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Formation Scorecard

Foreign registration scorecard · Delaware

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in Delaware (2026)

On the Formation Scorecard 2026 scorecard for foreign registration services in Delaware the order reads Mainstay Filing ($199), Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($199) and DE Registered Agent.org ($199). Mainstay Filing posts the top score: $199 on top of the state's fee, with a free first year as your registered agent and the same price in every state.
Researched and written by the Formation Scorecard editorial team
Rank #1 Number one here

1. Mainstay Filing: best for companies spread across states

9.4 Editor score out of 10
$199 service fee, $399 due at checkout including the state fee; agent $149 yearly from year two

Mainstay Filing leads the card: it files the Delaware registration for $199 and acts as your registered agent, free for year one and $149 a year after.

The agent is free in year one and $149 a year after that, wherever the company registers.

Mainstay's three-year total sits $100 above Delaware Registered Agent.ai's, which the extra coverage earns back in our scoring.

What you get

  • Registration prepared and submitted
  • The first registered agent year at no charge
  • Legal papers served on the company scanned free on the same business day

Strengths

  • Same price across all fifty states
  • Served papers scanned on the day they arrive, free
  • Registered agent free for year one
  • $199 service fee, with the state fee on top

Watch for

  • Agent renewal of $149 is $50 more than Delaware Registered Agent.ai charges
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. Mainstay Filing: the full write-up
Rank #2 Best value here

2. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: best for companies that add just Delaware

9.2 Editor score out of 10
Service fee $199 with the state fee added; agent renewing at $99

Delaware Registered Agent.ai takes second spot: the Delaware registration at $199, first agent year included, then $99 a year.

The plan puts the company at an in-state street address and scans papers served on it to your online account.

What you get

  • Filing with the state
  • Year-one registered agent service included

Strengths

  • Then $99 a year to keep the agent
  • Registered agent service for year one is in the price
  • $199 service fee plus the registration fee

Watch for

  • Limited to Delaware; your home state still needs an agent
  • $99 extra for the EIN application
Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: the full write-up
Rank #3 Best local option

3. DE Registered Agent.org: best for registrations in Delaware only

9.0 Editor score out of 10
$199 service fee plus the state fee; agent $99 yearly from year two

DE Registered Agent.org takes third spot: the Delaware registration at $199, first agent year included, then $99 a year.

The plan puts the company at an in-state street address and scans papers served on it to your online account.

Price for price and feature for feature, Delaware Registered Agent.ai and DE Registered Agent.org match, which leaves the order between them a narrow call.

What you get

  • Filing with the state
  • First-year registered agent service

Strengths

  • $99 per year for the agent after the first
  • $199 to register, state fee extra
  • Year one as your registered agent is included

Watch for

  • Limited to Delaware; your home state still needs an agent
  • $99 extra for the EIN application
Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. DE Registered Agent.org: the full write-up

The 3 entries on one card

Place Service Card score Service fee Year two Best for Go
1 Mainstay Filing 9.4 $199 $149/yr Companies spread over several states Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Delaware Registered Agent.ai 9.2 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 DE Registered Agent.org 9.0 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Every number out of 10 is an editorial mark from Formation Scorecard, produced with the criteria on How we rank, not a customer rating.

Delaware foreign registration service cost in 2026: first year, renewal and the three-year tally

Service First year Second year Third year Three-year tally Agent paid in year one
Mainstay Filing $199 $149 $149 $497 Free
Delaware Registered Agent.ai $199 $99 $99 $397 Included
DE Registered Agent.org $199 $99 $99 $397 Included

Each price comes from the company's own site, read on November 12, 2026. Add Delaware's $200 registration fee to each row; the tally above leaves it out.

Why the order falls this way

Formation Scorecard scores cost across three years and coverage of the price at 25% each. Renewal terms, state-by-state fit and pricing clarity account for the other 50%. In Delaware the tie was broken by coverage of the price.

A foreign registration touches two states, so a single provider at one price in both earned the most coverage points, ahead of Delaware Registered Agent.ai.

Every criterion and weight appears on How we rank.

Foreign LLC registration in Delaware: fee, form and filing office

An outside company registers by sending the Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company to the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations, with a $200 state fee. Delaware additionally requires certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, dated no more than 180 days before filing.

Once registered, the company files the Annual LLC tax ($400), due June 1.

Gather these before filing

  • Certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, issued no earlier than 180 days before filing.
  • The company name exactly as the home state has it, plus the date it was formed.
  • An in-state registered agent; any service on this card can fill that role.
  • The state fee of $200, sent in with the filing.
  • A calendar date for the Annual LLC tax and its $400 fee.

The price of ignoring Delaware registration

An unregistered outside LLC cannot sue in Delaware courts until it registers (6 Del. C. 18-907(a)). Its contracts remain valid (6 Del. C. 18-907(b)).

Delaware foreign registration service: quick questions

Does Delaware make an outside LLC register before operating?

Yes, when the company does business there. Until it registers, the state's courts are closed to its lawsuits.

What will foreign registration run in Delaware?

Expect $200 for the state plus $199 for the service.

Is a home-state certificate part of the Delaware filing?

Yes, the state wants certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, no older than 180 days.

Does a registered company still need a registered agent?

Yes, a registered agent with an in-state street address has to stay on file.

Which foreign registration services sit on this card?

Mainstay Filing ($199), Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($199) and DE Registered Agent.org ($199), top to bottom.

Which foreign registration service leads the card for Delaware?

Mainstay Filing, since $199 plus state fees in any state, year-one registered agent service included.

More from us

Where the figures come from

  1. Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source, as of October 2026
  2. Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source, as of October 2026
  3. Delaware yearly filing: HB 400, official source, as of October 2026
  4. Delaware report due date, as of August 2026
  5. 6 Del. C. § 18-201, as of August 2026
  6. Delaware registered agent statute, as of October 2026
  7. Foreign LLC registration form, as of October 2026
  8. Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter IX, as of October 2026
  9. Division of Corporations fee schedule, August 2026, as of October 2026
  10. Read on November 12, 2026: Delaware service page for Mainstay Filing
  11. Read on November 12, 2026: pricing and service pages for Delaware Registered Agent.ai
  12. Read on November 12, 2026: pricing and service pages for DE Registered Agent.org