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Your question, answered · Michigan

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in Michigan (2026): Who to Ask First

For foreign registration services in Michigan, we would ask MI Registered Agent.org ($199), Michigan Registered Agent.co ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199) in 2026, in that order. The state fee is $50, the same for everyone, and three years of service fees run $397 to $497.

Answered by the Ask About LLC editorial team ·

The short answers

What does the state charge to register?
$50
Home-state certificate?
Yes, attach it (30 days old at most)
Afterward
$25, annual statement
Who to ask
MI Registered Agent.org, Michigan Registered Agent.co then Mainstay Filing

Our Michigan answer, best first

The order follows our five questions: three-year cost first, then how much the price covers.

1Our first answer

1. MI Registered Agent.org: best for registering in one place

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

MI Registered Agent.org is the one to ask first in Michigan because registering costs $199 over the state fee, with the agent covered in year one, then $99 a year.

Put the totals side by side and this one is lower than Mainstay Filing; cost has the heaviest weight in our scoring.

What the price covers

  • Foreign filing submitted
  • A year of agent service to start

Good news

  • A renewal of $99
  • Service fee of $199
  • No agent charge in year one

The catch

  • The home state means a second provider
Visit MI Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Michigan only

2. Michigan Registered Agent.co: best for another local choice

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

Michigan Registered Agent.co is the second answer because registering costs $199 over the state fee, with the agent covered in year one, then $99 a year.

Its prices match MI Registered Agent.org exactly, so either one answers the question.

What the price covers

  • Foreign filing submitted
  • A year of agent service to start

Good news

  • A renewal of $99
  • Service fee of $199
  • No agent charge in year one

The catch

  • The home state means a second provider
Visit Michigan Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3All fifty states

3. Mainstay Filing: best for adding a third or fourth state

$199 plus the state fee, then $149 a year

Mainstay Filing takes third place: the fee is $199 in every state, and the first resident agent year is included.

The $100 difference from MI Registered Agent.org over three years accounts for the lower place.

There is no resident agent fee the first year, then $149 a year.

What the price covers

  • Out-of-state registration handled
  • One service fee for all fifty states

Good news

  • Service fee of $199
  • Identical fee in every state

The catch

  • Renewal lands $50 over MI Registered Agent.org
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The picks side by side

#CompanyFirst yearAt renewalThree years in allWhat the price covers
1MI Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397foreign filing submitted; A year of agent service to startVisit MI Registered Agent.org
Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Michigan Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397foreign filing submitted; A year of agent service to startVisit Michigan Registered Agent.co
Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Out-of-state registration handled; one service fee for all fifty statesVisit Mainstay Filing
Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Service fees only, from each company's prices on November 13, 2026. State fees are the same whichever you pick.

Questions owners ask

Does my LLC from another state have to register?

Register with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Corporations Division before your LLC starts doing business in Michigan.

Skip it and the LLC may face the state's courts will not hear its claims (MCL 450.5007(1)).

michigan.gov, read in October 2026 for this answer

What will I pay to register?

Registering costs $50 at the state, plus $199 if you hire help.

Add three years of state fees, registration included, and you get $100. legislature.mi.gov, read in October 2026 for this answer

Which form do I file, and with whom?

Send the Application for Certificate of Authority to Transact Business in Michigan (for foreign limited liability companies) (Form CSCL/CD 760) to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Corporations Division; the registration is complete when it accepts the filing.

Enclose certificate of good standing issued within the last 30 days.

What do I owe once the LLC is registered?

Afterward comes a annual statement at $25.

Timing, in the state's words: February 15.

What put number one on top?

MI Registered Agent.org does best on what you pay over three years, which carries 33% 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%).

On cost, MI Registered Agent.org wins at $397, a $100 saving against Mainstay Filing.

See the five questions

Michigan registration rules, with sources

QuestionThe answerLook it up
Registration fee$50legislature.mi.gov, read in October 2026 for this answer
Certificate from homeYes, attach it, 30 daysmichigan.gov, read in October 2026 for this answer
Annual statement$25michigan.gov, read in October 2026 for this answer
What the state collects in three years$100The rows above, added up
You can check the total by hand: take the filing fee, add two reports and any minimum tax. Costs that have no set amount are left for the text to explain.

Questions people also ask

Does the state where I formed the LLC still need an agent?

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?

For three years you would pay $397 at MI Registered Agent.org, $397 at Michigan Registered Agent.co, $497 at Mainstay Filing, with state fees on top.

Are the fees official?

Official Michigan sources back the state side, and posted company prices back the service side.

Do I have to use a service?

No. What the law asks for is a filing, and it does not say who has to send it.

Can I hire someone to register the LLC?

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 Michigan?

Ask MI Registered Agent.org first, then compare Michigan Registered Agent.co and Mainstay Filing.

Where did we look this up?

  1. Ask-about note for Michigan Department of Licensing and: the state publishes it at michigan.gov, confirmed August 2026, so you can look it up yourself
  2. Ask-about note for Michigan Department of Licensing and: the state publishes it at michigan.gov, confirmed August 2026, so you can look it up yourself
  3. Ask-about note for Michigan report due date: the state publishes it at michigan.gov, confirmed August 2026, so you can look it up yourself
  4. Ask-about note for MCL 450.4202: the state publishes it at legislature.mi.gov, confirmed August 2026, so you can look it up yourself
  5. Ask-about note for Michigan formation fee: Filing fee: the state publishes it at michigan.gov, confirmed September 2026, so you can look it up yourself
  6. Ask-about note for Michigan formation fee: Filing fee: the state publishes it at legislature.mi.gov, confirmed September 2026, so you can look it up yourself
  7. Ask-about note for Michigan registered agent statute: the state publishes it at legislature.mi.gov, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
  8. Ask-about note for LARA limited liability company forms: the state publishes it at michigan.gov, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
  9. Ask-about note for MCL 450.5002, certificate of authority: the state publishes it at legislature.mi.gov, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
  10. Ask-about note for MCL 450.5008, activities that are: the state publishes it at legislature.mi.gov, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
  11. Ask-about note for MCL 450.5007, consequences of transacting: the state publishes it at legislature.mi.gov, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
  12. The MI Registered Agent.org pricing page, as it stood on November 13, 2026
  13. The Michigan Registered Agent.co pricing page, as it stood on November 13, 2026
  14. The Mainstay Filing Michigan service page, as it stood on November 13, 2026