-about note for California Secretary of State, foreign: the state publishes it at sos.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
Ask-about note for Form LLC-5: the state publishes it at bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
Ask-about note for Corporations Code section 17708.03: the state publishes it at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
Ask-about note for Revenue and Taxation Code section: the state publishes it at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
Ask-about note for Franchise Tax Board, LLC filing: the state publishes it at ftb.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
Ask-about note for California Corporations Code 17708.07: the state publishes it at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, confirmed November 2026, so you can look it up yourself
Ask-about note for California other cost: Annual LLC: the state publishes it at ftb.ca.gov, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
Mainstay Filing California service page, read November 13, 2026
California Registered Agent.ai pricing page, read November 13, 2026
CA Registered Agent.org pricing page, read November 13, 2026