Session 3 · Hawaii
Foreign LLC Registration Class, Hawaii (2026): 5 Assignments and the 3 Best Services
The quick version
What this class teaches
- When an LLC from elsewhere must register in Hawaii
- What to file and what it costs
- What staying registered costs
- How the picks stack up
Class favorites in Hawaii
1. HI Registered Agent.org: best for a budget registration
HI Registered Agent.org gets first place, and the reason is that $199 above the state fee to register, then $99 a year.
Tuition breaks the tie: three years run cheaper here than at Mainstay Filing.
Covered by the tuition
- The Hawaii registration, prepared and sent
- One year of agent service is part of the price
Strengths
- Then $99 per year
- First year of agent service costs nothing extra
- A $199 service charge
Weak spots
- A single-state service
2. Hawaii Registered Agent.co: best for registering only in Hawaii
Grade number 2 belongs to Hawaii Registered Agent.co, where $199 above the state fee to register, then $99 a year.
It charges exactly what HI Registered Agent.org charges.
Covered by the tuition
- The Hawaii registration, prepared and sent
- One year of agent service is part of the price
Strengths
- Then $99 per year
- A $199 service charge
- First year of agent service costs nothing extra
Weak spots
- A single-state service
3. Mainstay Filing: best for LLCs on the move
Mainstay Filing lands in third place: $199 on top of the state fee in any state, with year one of the agent included.
HI Registered Agent.org undercuts it by $100 over three years, which keeps this one out of first.
The agent renews at $149 a year in every state.
Covered by the tuition
- Registration is filed for you
- The registered agent costs nothing in year one
- Any state, one price
Strengths
- Registered agent is free in year one
- Any state, one fee
- $199 to register
Weak spots
- Renewal $50 above HI Registered Agent.org's
The services compared
| # | Service | First year | From year two | Three-year total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HI Registered Agent.org | $199 | $99/yr | $397 | Visit HI Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
| 2 | Hawaii Registered Agent.co | $199 | $99/yr | $397 | Visit Hawaii Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
| 3 | Mainstay Filing | $199 | $149/yr | $497 | Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
The class, assignment by assignment
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Assignment
1Find out whether you have to register
Vocabulary word: a foreign LLC is one formed in a different state. It registers before it does business in Hawaii. Ignore the rule and this follows: Its own lawsuits have to wait until it registers (HRS 414-432(a); 428-1008(a)). The agreements are not voided (HRS 414-432(e); 428-1008(b)). The state also bills back fees.
Textbook page: cca.hawaii.gov (page read October 2026)
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Assignment
2Request the certificate your home state issues
You need original certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, issued no more than 60 days.
Leave the certificate until everything else is ready.
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Assignment
3Appoint the Hawaii registered agent
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a place of business with a street address in Hawaii. P.O. boxes are not accepted.
Each of the graded services serves as the registered agent.
Textbook page: capitol.hawaii.gov (page read October 2026)
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Assignment
4Work up the Application for Certificate of Authority for Foreign Limited Liability Company
Finish the Application for Certificate of Authority for Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form FLLC-1), tuck in $51, and send everything to the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA), Business Registration Division.
Textbook page: cca.hawaii.gov (page read October 2026)
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Assignment
5Keep the registration alive
Once registered, a foreign LLC sends in the annual report ($12.50), end of the quarter in which the LLC was registered.
Costs, assignment by assignment
| Line item | Who gets paid | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Filing to register | Paid to the state | $51 |
| Annual report | Paid to the state | $12.50 |
| Service fees (optional) | Your service | $199 for year one |
| State fees over years one to three | Paid to the state | $76 |
Why the list runs this way
pulled ahead of on tuition across three years, which counts for 30%.
HI Registered Agent.org comes to $397 across three years, a saving of $100 next to Mainstay Filing.
What students ask
What is Hawaii's fee for an out-of-state LLC?
$51 to the state. The graded services add $199.
Which form do I file to register?
The Application for Certificate of Authority for Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form FLLC-1) is the one to track down, and it goes to the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA), Business Registration Division.
Do I need a certificate from my home state?
Yes: original certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, issued within 60 days of filing.
What if the LLC does business there without registering?
Its own lawsuits have to wait until it registers (HRS 414-432(a); 428-1008(a)). The agreements are not voided (HRS 414-432(e); 428-1008(b)). The state also bills back fees.
What is due after registering?
Look ahead to the annual report, which costs $12.50.
Which service should handle the registration?
HI Registered Agent.org, because registration costs $199 plus state fees, and the first agent year is already paid. Behind it come Hawaii Registered Agent.co and Mainstay Filing.
Textbook pages and extra reading
- The Hawaii DCCA Business Registration Division release of July lesson rests on cca.hawaii.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
- The Hawaii yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source lesson rests on files.hawaii.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
- The Hawaii formation fee: Filing fee, official source lesson rests on cca.hawaii.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
- The Hawaii formation fee: Filing fee, official source lesson rests on cca.hawaii.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
- The Hawaii registered agent statute lesson rests on capitol.hawaii.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
- The Hawaii DCCA, foreign LLC registration lesson rests on cca.hawaii.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
- The Form FLLC-1 lesson rests on files.hawaii.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
- The Foreign LLC filing fees lesson rests on cca.hawaii.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
- The Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-1003, activities that are not lesson rests on capitol.hawaii.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
- The New Hawaii business registration portal FAQs lesson rests on cca.hawaii.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
- The Hawaii Revised Statutes 414-432, consequences of transacting business lesson rests on capitol.hawaii.gov, read again in November 2026; check our work against it.
- The Hawaii Revised Statutes 428-1008, effect of failure to lesson rests on capitol.hawaii.gov, read again in November 2026; check our work against it.
- The pricing page at HI Registered Agent.org, November 13, 2026
- The pricing page at Hawaii Registered Agent.co, November 13, 2026
- The Hawaii service page at Mainstay Filing, November 13, 2026