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Formation Scorecard

Foreign registration scorecard · Massachusetts

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in Massachusetts (2026)

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

1. Mainstay Filing: best for companies spread across states

9.5 Editor score out of 10
$199 on top of the state fee, then the agent at $149 a year from year two

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

After the free first year the agent costs $149 a year, in this state or any other.

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

What you get

  • The foreign registration, handled for you
  • Same-business-day scans of service of process at no charge

Strengths

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

Watch for

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

2. MA Registered Agent.org: best for companies that add just Massachusetts

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

MA Registered Agent.org takes second spot: $199 beyond the state fee to register in Massachusetts, agent renewing at $99.

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

What you get

  • Registration prepared and filed
  • One year of resident agent service

Strengths

  • Agent at $99 a year from year two
  • A $199 service fee before the state's
  • A year of resident agent service is built in

Watch for

  • Limited to Massachusetts; your home state still needs an agent
  • $99 extra for the EIN application
Visit MA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. MA Registered Agent.org: the full write-up
Rank #3 Best value here

3. Massachusetts Registered Agent.co: best for registrations in Massachusetts only

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

Massachusetts Registered Agent.co takes third spot: $199 beyond the state fee to register in Massachusetts, agent renewing at $99.

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, MA Registered Agent.org and Massachusetts Registered Agent.co match, which leaves the order between them a narrow call.

What you get

  • Registration prepared and filed
  • Year-one resident agent service included

Strengths

  • $199 service fee plus the registration fee
  • Second-year agent cost: $99
  • Includes the first resident agent year

Watch for

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

The 3 entries on one card

Place Service Card score Service fee Year two Best for Go
1 Mainstay Filing 9.5 $199 $149/yr Companies spread over several states Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 MA Registered Agent.org 9.3 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit MA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 Massachusetts Registered Agent.co 9.1 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit Massachusetts Registered Agent.coPartner 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.

Massachusetts 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 Not stated
MA Registered Agent.org $199 $99 $99 $397 Included
Massachusetts Registered Agent.co $199 $99 $99 $397 Included

Each price comes from the company's own site, read on November 12, 2026. Add Massachusetts's $500 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 Massachusetts 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 MA Registered Agent.org.

Every criterion and weight appears on How we rank.

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

An outside company registers by sending the Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (General Laws Chapter 156C, Section 48) to the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division, with a $500 state fee. Massachusetts additionally requires certificate of legal existence or good standing, dated no more than 90 days before filing.

Once registered, the company files the Foreign LLC annual report ($500), due anniversary of registration.

Gather these before filing

  • Certificate of legal existence or good standing, issued no earlier than 90 days before filing.
  • The company name exactly as the home state has it, plus the date it was formed.
  • An in-state resident agent; any service on this card can fill that role.
  • The state fee of $500, sent in with the filing.
  • A calendar date for the Foreign LLC annual report and its $500 fee.

The price of ignoring Massachusetts registration

An unregistered outside LLC cannot sue in Massachusetts courts until it registers (G.L. c. 156C, 54(a)). Its contracts remain valid (G.L. c. 156C, 54(a)).

Massachusetts foreign registration service: quick questions

Does Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts?

Expect $500 for the state plus $199 for the service.

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

Yes, the state wants certificate of legal existence or good standing, no older than 90 days.

Does a registered company still need a resident agent?

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

Which foreign registration services sit on this card?

Mainstay Filing ($199), MA Registered Agent.org ($199) and Massachusetts Registered Agent.co ($199), top to bottom.

Which foreign registration service leads the card for Massachusetts?

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

Read next

Where the figures come from

  1. Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, as of August 2026
  2. Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, as of August 2026
  3. M.G.L. c. 156C, sec. 12, as of August 2026
  4. Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source, as of October 2026
  5. Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source, as of October 2026
  6. Massachusetts registered agent statute, as of October 2026
  7. Massachusetts Corporations Division, foreign LLC page, as of October 2026
  8. G.L. c. 156C § 48, foreign LLC registration, as of October 2026
  9. G.L. c. 156C § 54, failure to register, as of October 2026
  10. G.L. c. 156D § 15.01, transacting business, as of October 2026
  11. Read on November 12, 2026: Massachusetts service page for Mainstay Filing
  12. Read on November 12, 2026: pricing and service pages for MA Registered Agent.org
  13. Read on November 12, 2026: pricing and service pages for Massachusetts Registered Agent.co