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Your question, answered · Texas

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in Texas (2026), and What to Know First

For foreign registration services in Texas, we would ask Mainstay Filing ($199), Texas Registered Agent.ai ($199) and TX Registered Agent.org ($199) in 2026, in that order. Registering costs $750 at Texas for every filer, and services add $397 to $497 over three years.

Answered by the Ask About LLC editorial team ·

The short answers

State fee to register
$750
Home-state certificate?
Not needed
Once registered
No fee, Public Information Report
Who to ask
Mainstay Filing, Texas Registered Agent.ai then TX Registered Agent.org

Our Texas answer, best first

Prices come from each company's own pricing. Here is how we choose.

1Ask this one first

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

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

Mainstay Filing comes first: registering costs $199 and the registered agent is free until year two.

Going with Texas Registered Agent.ai would save $100 across three years, as long as you stay in Texas.

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

What the price covers

  • The registration filing
  • Registered agent, no charge the first year
  • One service fee for all fifty states

Good news

  • Fifty states covered
  • $199 on top of Texas's fee
  • No registered agent fee in year one

The catch

  • Agent renewal of $149 is $50 above Texas Registered Agent.ai
Go to Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Texas only

2. Texas Registered Agent.ai: best for adding only this state

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

Why Texas Registered Agent.ai in second place? Registering costs $199 over the state fee, with the agent covered in year one, then $99 a year.

What the price covers

  • Texas registration filing
  • Agent included in year one

Good news

  • $199 plus the state fee
  • First-year agent service is covered
  • $99 a year from year two

The catch

  • The home state means a second provider
Go to Texas Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Texas only

3. TX Registered Agent.org: best for another local choice

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

Why TX Registered Agent.org in third place? Registering costs $199 over the state fee, with the agent covered in year one, then $99 a year.

It charges the same as Texas Registered Agent.ai, which makes the order between them a close call.

What the price covers

  • Texas registration filing
  • Agent included in year one

Good news

  • First-year agent service is covered
  • $199 plus the state fee
  • $99 a year from year two

The catch

  • The home state means a second provider
Go to TX Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

How do they compare?

#WhoYear oneAt renewalThree years in allIncluded
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497the registration filing; registered agent, no charge the first year; one service fee for all fifty statesGo to Mainstay Filing
Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Texas Registered Agent.ai$199$99/yr$397texas registration filing; agent included in year oneGo to Texas Registered Agent.ai
Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3TX Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397texas registration filing; agent included in year oneGo to TX Registered Agent.org
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

When must an out-of-state LLC register here?

Registration comes first for an out-of-state LLC that plans to operate in Texas.

Skip it and the LLC may face the state's courts will not hear its claims (BOC 9.051(b)).

looked up at comptroller.texas.gov in October 2026 to confirm

How much does registration cost?

Registering costs $750 at the state, plus $199 if you hire help.

Add three years of state fees, registration included, and you get $750. looked up at sos.state.tx.us in October 2026 to confirm

Which form do I file, and with whom?

You need one document, the Application for Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form 304), and the Texas Secretary of State is where it is sent.

The state leaves the home-state certificate out of its requirements.

What do I owe once the LLC is registered?

Afterward comes a Public Information Report at no charge.

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

What put number one on top?

On chores the price takes care of, worth 29%, Mainstay Filing comes out ahead.

Two questions carry most of the weight, what you pay over three years (33%) and chores the price takes care of (29%), and three smaller ones follow.

An LLC that registers out of state already works in two states, and the first pick can serve both.

How we choose

What does Texas require to register?

ItemThe answerLook it up
Fee to register$750looked up at sos.state.tx.us in October 2026 to confirm
Certificate from homeNot neededlooked up at comptroller.texas.gov in October 2026 to confirm
State fees, years one to three$750The rows above, added up
The last row is arithmetic, not a state figure: filing fee, plus the reports due in years two and three, plus a minimum tax where one applies. Open-ended costs stay out.

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.

What do the picks cost over three years?

For three years you would pay $497 at Mainstay Filing, $397 at Texas Registered Agent.ai, $397 at TX Registered Agent.org, before state fees.

Are the fees official?

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?

They do. All the picks prepare and send the registration, so the only thing that changes with your choice is the service fee.

Who should I ask first about a foreign registration service in Texas?

Ask Mainstay Filing first, then compare Texas Registered Agent.ai and TX Registered Agent.org.

Where did we look this up?

  1. Ask-about note for Texas yearly filing: Annual report: the state publishes it at comptroller.texas.gov, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
  2. Ask-about note for Texas report due date: the state publishes it at statutes.capitol.texas.gov, confirmed August 2026, so you can look it up yourself
  3. Ask-about note for Tex: the state publishes it at sos.texas.gov, confirmed August 2026, so you can look it up yourself
  4. Ask-about note for Texas registered agent statute: the state publishes it at sos.texas.gov, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
  5. Ask-about note for Texas Secretary of State, foreign: the state publishes it at sos.state.tx.us, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
  6. Ask-about note for Form 304 instructions: the state publishes it at sos.state.tx.us, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
  7. Ask-about note for Business Organizations Code, Chapter 9: the state publishes it at statutes.capitol.texas.gov, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
  8. Ask-about note for Texas Comptroller, franchise tax: the state publishes it at comptroller.texas.gov, confirmed October 2026, so you can look it up yourself
  9. Ask-about note for Texas Business Organizations Code, Chapter: the state publishes it at tcss.legis.texas.gov, confirmed November 2026, so you can look it up yourself
  10. The Mainstay Filing Texas service page, as it stood on November 13, 2026
  11. The Texas Registered Agent.ai pricing page, as it stood on November 13, 2026
  12. The TX Registered Agent.org pricing page, as it stood on November 13, 2026