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

Session 3 · Iowa

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

Pop quiz answer for Iowa in 2026: IA Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Iowa Registered Agent.co ($199) are the services to use for registering an LLC from another state, best grade first. The class's 5 assignments cover the filing, the $100 fee and what you owe afterward.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

Class overview

State filing fee$100Look at sos.iowa.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026
Home certificate90 daysHow old it may be at filing
Recurring report$30Biennial report
What the state collects in three years$130Service fees not included
Assignments in this class5In order

Class objectives

  • Whether Iowa registration applies to your LLC
  • The form and the fee
  • What staying registered costs
  • Who we would hire to file

Who we would hire in Iowa

Three-year tuition and homework done weigh the most; how we grade lists all five criteria.
Top of the class

1. IA Registered Agent.org: best for adding just Iowa

$199 plus fees; renewal $99 yearly

In Iowa, IA Registered Agent.org sits at the top of the class: $199 above the state fee to register, then $99 a year.

Over three years it costs less than Mainstay Filing, and three-year tuition is 30% of the grade.

Covered by the tuition

  • The registration filing
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • $199 above the state fee
  • A small $99 renewal
  • First year of agent service costs nothing extra

Weak spots

  • The home state needs a different agent
Any state

2. Mainstay Filing: best for companies adding a second state

$199 plus fees; renewal $149 yearly

Grade number 2 belongs to Mainstay Filing, where a $199 service fee plus Iowa's own fee, then $149 a year for the agent.

Add up three years: it comes to $100 more than IA Registered Agent.org.

Agent service past the first year is $149 yearly.

Covered by the tuition

  • The registration filing
  • The registered agent costs nothing in year one
  • Covers all fifty states

Strengths

  • The same fee in every state
  • A $199 service charge
  • The agent costs nothing in year one

Weak spots

  • $50 more a year for the agent
Iowa specialist

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

$199 plus fees; renewal $99 yearly

Our third pick, Iowa Registered Agent.co: $199 above the state fee to register, then $99 a year.

IA Registered Agent.org and this service cost the same.

Covered by the tuition

  • The registration filing
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • First year of agent service costs nothing extra
  • $199 above the state fee
  • A small $99 renewal

Weak spots

  • The home state needs a different agent

All the tuition in one table

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1IA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit IA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Iowa Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Iowa Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Taken from each company's price page on November 13, 2026. Every row also owes the $100 state fee.

The assignments

  1. Assignment
    1

    Is Iowa registration needed?

    Vocabulary word: a foreign LLC is one formed in a different state. It registers before it does business in Iowa. Ignore the rule and this follows: An LLC that has not registered cannot be a plaintiff here (Iowa Code 489.902). Contracts it has already signed still hold (Iowa Code 489.902(3)).

    Textbook page: Look at sos.iowa.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026

  2. Assignment
    2

    Collect the document from the home state

    Your filing must include certificate of existence (good standing) from the state or country of formation, dated within 90 days.

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

  3. Assignment
    3

    Appoint the Iowa registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a place of business in Iowa. The registered office street address and the agent's business office have to match, and P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    Every graded service includes the registered agent.

    Textbook page: Look at legis.iowa.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026

  4. Assignment
    4

    Prepare, sign and send the Limited Liability Company Foreign Registration Statement

    the Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services is the office that wants the filing above plus $100.

    Textbook page: Look at sos.iowa.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026

  5. Assignment
    5

    Look ahead to the recurring filing

    Pencil in the biennial report and its $30 fee (January 1 to April 1 of each odd-numbered year).

Costs, assignment by assignment

Line itemGoes toTotal
Foreign registrationPaid to the state$100
Biennial reportPaid to the state$30
Paid helpYour service$199 in year one
Three years of state feesPaid to the state$130
Rows for the state use Iowa's published fee schedules (see the textbook pages beneath the table), and each service row uses that company's own price. Over three years the state row adds the filing, the year-two report, the year-three report and any minimum tax.

The reasoning behind the grades

What decided it was tuition across three years, which carries 30% of the grade.

IA Registered Agent.org wins the cost criterion with $397 over three years, against $100 more at Mainstay Filing.

Iowa questions

How much does Iowa charge a foreign LLC to register?

$100 at the state office. A service adds $199.

Which form do I file to register?

One form does the job, and the Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services handles it.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certificate of existence (good standing) from the state or country of formation, issued within 90 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

An LLC that has not registered cannot be a plaintiff here (Iowa Code 489.902). Contracts it has already signed still hold (Iowa Code 489.902(3)).

What is due after registering?

Look ahead to the biennial report, which costs $30.

Which service should handle the registration?

IA Registered Agent.org, Mainstay Filing and Iowa Registered Agent.co, from the highest grade to the lowest.

More classes

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. The Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services Division lesson rests on help.sos.iowa.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  2. The Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services Division lesson rests on help.sos.iowa.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  3. The Iowa report due date lesson rests on legis.iowa.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  4. The Iowa Code § 489.201 lesson rests on legis.iowa.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  5. The Iowa formation fee: Filing fee, official source lesson rests on legis.iowa.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  6. The Iowa registered agent statute lesson rests on legis.iowa.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  7. The Iowa Secretary of State, business entity forms and lesson rests on sos.iowa.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  8. The LLC Foreign Registration Statement, Form 635_0010 lesson rests on sos.iowa.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  9. The Iowa Code 489.902, registration requirement lesson rests on legis.iowa.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  10. The Iowa Code 489.905, activities that do not count lesson rests on legis.iowa.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  11. The Iowa Secretary of State, certificate of existence lesson rests on sos.iowa.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  12. The Iowa Code 489.902, registration to do business lesson rests on legis.iowa.gov, read again in November 2026; check our work against it.
  13. The Iowa Code 490.1502, registration of a foreign corporation lesson rests on legis.iowa.gov, read again in November 2026; check our work against it.
  14. The pricing page at IA Registered Agent.org, November 13, 2026
  15. The Iowa service page at Mainstay Filing, November 13, 2026
  16. The pricing page at Iowa Registered Agent.co, November 13, 2026