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

Session 3 · Virginia

Foreign LLC Registration Class, Virginia (2026): 5 Assignments and the 2 Best Services

Today's class on registering an LLC from another state in Virginia in 2026 comes with one answer: hire VA Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), in that order. Start by deciding whether you must register; 5 assignments and a $100 fee follow.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

Key facts for this class

State filing fee$100Look at scc.virginia.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026
Good-standing proof365 daysNo older than
Yearly filing$50Annual registration fee
What the state collects in three years$200Registration, reports and any minimum tax
Assignments5In order

You will leave able to

  • When an LLC from elsewhere must register in Virginia
  • How the filing gets made
  • The recurring filing
  • Who we would hire to file

If you want someone else to file

Three-year tuition and homework done weigh the most; how we grade lists all five criteria.
Best overall

1. VA Registered Agent.org: best for one extra state

$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

The class favorite is VA Registered Agent.org, because $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

  • Filing made with the state
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • $199 plus the state fee
  • $99 a year for the agent after that
  • No agent fee in year one

Weak spots

  • Virginia only; your home state needs its own agent
Any state

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

$199 plus the state fee, then $149 a year

Second place goes to Mainstay Filing, since $199 over the state fee, the registered agent free in year one and $149 a year after that.

VA Registered Agent.org undercuts it by $100 over three years, which keeps this one out of first.

From year two you pay $149 a year for the agent, wherever you register.

Covered by the tuition

  • The registration filing
  • The registered agent costs nothing in year one
  • The same price in each state

Strengths

  • The same fee in every state
  • A $199 service charge
  • First year of the agent is included

Weak spots

  • Renewal $50 above VA Registered Agent.org's

Grades and prices together

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1VA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit VA 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.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. None of the rows includes the $100 state fee.

Registering with Virginia, assignment by assignment

  1. Assignment
    1

    Does the rule apply to you?

    When an LLC from elsewhere starts operating in Virginia, foreign registration is the way in. Doing business without registering means: A claim from an unregistered LLC will not be heard here (Va. Code 13.1-1057(A)). Contracts it has already signed still hold (Va. Code 13.1-1057(C)).

    Textbook page: Look at law.lis.virginia.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026

  2. Assignment
    2

    Order the home-state certificate

    Your filing must include certified copy of articles of organization and all amendments, issued inside 365 days.

    Ask for the certificate shortly before filing day.

  3. Assignment
    3

    Find a registered agent with an address in Virginia

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a registered office in Virginia that is the agent's business office. A P.O. box is accepted only in a town of under 2,000 people with no street address.

    Every graded service includes the registered agent.

    Textbook page: Look at law.lis.virginia.gov for yourself; we read it in October 2026

  4. Assignment
    4

    Put together and mail the Application for Certificate of Registration to Transact Business in Virginia as a Foreign Limited Liability Company

    To register, hand the Application for Certificate of Registration to Transact Business in Virginia as a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC1052) to the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk with $100.

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

  5. Assignment
    5

    Handle Virginia's recurring filing

    The repeat assignment is the annual registration fee, $50, last day of your registration month.

What each assignment costs in Virginia

AssignmentGoes toSum
Registration feeThe state$100
Annual registration feeThe state$50
Service fees (optional)Service$199 in year one
State fees over years one to threeThe state$200
Anything paid to Virginia 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

pulled ahead of on tuition across three years, which counts for 30%.

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

What students ask

What will it cost to register a foreign LLC in Virginia?

$100 as the official fee. Service fees: $199.

Which form do I file to register?

The Application for Certificate of Registration to Transact Business in Virginia as a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC1052) is the one to track down, and it goes to the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certified copy of articles of organization and all amendments, issued within 365 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

A claim from an unregistered LLC will not be heard here (Va. Code 13.1-1057(A)). Contracts it has already signed still hold (Va. Code 13.1-1057(C)).

What is due after registering?

Next is the annual registration fee at $50.

Which service should handle the registration?

VA Registered Agent.org and Mainstay Filing, from the highest grade to the lowest.

More classes

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. Extra credit: compare what we say about Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source with law.lis.virginia.gov, last read October 2026.
  2. Extra credit: compare what we say about Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source with scc.virginia.gov, last read October 2026.
  3. Extra credit: compare what we say about Va with law.lis.virginia.gov, last read August 2026.
  4. Extra credit: compare what we say about Virginia formation fee: Filing fee, official source with law.lis.virginia.gov, last read October 2026.
  5. Extra credit: compare what we say about Virginia registered agent statute with law.lis.virginia.gov, last read October 2026.
  6. Extra credit: compare what we say about SCC, foreign limited liability company forms and fees with scc.virginia.gov, last read October 2026.
  7. Extra credit: compare what we say about SCC, foreign business entities FAQ with scc.virginia.gov, last read October 2026.
  8. Extra credit: compare what we say about SCC, foreign registration checklist with scc.virginia.gov, last read October 2026.
  9. Extra credit: compare what we say about Code of Virginia § 13.1-1052, application for registration with law.lis.virginia.gov, last read October 2026.
  10. Extra credit: compare what we say about Code of Virginia § 13.1-1059, activities that are with law.lis.virginia.gov, last read October 2026.
  11. Extra credit: compare what we say about Code of Virginia § 13.1-1057, consequences of transacting with law.lis.virginia.gov, last read October 2026.
  12. Extra credit: compare what we say about Code of Virginia 13.1-1051 to 13.1-1059, foreign limited with law.lis.virginia.gov, last read November 2026.
  13. Tuition figures from VA Registered Agent.org (pricing page), November 13, 2026
  14. Tuition figures from Mainstay Filing (Virginia service page), November 13, 2026