Skip to content
Business Basics LabLLC paperwork, measured state by state.

Section 3 · Maryland

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

The readings for registering an LLC formed elsewhere in Maryland in 2026 rank MD Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Maryland Registered Agent.co ($199), in that order. Maryland charges $100 for foreign registration, and 5 procedures describe the process.

Recorded by the Business Basics Lab staff ·

Key facts for this sheet

State fee
$100Specimen: mgaleg.maryland.gov, logged October 2026
Certificate from the home state
60 daysHow recent it must be
Recurring report
$300Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1
State fees collected in three years
$700No service fees counted
Procedures on this sheet
5In sequence

Sheet aims

  • When an LLC formed elsewhere must register in Maryland
  • The official form and fee
  • Remaining in good standing
  • How the readings compare

Best reading

Who we would engage in Maryland

The order follows five published criteria, set out in how we measure.
Begin here

1. MD Registered Agent.org: best for one added state

Service fee $199; renewal $99 a year

Top of the Maryland readings is MD Registered Agent.org: the Maryland registration reads $199 with a year of agent service, renewing at $99.

Cost decides it: across three years it totals less than Mainstay Filing.

What the price performs

  • The Maryland registration, prepared and filed
  • Agent service for one year

Measured strengths

  • $199 and the state fee
  • $99 a year for the agent afterward
  • A year of agent service is included

Measured limits

  • No help in other states
Visit MD Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
All fifty states

2. Mainstay Filing: best for one provider for both states

Service fee $199; renewal $149 a year

Mainstay Filing is an acceptable second choice: $199 above the state fee, a resident agent at no charge in year one, then $149 a year.

Across three years the total is $100 higher than MD Registered Agent.org's.

At renewal the agent price is $149 a year in every state.

What the price performs

  • Filing with the state
  • One fee in every state

Measured strengths

  • One price anywhere
  • $199 to register

Measured limits

  • $50 extra a year for the agent
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Local candidate

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

Service fee $199; renewal $99 a year

In third position is Maryland Registered Agent.co, where the Maryland registration reads $199 with a year of agent service, renewing at $99.

On price it matches MD Registered Agent.org.

What the price performs

  • The Maryland registration, prepared and filed
  • Agent service for one year

Measured strengths

  • $199 and the state fee
  • $99 a year for the agent afterward
  • A year of agent service is included

Measured limits

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

The Maryland results compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1MD Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit MD 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.
3Maryland Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Maryland Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Prices are recorded from each company's own site on November 13, 2026. Each row requires Maryland's $100 registration fee on top.

Registering with Maryland, procedure by procedure

  1. Procedure 1: Is Maryland registration required?

    An LLC formed elsewhere registers with Maryland before it does business there. Operating unregistered produces: Before it registers, the LLC cannot sue in the courts of Maryland (4A-1007(a)). Its contracts remain valid (4A-1007(b)).

    Specimen: Specimen: mgaleg.maryland.gov, logged October 2026

  2. Procedure 2: Order the certificate from the home state

    The filing includes written proof of existence from the home state, equivalent to a certificate of good standing, issued within 60 days.

    TipLeave this procedure until just before filing.

  3. Procedure 3: Find a resident agent whose address is in Maryland

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a Maryland address on file with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation; P.O. boxes are not accepted. The LLC also keeps a principal office in Maryland.

    TipThe services above supply one.

    Specimen: Specimen: mgaleg.maryland.gov, logged October 2026

  4. Procedure 4: Submit the Limited Liability Company Registration (For non-Maryland Limited Liability Company)

    Send the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division the finished Limited Liability Company Registration (For non-Maryland Limited Liability Company) along with the $100 fee.

    Specimen: Specimen: mgaleg.maryland.gov, logged October 2026

  5. Procedure 5: Plan for the recurring filing

    The next obligation is the Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1 at $300, April 15.

The cost of this sheet

ItemPaid toAmount
Registration feeState office$100
Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1State office$300
Service fees (optional)The provider$199 for year one
Three-year state totalState office$700
The state's fees were read from official pages, which are listed below. Over three years they come to the filing, two reports and, in some states, a minimum tax.

Why this order

Measured cost over three years decided first place in Maryland. It carries 36% of the reading, and the remainder comes from procedures the price performs, reading at year two, fit with the state protocol and price legibility.

Years one to three cost $397 with MD Registered Agent.org, while Mainstay Filing costs $100 more.

Questions readers ask

What does an LLC from another state pay to register in Maryland?

$100 to the state. Add $199 if a service is engaged.

Which form do I file to register?

Foreign LLCs file this form with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: written proof of existence from the home state, equivalent to a certificate of good standing, issued within 60 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

Before it registers, the LLC cannot sue in the courts of Maryland (4A-1007(a)). Its contracts remain valid (4A-1007(b)).

What is due after registering?

Keep the Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1 in view; it costs $300.

Which service should handle the registration?

MD Registered Agent.org, because a service fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $99 a year. Next: Mainstay Filing and Maryland Registered Agent.co.

Specimens and records

  1. Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation: primary record at dat.maryland.gov, last observed August 2026.
  2. Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation: primary record at dat.maryland.gov, last observed August 2026.
  3. Maryland report due date: primary record at dat.maryland.gov, last observed August 2026.
  4. Md: primary record at mgaleg.maryland.gov, last observed August 2026.
  5. Maryland formation fee: Filing fee, official source: primary record at mgaleg.maryland.gov, last observed October 2026.
  6. Maryland formation fee: Filing fee, official source: primary record at egov.maryland.gov, last observed October 2026.
  7. Maryland registered agent statute: primary record at mgaleg.maryland.gov, last observed October 2026.
  8. Maryland Business Express: primary record at egov.maryland.gov, last observed October 2026.
  9. Corporations and Associations § 4A-1002, registration: primary record at mgaleg.maryland.gov, last observed October 2026.
  10. Corporations and Associations § 4A-1009, activities that are: primary record at mgaleg.maryland.gov, last observed October 2026.
  11. Corporations and Associations § 4A-1007, effect of not: primary record at mgaleg.maryland.gov, last observed October 2026.
  12. Tax-Property § 11-101, annual report: primary record at mgaleg.maryland.gov, last observed October 2026.
  13. Recorded November 13, 2026 from the pricing page of MD Registered Agent.org
  14. Recorded November 13, 2026 from the Maryland service page of Mainstay Filing
  15. Recorded November 13, 2026 from the pricing page of Maryland Registered Agent.co