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Business Basics LabLLC paperwork, measured state by state.

Lab sheet 3 · Delaware

Foreign LLC Registration, Delaware (2026): 5 Procedures and the 3 Best Services

Result for 2026: registering an LLC formed elsewhere in Delaware is best served by DE Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($199), ranked in that order. Record $200 to the state and 5 procedures of work.

Recorded by the Business Basics Lab staff ·

Before the procedures

Fee to register
$200Observed at delcode.delaware.gov; entry dated October 2026
Proof from the home state
180 daysMust be issued within
Yearly report
$400Annual LLC tax
State cost, years 1 to 3
$1,000No service fees counted
Number of procedures
5Each one described

Sheet aims

  • Whether Delaware registration applies to the LLC
  • What to file and its cost
  • The recurring filing
  • How the readings compare

Best reading

If you want someone else to file

The order follows five published criteria, set out in how we measure.
Best reading

1. DE Registered Agent.org: best for adding Delaware alone

$199 plus fees; $99 a year after

DE Registered Agent.org reads highest, and the reason is that a service fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $99 a year.

A lower three-year total than Mainstay Filing gives it first place; cost counts 36%.

What the price performs

  • The filing is performed for you
  • Agent service for one year

Measured strengths

  • A service fee of $199
  • The agent renews at $99
  • The first year of the agent costs nothing extra

Measured limits

  • No help in other states
Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Most procedures performed

2. Mainstay Filing: best for repeated registrations

$199 plus fees; $149 a year after

In second position is Mainstay Filing, where registration measures $199 plus state fees, with year one of the registered agent at no cost.

The three-year total is $100 above DE Registered Agent.org's, and cost carries 36% of the reading.

Agent service after the first year is $149 a year.

What the price performs

  • The filing is performed for you
  • No fee for the registered agent in year one
  • All fifty states

Measured strengths

  • One price anywhere
  • Year-one agent included
  • $199 over the state fee

Measured limits

  • A renewal $50 above DE Registered Agent.org's
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Delaware specialist

3. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: best for another Delaware candidate

$199 plus fees; $99 a year after

Delaware Registered Agent.ai follows in third place: a service fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $99 a year.

It costs exactly what DE Registered Agent.org costs.

What the price performs

  • The filing is performed for you
  • Agent service for one year

Measured strengths

  • A service fee of $199
  • The first year of the agent costs nothing extra
  • The agent renews at $99

Measured limits

  • No help in other states
Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Prices in one table

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1DE Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Delaware Registered Agent.ai$199$99/yr$397Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Posted prices, observed November 13, 2026. Every row also requires the $200 state fee.

How registration works with Delaware

  1. Procedure 1: Does the rule apply?

    Business transacted here through an LLC formed in another state calls for foreign registration. Without registration: Registration should precede any claim the LLC may need to bring (6 Del. C. 18-907(a)). Contracts already signed stay effective (6 Del. C. 18-907(b)).

    Specimen: Observed at corp.delaware.gov; entry dated October 2026

  2. Procedure 2: Secure the certificate the home state issues

    Attach certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, from the previous 180 days.

    TipTime the request so the certificate is fresh on filing day.

  3. Procedure 3: Name the Delaware registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a registered office in Delaware. An entity agent keeps a business office there that is generally open; an individual agent has to be generally present there. A virtual office or mail-forwarding service alone does not qualify.

    TipEvery ranked service includes the registered agent.

    Specimen: Observed at delcode.delaware.gov; entry dated October 2026

  4. Procedure 4: Complete and lodge the Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company

    the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations accepts the form together with the $200 fee.

    Specimen: Observed at delcode.delaware.gov; entry dated October 2026

  5. Procedure 5: Maintain the registration

    Expect the Annual LLC tax and a fee of $400 (June 1).

Costs, procedure by procedure

WhatPaid toCost
The registration procedureState office$200
Annual LLC taxState office$400
Filing service (optional)The service$199 in year one
State fees for three yearsState office$1,000
Method for the three-year state row: take the filing fee, add the reports due in years two and three, then add any yearly minimum tax. Service fees stay in their own rows.

Why DE Registered Agent.org comes first

The deciding criterion was measured cost over three years, worth 36% of the reading.

Counting the first three years, DE Registered Agent.org comes to $397, $100 less than Mainstay Filing.

Review questions on Delaware

How large is Delaware's fee for a foreign LLC?

$200 in state fees. The ranked services add $199.

Which form do I file to register?

Complete the form named in procedure 4 and send it to the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, issued within 180 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

Registration should precede any claim the LLC may need to bring (6 Del. C. 18-907(a)). Contracts already signed stay effective (6 Del. C. 18-907(b)).

What is due after registering?

The filing that follows is the Annual LLC tax at $400.

Which service should handle the registration?

Select DE Registered Agent.org: $199 over the state fee to register, then $99 yearly. Then Mainstay Filing and Delaware Registered Agent.ai.

Related sheets

Specimens and records

  1. To reproduce the Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source result, consult corp.delaware.gov. Our observation of it is dated October 2026.
  2. To reproduce the Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source result, consult corp.delaware.gov. Our observation of it is dated October 2026.
  3. To reproduce the Delaware yearly filing: HB 400, official source result, consult legis.delaware.gov. Our observation of it is dated October 2026.
  4. To reproduce the Delaware report due date result, consult delcode.delaware.gov. Our observation of it is dated August 2026.
  5. To reproduce the 6 Del result, consult delcode.delaware.gov. Our observation of it is dated August 2026.
  6. To reproduce the Delaware registered agent statute result, consult delcode.delaware.gov. Our observation of it is dated October 2026.
  7. To reproduce the Foreign LLC registration form result, consult corpfiles.delaware.gov. Our observation of it is dated October 2026.
  8. To reproduce the Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter IX result, consult delcode.delaware.gov. Our observation of it is dated October 2026.
  9. To reproduce the Division of Corporations fee schedule, August 2026 result, consult corpfiles.delaware.gov. Our observation of it is dated October 2026.
  10. Observation of DE Registered Agent.org's pricing page, November 13, 2026
  11. Observation of Mainstay Filing's Delaware service page, November 13, 2026
  12. Observation of Delaware Registered Agent.ai's pricing page, November 13, 2026