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Formation ClassClass is in session: LLC paperwork, state by state.

Class 3 · Delaware

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

Graded for 2026, the best help with registering an LLC from another state in Delaware comes from Mainstay Filing ($199), DE Registered Agent.org ($199) and Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($199), in that order. Plan on 5 assignments and a $200 filing fee.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

Need-to-know facts

Fee at the state office$200delcode.delaware.gov (page read October 2026)
Good-standing proof180 daysNo older than
Report fee$400Annual LLC tax
What the state collects in three years$1,000Registration and reports
Assignment count5In order

You will leave able to

  • When registration is required
  • The form and the fee
  • What comes after registration
  • How the picks stack up

Class favorites in Delaware

The teacher's five criteria are on how we grade, and they decide the order.
Best overall

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a string of registrations

$199 plus fees; renewal $149 yearly

Mainstay Filing earns the top grade in Delaware: $199 over the state fee, the registered agent free in year one and $149 a year after that.

You pay $100 extra across three years compared with DE Registered Agent.org, and you keep less of the paperwork.

Agent service past the first year is $149 yearly.

Covered by the tuition

  • Filing made with the state
  • The registered agent costs nothing in year one
  • Any state, one price

Strengths

  • A $199 service charge
  • All fifty states covered
  • Registered agent is free in year one

Weak spots

  • Renewal $50 above DE Registered Agent.org's
Delaware specialist

2. DE Registered Agent.org: best for a budget registration

$199 plus fees; renewal $99 yearly

Second place goes to DE Registered Agent.org, since a service fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $99 a year.

Covered by the tuition

  • Filing made with the state
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • $199 and the state fee
  • First year of agent service costs nothing extra
  • $99 yearly from year two

Weak spots

  • A single-state service
Delaware specialist

3. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: best for registering only in Delaware

$199 plus fees; renewal $99 yearly

Third place goes to Delaware Registered Agent.ai, since a service fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $99 a year.

On price, it is level with DE Registered Agent.org.

Covered by the tuition

  • Filing made with the state
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • $99 yearly from year two
  • First year of agent service costs nothing extra
  • $199 and the state fee

Weak spots

  • A single-state service

All the tuition 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.
2DE Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner 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.
Each company's posted price on November 13, 2026. Add the $200 state fee to every row.

The class, assignment by assignment

  1. Assignment
    1

    Is Delaware registration needed?

    LLCs formed outside Delaware file a foreign registration before transacting business here. Skipping registration has a price: Its own lawsuits have to wait until it registers (6 Del. C. 18-907(a)). The agreements are not voided (6 Del. C. 18-907(b)).

    Textbook page: corp.delaware.gov (page read October 2026)

  2. Assignment
    2

    Get a certificate from your home state

    Get certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, dated within 180 days.

    Ask for the certificate shortly before filing day.

  3. Assignment
    3

    Choose 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.

    Every graded service includes the registered agent.

    Textbook page: delcode.delaware.gov (page read October 2026)

  4. Assignment
    4

    Work up the Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company

    the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations is the office that wants the filing above plus $200.

    Textbook page: delcode.delaware.gov (page read October 2026)

  5. Assignment
    5

    Look ahead to the recurring filing

    File the Annual LLC tax at $400, June 1 to keep the registration going.

Delaware costs by assignment

What forPayeePrice
Registration feeGoes to the state$200
Annual LLC taxGoes to the state$400
A filing service (optional)Your service$199 in the first year
State fees over years one to threeGoes to the state$1,000
Here is how the three-year state row works: filing fee, plus the report in each of years two and three, plus any yearly minimum tax. Service fees get their own rows.

The reasoning behind the grades

Homework the price does settled first place in Delaware. It is worth 34% of the grade, and the rest comes from tuition across three years, year-two tuition, fit with the state class and fees a student can read.

Your LLC was formed in one state and works in another, so a provider that serves both earned the best grade.

Delaware questions

What does an LLC from elsewhere pay to register in Delaware?

$200 for the filing. A service adds $199.

Which form do I file to register?

Look for the Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company; it goes 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?

Its own lawsuits have to wait until it registers (6 Del. C. 18-907(a)). The agreements are not voided (6 Del. C. 18-907(b)).

What is due after registering?

Look ahead to the Annual LLC tax, which costs $400.

Which service should handle the registration?

Mainstay Filing gets the top grade and DE Registered Agent.org and Delaware Registered Agent.ai follow; Mainstay Filing wins on homework the price does.

Next class

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. Class notes on Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source come straight from corp.delaware.gov (reread October 2026).
  2. Class notes on Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source come straight from corp.delaware.gov (reread October 2026).
  3. Class notes on Delaware yearly filing: HB 400, official source come straight from legis.delaware.gov (reread October 2026).
  4. Class notes on Delaware report due date come straight from delcode.delaware.gov (reread August 2026).
  5. Class notes on 6 Del come straight from delcode.delaware.gov (reread August 2026).
  6. Class notes on Delaware registered agent statute come straight from delcode.delaware.gov (reread October 2026).
  7. Class notes on Foreign LLC registration form come straight from corpfiles.delaware.gov (reread October 2026).
  8. Class notes on Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter IX come straight from delcode.delaware.gov (reread October 2026).
  9. Class notes on Division of Corporations fee schedule, August 2026 come straight from corpfiles.delaware.gov (reread October 2026).
  10. Pulled November 13, 2026: Delaware service page from Mainstay Filing
  11. Pulled November 13, 2026: pricing page from DE Registered Agent.org
  12. Pulled November 13, 2026: pricing page from Delaware Registered Agent.ai