3 Best Foreign Registration Services in Montana (2026): Who to Ask First
Ask about Montana Registered Agent.co ($199), Registered Agent MT.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), in that order, when you need foreign registration services in Montana 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 ·
The short answers
What does the state charge to register?
$70
Do you bring a certificate from home?
No
Once registered
Nothing to pay, annual report
Who to ask
Montana Registered Agent.co, Registered Agent MT.org then Mainstay Filing
1. Montana Registered Agent.co: best for registering in one place
Service $199 plus $70 to the state; agent renewal $99
Montana Registered Agent.co is the one to ask first in Montana because registering costs $199 over the state fee, with the agent covered in year one, then $99 a year.
Yes, it costs less than Mainstay Filing over three years, and cost is the question we weigh most.
By year three the state will have collected $70. mca.legmt.gov, read in October 2026 for this answer
Which form do I file, and with whom?
You need one document, the Application for Certificate of Authority (foreign limited liability company), and the Montana Secretary of State, Business Services is where it is sent.
No home-state certificate is requested here, so there is nothing to order before you file.
Is there a filing that repeats?
Down the road there is the annual report, which has no fee.
When the filing is due, per the state: April 15.
Why is the list in this order?
Montana Registered Agent.co 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%).
Pick Montana Registered Agent.co over Mainstay Filing and keep $100 across three years.
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
Does the state where I formed the LLC still need an agent?
Probably. Your home state still wants an agent of its own. A company that operates in every state, Mainstay Filing for example, can hold both roles, whereas a local firm covers a single state.
How do the three-year totals compare?
Montana Registered Agent.co comes to $397; Registered Agent MT.org comes to $397; Mainstay Filing comes to $497, with state fees on top.
Where do these numbers come from?
State fees come from Montana's official documents, and service fees come from each company's own pricing page. Both carry dates on this page.
Does the law require 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?
They do. All the picks prepare and send the registration, so the only thing that changes with your choice is the service fee.
What is the best foreign registration service for Montana?
Montana Registered Agent.co comes first: $199 gets the registration filed, and the agent renews at $99. Next are Registered Agent MT.org and Mainstay Filing.
Sources for this answer
Our answer on Montana Secretary of State fee rests on sosmt.gov, a page we confirmed October 2026 and still point you to
Our answer on Montana yearly filing: Annual report rests on sosmt.gov, a page we confirmed October 2026 and still point you to
Our answer on Montana yearly filing: Annual report rests on sosmt.gov, a page we confirmed October 2026 and still point you to
Our answer on Montana report due date rests on mca.legmt.gov, a page we confirmed August 2026 and still point you to
Our answer on Mont rests on mca.legmt.gov, a page we confirmed August 2026 and still point you to
Our answer on Montana formation fee: Filing fee rests on sosmt.gov, a page we confirmed October 2026 and still point you to
Our answer on Montana registered agent statute rests on mca.legmt.gov, a page we confirmed October 2026 and still point you to
Our answer on Montana Secretary of State, register rests on help.sosmt.gov, a page we confirmed October 2026 and still point you to
Our answer on MCA 35-8-1001, transacting business rests on mca.legmt.gov, a page we confirmed October 2026 and still point you to
Our answer on MCA 35-8-1002, consequences rests on mca.legmt.gov, a page we confirmed October 2026 and still point you to
Our answer on MCA 35-8-1003, application contents rests on mca.legmt.gov, a page we confirmed October 2026 and still point you to
The Montana Registered Agent.co pricing page, as it stood on November 13, 2026
The Registered Agent MT.org pricing page, as it stood on November 13, 2026
The Mainstay Filing Montana service page, as it stood on November 13, 2026