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Business Basics LabLLC paperwork, measured state by state.

Lab sheet 3 · Minnesota

Foreign LLC Registration, Minnesota (2026): 4 Procedures and the 3 Best Services

Mainstay Filing ($199), Minnesota Registered Agent.co ($199) and MN Registered Agent.org ($199) measured best, in that order, for registering an LLC formed elsewhere in Minnesota in 2026. Record $185 to the state and 4 procedures of work.

Recorded by the Business Basics Lab staff ·

Before the procedures

Fee to register
$185Specimen: sos.mn.gov, logged October 2026
Recurring report
NoneAnnual renewal
Three-year state cost
$185State charges only
Procedures
4Listed below

You will be able to

  • When an LLC formed elsewhere must register in Minnesota
  • The filing, its fee and its office
  • Remaining in good standing
  • How the readings compare

Best reading

The Minnesota results

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

1. Mainstay Filing: best for expanding LLCs

$199 to register, $149 yearly

Mainstay Filing comes first since registration measures $199 plus state fees, with year one of the registered agent at no cost.

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

From year two the agent reads $149 a year, whichever state is used.

What the price performs

  • Registration, prepared and submitted
  • No fee for the registered agent in year one
  • One fee in every state

Measured strengths

  • Registered agent free in year one
  • Covers all fifty states
  • $199 plus the state fee

Measured limits

  • The agent renews at $149, $50 more than Minnesota Registered Agent.co
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Single-state plan

2. Minnesota Registered Agent.co: best for an economical Minnesota filing

$199 to register, $99 yearly

Reading 2 belongs to Minnesota Registered Agent.co, because registration reads $199 plus state fees, with year one of the agent already covered.

What the price performs

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

Measured strengths

  • $99 a year for the agent afterward
  • $199 plus the state fee
  • Agent covered for year one

Measured limits

  • A single-state service
Visit Minnesota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Single-state plan

3. MN Registered Agent.org: best for a local filer

$199 to register, $99 yearly

Reading 3 belongs to MN Registered Agent.org, because registration reads $199 plus state fees, with year one of the agent already covered.

Its prices equal Minnesota Registered Agent.co's, so either is acceptable.

What the price performs

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

Measured strengths

  • Agent covered for year one
  • $199 plus the state fee
  • $99 a year for the agent afterward

Measured limits

  • A single-state service
Visit MN Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Readings and prices at a glance

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Minnesota Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Minnesota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3MN Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit MN Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Each company's listed price on November 13, 2026. Every row needs the $185 state fee added.

How registration works with Minnesota

  1. Procedure 1: Establish whether the LLC must register in Minnesota

    Definition: a foreign LLC is one formed in a different state. It registers before it does business there. Operating unregistered produces: Registration should precede any claim the LLC may need to bring (Minn. Stat. 322C.0808, subd. 1). Its agreements are not voided (Minn. Stat. 322C.0808, subd. 2).

    Specimen: Specimen: revisor.mn.gov, logged October 2026

  2. Procedure 2: Select the Minnesota registered agent

    A Minnesota LLC must keep a registered office in Minnesota; naming an agent there is optional. Every Minnesota LLC keeps a registered office at an actual office location in Minnesota; a P.O. box by itself is not accepted.

    TipEach of the ranked services acts as the registered agent.

    Specimen: Specimen: revisor.mn.gov, logged October 2026

  3. Procedure 3: Assemble and file the Foreign Limited Liability Company Certificate of Authority to Transact Business in Minnesota

    the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services accepts the form together with the $185 fee.

    Specimen: Specimen: sos.mn.gov, logged October 2026

  4. Procedure 4: Maintain the registration

    The next obligation is the annual renewal, December 31.

Costs, procedure by procedure

Cost itemRecipientCost
The registration procedureThe state$185
Filing service (optional)The provider$199 for year one
Three years of state feesThe state$185
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 Mainstay Filing comes first

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

Because the LLC came from another state and now works in this one, a single provider spanning both measured best.

Minnesota questions

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

$185 at the state office. A service adds $199.

Which form do I file to register?

Locate the Foreign Limited Liability Company Certificate of Authority to Transact Business in Minnesota; it is delivered to the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

Registration should precede any claim the LLC may need to bring (Minn. Stat. 322C.0808, subd. 1). Its agreements are not voided (Minn. Stat. 322C.0808, subd. 2).

What is due after registering?

Once registered, the LLC owes the annual renewal.

Which services are in this lesson?

3 services are measured: Mainstay Filing at $199, Minnesota Registered Agent.co at $199 and MN Registered Agent.org at $199.

Which service should handle the registration?

Mainstay Filing, Minnesota Registered Agent.co and MN Registered Agent.org, in descending order of reading.

More sheets

Specimens and records

  1. Control source for Minnesota yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source: revisor.mn.gov, observed again October 2026.
  2. Control source for Minnesota yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source: revisor.mn.gov, observed again October 2026.
  3. Control source for Minnesota report due date: sos.state.mn.us, observed again August 2026.
  4. Control source for Minn: revisor.mn.gov, observed again August 2026.
  5. Control source for Minnesota formation fee: Filing fee, official source: sos.mn.gov, observed again October 2026.
  6. Control source for Minnesota registered agent statute: revisor.mn.gov, observed again October 2026.
  7. Control source for Minnesota Secretary of State, foreign LLC forms: sos.mn.gov, observed again October 2026.
  8. Control source for Foreign LLC certificate of authority form: sos.mn.gov, observed again October 2026.
  9. Control source for Minnesota Statutes § 322C.0802, certificate of authority: revisor.mn.gov, observed again October 2026.
  10. Control source for Minnesota Statutes § 322C.0803, activities that are not: revisor.mn.gov, observed again October 2026.
  11. Control source for Minnesota Statutes § 322C.0808, consequences: revisor.mn.gov, observed again October 2026.
  12. Entry November 13, 2026: Mainstay Filing, Minnesota service page
  13. Entry November 13, 2026: Minnesota Registered Agent.co, pricing page
  14. Entry November 13, 2026: MN Registered Agent.org, pricing page