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Business Basics LabLLC paperwork, measured state by state.

Lab sheet 3 · Illinois

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

Mainstay Filing ($199), IL Registered Agent.org ($199) and Illinois Registered Agent.co ($199) measured best, in that order, for registering an LLC formed elsewhere in Illinois in 2026. Record $150 to the state and 5 procedures of work.

Recorded by the Business Basics Lab staff ·

Before the procedures

Fee to register
$150Reference ilsos.gov, October 2026
Certificate from the home state
60 daysHow recent it must be
Upkeep filing
$75Annual report
State fees, three years
$300Registration, reports and any minimum tax
Procedure count
5Each one described

Aims of this sheet

  • Which LLCs must register
  • The form and the fee
  • The recurring filing
  • Who we would engage to file

Best reading

Illinois: the ranked services

Three-year cost and the number of procedures a price performs weigh the most; how we measure lists all five criteria.
Begin here

1. Mainstay Filing: best for companies adding a state

$199 plus state fee, then $149/yr

Mainstay Filing comes first since $199 over the state fee in any state, and year-one agent service reads as free.

The three-year total is $100 above IL Registered Agent.org's, offset by the larger number of procedures it performs.

Beyond year one, agent service measures $149 yearly.

What the price performs

  • Registration filing
  • No fee for the registered agent in year one
  • A fifty-state service

Measured strengths

  • The same fee in every state
  • No agent fee in year one
  • $199 above Illinois's fee

Measured limits

  • IL Registered Agent.org's agent renewal is $50 lower
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
In-state service

2. IL Registered Agent.org: best for adding Illinois alone

$199 plus state fee, then $99/yr

IL Registered Agent.org follows in second place: registration reads $199 plus state fees, with year one of the agent already covered.

What the price performs

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

Measured strengths

  • Then $99 a year
  • No agent fee in year one
  • A service fee of $199

Measured limits

  • Serves only Illinois
Visit IL Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
In-state service

3. Illinois Registered Agent.co: best for a low agent renewal

$199 plus state fee, then $99/yr

Illinois Registered Agent.co follows in third place: registration reads $199 plus state fees, with year one of the agent already covered.

It publishes the same prices as IL Registered Agent.org.

What the price performs

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

Measured strengths

  • Then $99 a year
  • A service fee of $199
  • No agent fee in year one

Measured limits

  • Serves only Illinois
Visit Illinois Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Prices in one table

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2IL Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit IL Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Illinois Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Illinois Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Posted prices, observed November 13, 2026. No row includes the $150 state fee.

The sheet, procedure by procedure

  1. Procedure 1: Does the rule apply?

    Business transacted here through an LLC formed in another state calls for foreign registration. Skipping registration has recorded consequences: Registration should precede any claim the LLC may need to bring (805 ILCS 180/45-45(a)). Signed contracts keep their force (805 ILCS 180/45-45(b)). Back fees accrue as well.

    Specimen: Reference ilga.gov, October 2026

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

    Obtain certificate of Good Standing or Existence, dated within 60 days.

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

  3. Procedure 3: Find a registered agent whose address is in Illinois

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a registered office in Illinois that matches the agent's business office. A P.O. box alone is not accepted.

    TipAny of the ranked services fills the role.

    Specimen: Reference ilga.gov, October 2026

  4. Procedure 4: Assemble and file the Application for Admission to Transact Business

    The receiving office, the Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, Limited Liability Division, requires the filing described above and $150.

    Specimen: Reference ilsos.gov, October 2026

  5. Procedure 5: Follow Illinois's recurring filing

    Expect the annual report and a fee of $75 (within the 60 days before your anniversary month).

What each procedure costs in Illinois

Cost itemRecipientAmount
Filing to registerState$150
Annual reportState$75
Service fees (optional)Service$199 for year one
State total over three yearsState$300
Every state amount here can be verified against the specimens below. The three-year row combines formation, two later reports and a minimum tax where one exists, and it never includes service prices.

How the Illinois results were ordered

moved ahead of on procedures the price performs, which counts for 28%.

With the LLC active in two states, coverage decided the order.

Questions readers ask

What does Illinois charge an out-of-state LLC?

$150 in state fees. Service fees: $199.

Which form do I file to register?

A single form handles registration, and the Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, Limited Liability Division receives it.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certificate of Good Standing or Existence, issued within 60 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

Registration should precede any claim the LLC may need to bring (805 ILCS 180/45-45(a)). Signed contracts keep their force (805 ILCS 180/45-45(b)). Back fees accrue as well.

What is due after registering?

Registration stays active through the annual report; the fee is $75.

Which service should handle the registration?

Select Mainstay Filing: a $199 service fee plus Illinois's own fee, then $149 a year for the agent. Then IL Registered Agent.org and Illinois Registered Agent.co.

More sheets

Specimens and records

  1. Notebook entry for Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services: the observations rest on ilsos.gov, revisited in August 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  2. Notebook entry for Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services: the observations rest on ilsos.gov, revisited in August 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  3. Notebook entry for 805 ILCS 180/5-5: the observations rest on ilga.gov, revisited in August 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  4. Notebook entry for Illinois formation fee: Filing fee, official source: the observations rest on ilga.gov, revisited in October 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  5. Notebook entry for Illinois formation fee: Filing fee, official source: the observations rest on ilsos.gov, revisited in October 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  6. Notebook entry for Illinois registered agent statute: the observations rest on ilga.gov, revisited in October 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  7. Notebook entry for Form LLC-45.5, Application for Admission: the observations rest on ilsos.gov, revisited in October 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  8. Notebook entry for Form LLC-45.40, Application for Withdrawal: the observations rest on ilsos.gov, revisited in October 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  9. Notebook entry for 805 ILCS 180/45-45, consequences of transacting business without: the observations rest on ilga.gov, revisited in October 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  10. Notebook entry for 805 ILCS 180/45-47, activities that are not transacting: the observations rest on ilga.gov, revisited in October 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  11. Notebook entry for 805 ILCS 180/45-45: the observations rest on ilga.gov, revisited in November 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  12. Observation of Mainstay Filing's Illinois service page, November 13, 2026
  13. Observation of IL Registered Agent.org's pricing page, November 13, 2026
  14. Observation of Illinois Registered Agent.co's pricing page, November 13, 2026