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

Class 3 · Ohio

Foreign LLC Registration Class, Ohio (2026): 4 Assignments and the 2 Best Services

Today's class on registering an LLC from another state in Ohio in 2026 comes with one answer: hire Mainstay Filing ($199) and OH Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. Registering takes 4 assignments and a $99 state fee.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

Read this first

What the state charges to register$99ohiosos.gov (page read October 2026)
Yearly filingNoneDoes not apply
State cost, years 1 to 3$99Service fees not included
Assignment count4One by one

Class goals

  • Whether Ohio registration applies to your LLC
  • The form and the fee
  • What staying registered costs
  • The services at the top of the class

Class favorites in Ohio

Tuition over three years leads, then homework done, year-two tuition, Ohio fit and readable fees (grading page).
Start with this one

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

$199 plus fees; renewal $149 yearly

Mainstay Filing gets first place, and the reason is that a $199 service fee plus Ohio's own fee, then $149 a year for the agent.

Three years of tuition run $100 above OH Registered Agent.org's, but this service does more of the homework, and the grade rewards that.

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

Covered by the tuition

  • Registration is filed for you
  • Any state, one price

Strengths

  • One price anywhere
  • $199 to register

Weak spots

  • Agent renews at $149, $50 above OH Registered Agent.org
Ohio specialist

2. OH Registered Agent.org: best for adding just Ohio

$199 plus fees; renewal $99 yearly

OH Registered Agent.org lands in second place: $199 above the state fee, first agent year covered, and $99 a year afterward.

Covered by the tuition

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

Strengths

  • No agent fee in year one
  • A small $99 renewal
  • $199 and the state fee

Weak spots

  • Serves Ohio alone

2 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.
2OH Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit OH Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Prices come from each company's own site, read November 13, 2026. The $99 state fee is left out of these figures.

How registration works in Ohio

  1. Assignment
    1

    Does the rule apply to you?

    When an LLC from elsewhere starts operating in Ohio, foreign registration is the way in. Ignore the rule and this follows: A claim from an unregistered LLC will not be heard here (R.C. 1706.515(A)). Its contracts remain valid (R.C. 1706.515(E)).

    Textbook page: codes.ohio.gov (page read October 2026)

  2. Assignment
    2

    Choose the Ohio statutory agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be the agent's home or usual place of business in Ohio. P.O. boxes and commercial mail receiving agencies are not accepted.

    The services above supply one.

    Textbook page: codes.ohio.gov (page read October 2026)

  3. Assignment
    3

    Put together and mail the Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company

    Filing it is registering, and the state bills $99.

    Textbook page: ohiosos.gov (page read October 2026)

  4. Assignment
    4

    Keep the registration alive

    A foreign LLC has no recurring Ohio report to file.

What this class costs

What forReceiverTotal
Registration feePaid to the state$99
Service, if you hire oneYour service$199 in the first year
Three-year state totalPaid to the state$99
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 makes up 34% of the grade, and that is where got ahead in Ohio.

The company belongs to one state and operates in a second, so one provider for both is the better fit.

Ohio pop quiz

What is Ohio's fee for an out-of-state LLC?

$99 in state fees. Service fees: $199.

Which form do I file to register?

The Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form 617) is the one to track down, and it goes to the Ohio Secretary of State, Business Services.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

A claim from an unregistered LLC will not be heard here (R.C. 1706.515(A)). Its contracts remain valid (R.C. 1706.515(E)).

What is due after registering?

No recurring report for foreign LLCs in Ohio.

Which services are in this lesson?

The picks, best grade first: Mainstay Filing and OH Registered Agent.org.

Which service should handle the registration?

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

More classes

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. Class notes on Ohio Rev come straight from codes.ohio.gov (reread August 2026).
  2. Class notes on Ohio formation fee: Filing fee, official source come straight from codes.ohio.gov (reread October 2026).
  3. Class notes on Ohio registered agent statute come straight from codes.ohio.gov (reread October 2026).
  4. Class notes on Ohio Secretary of State, filing forms and fee come straight from ohiosos.gov (reread October 2026).
  5. Class notes on Form 617, Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability come straight from ohiosos.gov (reread October 2026).
  6. Class notes on R.C. 1706.511, registration of foreign LLCs come straight from codes.ohio.gov (reread October 2026).
  7. Class notes on R.C. 1706.515, effect of failing to register come straight from codes.ohio.gov (reread October 2026).
  8. The Ohio service page at Mainstay Filing, November 13, 2026
  9. The pricing page at OH Registered Agent.org, November 13, 2026