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

Class session 3 · Indiana

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

Graded for 2026, the best help with registering an LLC from another state in Indiana comes from Mainstay Filing ($199), IN Registered Agent.org ($199) and Indiana Registered Agent.co ($199), in that order. Start by deciding whether you must register; 5 assignments and a $105 fee follow.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

The quick version

State filing fee$105iar.iga.in.gov (page read October 2026)
Good-standing proof60 daysAge limit
Maintenance filing$32Business Entity Report, filed every two years
What the state collects in three years$137Registration, reports and any minimum tax
Assignments5Listed below

Class objectives

  • Which LLCs must register
  • The filing, its price and its office
  • The upkeep that repeats
  • Which services we recommend and why

If you want someone else to file

Five weighted criteria set the order (see how we grade), and three-year tuition and homework done count most.
Start with this one

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a second state and beyond

$199 plus fees; renewal $149 yearly

In Indiana, Mainstay Filing sits at the top of the class: a $199 service fee plus Indiana's own fee, then $149 a year for the agent.

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

When the free year is over, the agent costs $149 a year in any state.

Covered by the tuition

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • The registered agent costs nothing in year one
  • A service for all fifty states

Strengths

  • A $199 service charge
  • No agent fee for year one
  • The same fee in every state

Weak spots

  • Renewal $50 above IN Registered Agent.org's
In-state service

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

$199 plus fees; renewal $99 yearly

Grade number 2 belongs to IN Registered Agent.org, where $199 above the state fee, first agent year covered, and $99 a year afterward.

Covered by the tuition

  • The Indiana registration, prepared and sent
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • A free first agent year
  • $199 plus the state fee
  • A small $99 renewal

Weak spots

  • Indiana only; your home state needs its own agent
In-state service

3. Indiana Registered Agent.co: best for another Indiana option

$199 plus fees; renewal $99 yearly

Grade number 3 belongs to Indiana Registered Agent.co, where $199 above the state fee, first agent year covered, and $99 a year afterward.

It charges exactly what IN Registered Agent.org charges.

Covered by the tuition

  • The Indiana registration, prepared and sent
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • $199 plus the state fee
  • A small $99 renewal
  • A free first agent year

Weak spots

  • Indiana only; your home state needs its own agent

The Indiana grades compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2IN Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit IN Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Indiana Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Indiana Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Taken from each company's price page on November 13, 2026. Each row still needs Indiana's $105 registration fee.

The Indiana registration, in order

  1. Assignment
    1

    When registration is required

    When an LLC from elsewhere starts operating in Indiana, foreign registration is the way in. Doing business without registering means: A claim from an unregistered LLC will not be heard here (IC 23-0.5-5-2(b)). Its contracts remain valid (IC 23-0.5-5-2(c)).

    Textbook page: inbiz.in.gov (page read October 2026)

  2. Assignment
    2

    Request the certificate your home state issues

    Indiana asks for certificate of existence (commonly called a certificate of good standing), dated within 60 days.

    A recent certificate is the best kind, so order it late.

  3. Assignment
    3

    Choose the Indiana registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a physical street address in Indiana. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    Any of the graded services can fill this seat.

    Textbook page: faqs.in.gov (page read October 2026)

  4. Assignment
    4

    Work up the Foreign Registration Statement

    the Indiana Secretary of State, Business Services Division is the office that wants the filing above plus $105.

    Textbook page: iar.iga.in.gov (page read October 2026)

  5. Assignment
    5

    Look ahead to the recurring filing

    File the Business Entity Report, filed every two years at $32, end of your anniversary month, every other year to keep the registration going.

The bill

EntryReceiverPrice
The registration assignmentState agency$105
Business Entity Report, filed every two yearsState agency$32
Service, if you hire oneYour service$199 in the first year
State fees for the first three yearsState agency$137
Anything paid to Indiana is an official fee you can look up on the pages listed below. The three-year row combines the filing, two later reports and a minimum tax where there is one, and service prices are not part of it.

Why the list runs this way

What decided it was homework the price does, which carries 34% of the grade.

Two states are involved in registering, and a provider that covers both finished ahead of IN Registered Agent.org.

Indiana pop quiz

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

$105 at the state office. Put $199 on top if you hire a service.

Which form do I file to register?

The Indiana Secretary of State, Business Services Division takes this form from foreign LLCs.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certificate of existence (commonly called a certificate of good standing), issued within 60 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

A claim from an unregistered LLC will not be heard here (IC 23-0.5-5-2(b)). Its contracts remain valid (IC 23-0.5-5-2(c)).

What is due after registering?

Look ahead to the Business Entity Report, filed every two years, which costs $32.

Which service should handle the registration?

The grade order is Mainstay Filing, IN Registered Agent.org and Indiana Registered Agent.co, and Mainstay Filing is first since registering costs $199 plus state fees, and year one of the registered agent costs nothing.

Next class

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. Extra credit: compare what we say about Indiana Secretary of State, Business Services Division with inbiz.in.gov, last read August 2026.
  2. Extra credit: compare what we say about Indiana Secretary of State, Business Services Division with forms.in.gov, last read August 2026.
  3. Extra credit: compare what we say about Indiana report due date with law.justia.com, last read August 2026.
  4. Extra credit: compare what we say about Ind with forms.in.gov, last read August 2026.
  5. Extra credit: compare what we say about Indiana registered agent statute with faqs.in.gov, last read October 2026.
  6. Extra credit: compare what we say about Indiana Secretary of State business forms with in.gov, last read October 2026.
  7. Extra credit: compare what we say about Indiana Code 23-0.5-5, registration of foreign entities with iga.in.gov, last read October 2026.
  8. Extra credit: compare what we say about Indiana Code 23-0.5-9, fees with iga.in.gov, last read October 2026.
  9. Extra credit: compare what we say about Indiana Code 23-0.5-4, registered agents with iga.in.gov, last read October 2026.
  10. Mainstay Filing's Indiana service page, read on November 13, 2026
  11. IN Registered Agent.org's pricing page, read on November 13, 2026
  12. Indiana Registered Agent.co's pricing page, read on November 13, 2026