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

Session 3 · Maryland

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

For registering an LLC from another state in Maryland in 2026, the class favorites are Mainstay Filing ($199), Maryland Registered Agent.co ($199) and MD Registered Agent.org ($199), graded from first to last. Start by deciding whether you must register; 5 assignments and a $100 fee follow.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

Read this first

Registration fee$100mgaleg.maryland.gov, last read in October 2026
Home certificate60 daysAge limit
Recurring report$300Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1
Three years of state fees$700Registration and reports
Class assignments5From first to last

You will leave able to

  • When an LLC from elsewhere must register in Maryland
  • The filing, its price and its office
  • What staying registered costs
  • Which services we recommend and why

Maryland: the graded services

The teacher's five criteria are on how we grade, and they decide the order.
Top of the class

1. Mainstay Filing: best for LLCs on the move

$199 to register, $149 per year after

In Maryland, Mainstay Filing sits at the top of the class: $199 over the state fee, the resident agent free in year one and $149 a year after that.

Three years here run $100 higher than at Maryland Registered Agent.co, with more of the work done in return.

The agent renews at $149 a year in every state.

Covered by the tuition

  • Registration prepared and sent
  • The same price in each state

Strengths

  • All fifty states covered
  • $199 on top of Maryland's fee

Weak spots

  • A pricier agent renewal ($149)
In-state service

2. Maryland Registered Agent.co: best for a thrifty Maryland filing

$199 to register, $99 per year after

Our second pick, Maryland Registered Agent.co: a service fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $99 a year.

Covered by the tuition

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

Strengths

  • The agent renews at $99
  • Agent covered in year one
  • $199 to register

Weak spots

  • A single-state service
In-state service

3. MD Registered Agent.org: best for Maryland-only registrations

$199 to register, $99 per year after

Our third pick, MD Registered Agent.org: a service fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $99 a year.

Maryland Registered Agent.co and this service cost the same.

Covered by the tuition

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

Strengths

  • Agent covered in year one
  • $199 to register
  • The agent renews at $99

Weak spots

  • A single-state service

3 services, side by side

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Maryland Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Maryland Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3MD Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit MD Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. Each row still needs Maryland's $100 registration fee.

The assignments

  1. Assignment
    1

    When registration is required

    Any out-of-state LLC doing business in Maryland registers first as a foreign LLC. What happens when an LLC operates unregistered: An LLC that has not registered cannot be a plaintiff here (4A-1007(a)). Contracts it has already signed still hold (4A-1007(b)).

    Textbook page: mgaleg.maryland.gov, last read in October 2026

  2. Assignment
    2

    Ask your home state for proof of good standing

    Your filing must include written proof of existence from the home state, equivalent to a certificate of good standing, from the last 60 days.

    Request it close to the date you plan to file.

  3. Assignment
    3

    Appoint the Maryland resident agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a Maryland address on file with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation; P.O. boxes are not accepted. The LLC also keeps a principal office in Maryland.

    Any of the graded services can fill this seat.

    Textbook page: mgaleg.maryland.gov, last read in October 2026

  4. Assignment
    4

    Draw up the Limited Liability Company Registration (For non-Maryland Limited Liability Company)

    Finish the Limited Liability Company Registration (For non-Maryland Limited Liability Company), tuck in $100, and send everything to the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division.

    Textbook page: mgaleg.maryland.gov, last read in October 2026

  5. Assignment
    5

    Keep the registration alive

    Once registered, a foreign LLC sends in the Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1 ($300), April 15.

What this class costs

AssignmentWho gets paidCost
Filing to registerGoes to the state$100
Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1Goes to the state$300
Optional serviceService$199 for year one
State fees for the first three yearsGoes to the state$700
Filing fee plus two later reports plus any minimum tax makes the state's three-year total. The pages listed below show where each figure came from.

How the grades came out

Homework the price does settled first place in Maryland. 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.

Short answers

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

$100 in state fees. Service fees: $199.

Which form do I file to register?

The Limited Liability Company Registration (For non-Maryland Limited Liability Company) is the one to track down, and it goes to the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: written proof of existence from the home state, equivalent to a certificate of good standing, issued within 60 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

An LLC that has not registered cannot be a plaintiff here (4A-1007(a)). Contracts it has already signed still hold (4A-1007(b)).

What is due after registering?

Once you are registered, the LLC owes the Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1, billed at $300 each time.

Which service should handle the registration?

Pick Mainstay Filing: it files the Maryland registration for $199 plus the state fee, and the first agent year is free. Then Maryland Registered Agent.co and MD Registered Agent.org.

Next class

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. Study tip for Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation: everything above comes from dat.maryland.gov, which we reread in August 2026. Open it and follow along.
  2. Study tip for Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation: everything above comes from dat.maryland.gov, which we reread in August 2026. Open it and follow along.
  3. Study tip for Maryland report due date: everything above comes from dat.maryland.gov, which we reread in August 2026. Open it and follow along.
  4. Study tip for Md: everything above comes from mgaleg.maryland.gov, which we reread in August 2026. Open it and follow along.
  5. Study tip for Maryland formation fee: Filing fee, official source: everything above comes from mgaleg.maryland.gov, which we reread in October 2026. Open it and follow along.
  6. Study tip for Maryland formation fee: Filing fee, official source: everything above comes from egov.maryland.gov, which we reread in October 2026. Open it and follow along.
  7. Study tip for Maryland registered agent statute: everything above comes from mgaleg.maryland.gov, which we reread in October 2026. Open it and follow along.
  8. Study tip for Maryland Business Express: everything above comes from egov.maryland.gov, which we reread in October 2026. Open it and follow along.
  9. Study tip for Corporations and Associations § 4A-1002, registration: everything above comes from mgaleg.maryland.gov, which we reread in October 2026. Open it and follow along.
  10. Study tip for Corporations and Associations § 4A-1009, activities that are: everything above comes from mgaleg.maryland.gov, which we reread in October 2026. Open it and follow along.
  11. Study tip for Corporations and Associations § 4A-1007, effect of not: everything above comes from mgaleg.maryland.gov, which we reread in October 2026. Open it and follow along.
  12. Study tip for Tax-Property § 11-101, annual report: everything above comes from mgaleg.maryland.gov, which we reread in October 2026. Open it and follow along.
  13. Maryland service page from Mainstay Filing as of November 13, 2026
  14. pricing page from Maryland Registered Agent.co as of November 13, 2026
  15. pricing page from MD Registered Agent.org as of November 13, 2026