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Foreign registration watchlists / California

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in California (2026): Prices Tracked

Our 2026 watchlist puts CA Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and California Registered Agent.ai ($199) at the top for foreign registration services in California, listed in that order. The registration fee in California is $70 for everyone. Service charges come to $397 to $497 over three years.
Tracked by the Filing Price Watch editorial team

Ordered by: Order = 37% cost, 29% filings covered, and three lighter measures (details)

Snapshot

State registration fee $70 bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov (pulled October 2026, noted here)
Year 1 spread $199 Provider charges only
What three years cost $397 to $497 Renewals included
What the state collects in 3 years $2,490 Left out of the ordering
Totals cross in Never Ranking does not flip

Ranked picks

Prices come from each company's own pricing. Add the $70 state fee separately.

1
Leads the list

1. CA Registered Agent.org: best for the smallest agent bill

$199 for registration, $99 for the agent after that

Price in year 1 $199
Price after year 1 $99/yr
Three-year spend $397

First on the watchlist is CA Registered Agent.org. Filing in California through this service starts at $199 and moves to $99 for the agent.

A lower three-year total than Mainstay Filing earns it first place, since cost counts most.

Price covers

  • The California registration filing
  • A year of agent service to begin with

Holds up

  • Service charge of $199
  • Then $99 a year
  • Year-one agent covered

Weak spots

  • Limited to one state
Go to CA Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2
National

2. Mainstay Filing: best for one fee in any state

$199 for registration, $149 for the agent after that

Price in year 1 $199
Price after year 1 $149/yr
Three-year spend $497

Next up, Mainstay Filing: a $199 service fee that is the same in every state, with year-one agent service thrown in.

By year three it trails CA Registered Agent.org by $100.

No agent charge in year one; after that it is $149 a year.

Price covers

  • Foreign registration of the LLC
  • One fee wherever you register

Holds up

  • $199 above the state fee
  • All fifty states covered

Weak spots

  • A higher agent renewal ($149)
Go to Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3
One-state service

3. California Registered Agent.ai: best for a nearby provider

$199 for registration, $99 for the agent after that

Price in year 1 $199
Price after year 1 $99/yr
Three-year spend $397

Spot 3 goes to California Registered Agent.ai: filing in California through this service starts at $199 and moves to $99 for the agent.

Its prices are identical to CA Registered Agent.org's.

Price covers

  • The California registration filing
  • A year of agent service to begin with

Holds up

  • Year-one agent covered
  • Then $99 a year
  • Service charge of $199

Weak spots

  • Limited to one state
Go to California Registered Agent.ai Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Totals over time

Place Service After year 1 After year 2 After year 3 After year 5
1 CA Registered Agent.org $199 $298 $397 $595
Go to CA Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Mainstay Filing $199 $348 $497 $795
Go to Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 California Registered Agent.ai $199 $298 $397 $595
Go to California Registered Agent.ai Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Taken November 13, 2026. Every column adds one more year. None of the totals cross in ten years.

Pick your own number of years

Set a number of years and the calculator adds the first year to each renewal.
3 years of service fees come to CA Registered Agent.org $397, Mainstay Filing $497, California Registered Agent.ai $397. The smallest total here is CA Registered Agent.org.

What California itself charges

Item Amount Source
Registration filing $70 bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov (pulled October 2026, noted here)
Statement of Information, Form LLC-12 $20 ftb.ca.gov (pulled October 2026, noted here)
State minimum tax $800 a year ftb.ca.gov (pulled October 2026, noted here)
State total for three years $2,490 Added from the lines above

The state's share is worked out from three pieces: what it charges to file, what it charges for the next two reports, and any minimum tax. Anything without a fixed price, newspaper notices for instance, is left out of that figure.

Why this order for California

CA Registered Agent.org wins on tracked three-year cost, a 37% measure, with Mainstay Filing close behind.

CA Registered Agent.org wins the cost measure at $397 for three years, $100 under what Mainstay Filing charges.

California foreign LLC registration fee and rules, as written by the state

Out-of-state LLCs file the Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) (Form LLC-5) with the California Secretary of State, Business Entities and pay $70. Send along certificate of good standing (existence or status) from the home state dated inside 180 days.

Skipping the registration may bring California courts refusing its claims (Corp. Code 17708.07(a)).

Official text: ftb.ca.gov (pulled October 2026, noted here)

Skipping the service

No service means three years of state fees at $2,490. Hiring one adds $397 to $497 in the same period.

Short answers

How much does it cost to register a foreign LLC with California?

$70 as the official fee, with $199 more if you hire a service.

What do these services cost over three years?

$397 to $497 in service fees, before state fees.

What form registers the LLC?

The registration is Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) (Form LLC-5), filed with the California Secretary of State, Business Entities.

Does California ask for a certificate from the home state?

Yes, no more than 180 days old: certificate of good standing (existence or status) from the home state.

What recurring filing comes after registration?

It is the Statement of Information, Form LLC-12, at $20.

In what year does one service become pricier than another?

Not in the next ten years. The running totals keep their order.

Which foreign registration service is the best value for California?

Best to least: CA Registered Agent.org, Mainstay Filing and California Registered Agent.ai.

Next up

Source trail

  1. Backing for California Secretary of State is sos.ca.gov, dated August 2026.
  2. Backing for California Secretary of State is bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, dated August 2026.
  3. Backing for California yearly filing: Statement of is sos.ca.gov, dated October 2026.
  4. Backing for Cal is leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, dated August 2026.
  5. Backing for California registered agent statute is leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, dated October 2026.
  6. Backing for California Secretary of State, foreign is sos.ca.gov, dated October 2026.
  7. Backing for Form LLC-5 is bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, dated October 2026.
  8. Backing for Corporations Code section 17708.03 is leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, dated October 2026.
  9. Backing for Revenue and Taxation Code section is leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, dated October 2026.
  10. Backing for Franchise Tax Board, LLC filing is ftb.ca.gov, dated October 2026.
  11. Backing for California Corporations Code 17708.07 is leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, dated November 2026.
  12. Backing for California other cost: Annual LLC is ftb.ca.gov, dated October 2026.
  13. CA Registered Agent.org pricing page, pulled November 13, 2026
  14. Mainstay Filing California service page, pulled November 13, 2026
  15. California Registered Agent.ai pricing page, pulled November 13, 2026