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Formation Scorecard

Foreign registration scorecard · Vermont

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in Vermont (2026)

On the Formation Scorecard 2026 scorecard for foreign registration services in Vermont the order reads Mainstay Filing ($199), Vermont Registered Agent.co ($199) and VT Registered Agent.org ($199). Mainstay Filing posts the top score: $199 plus state fees in any state, year-one registered agent service included.
Researched and written by the Formation Scorecard editorial team
Rank #1 Best here

1. Mainstay Filing: best for companies spread across states

9.5 Editor score out of 10
$199 service fee, $354 due at checkout including the state fee; agent $149 yearly from year two

Mainstay Filing leads the card: $199 on top of the state's fee, with a free first year as your registered agent and the same price in every state.

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 Vermont Registered Agent.co'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
  • Service of process scanned and uploaded the same business day, no fee

Strengths

  • Same price across all fifty states
  • Registered agent free for year one
  • $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 Vermont Registered Agent.co charges
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. Mainstay Filing: the full write-up
Rank #2 Best value here

2. Vermont Registered Agent.co: best for companies that add just Vermont

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

Vermont Registered Agent.co takes second spot: $199 beyond the state fee to register in Vermont, 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
  • Year-one registered agent service included

Strengths

  • A $199 service fee before the state's
  • Agent at $99 a year from year two
  • Includes the first registered agent year

Watch for

  • Limited to Vermont; your home state still needs an agent
  • $99 extra for the EIN application
Visit Vermont Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. Vermont Registered Agent.co: the full write-up
Rank #3 Lower renewal than Mainstay

3. VT Registered Agent.org: best for registrations in Vermont only

9.2 Editor score out of 10
$199 plus the state's own fee; $99 a year for the agent afterwards

VT Registered Agent.org takes third spot: $199 beyond the state fee to register in Vermont, 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.

Vermont Registered Agent.co and VT Registered Agent.org post identical prices and plan features, so the points between them are close and either is a sound pick.

What you get

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

Strengths

  • Registered agent service for year one is in the price
  • $199 service fee plus the registration fee
  • Agent at $99 a year from year two

Watch for

  • Limited to Vermont; your home state still needs an agent
  • $99 extra for the EIN application
Visit VT Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. VT 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 9.5 $199 $149/yr Companies spread over several states Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Vermont Registered Agent.co 9.3 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit Vermont Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 VT Registered Agent.org 9.2 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit VT Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Scores are Formation Scorecard's own marks out of 10, based on the criteria explained on How we rank. Customers do not rate anything here.

Vermont 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
Vermont Registered Agent.co $199 $99 $99 $397 Included
VT Registered Agent.org $199 $99 $99 $397 Included

Each price comes from the company's own site, read on November 12, 2026. Add Vermont's $155 registration fee to each row; the tally above leaves it out.

Why the order falls this way

The marking scheme gives 25% to cost across three years and 25% to coverage of the price, with renewal terms, state-by-state fit and pricing clarity sharing 50%. For Vermont, coverage of the price made the difference.

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

Every criterion and weight appears on How we rank.

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

An outside company registers by sending the Application for certificate of authority to the Vermont Secretary of State, Business Services Division, with a $155 state fee. Vermont additionally requires certificate of existence (certificate of good standing), dated no more than 90 days before filing.

Once registered, the company files the annual report ($170), due within three months after your fiscal year ends.

Gather these before filing

  • Certificate of existence (certificate of 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 registered agent; any service on this card can fill that role.
  • The state fee of $155, sent in with the filing.
  • A calendar date for the annual report and its $170 fee.

The price of ignoring Vermont registration

An unregistered outside LLC cannot sue in Vermont courts until it registers (11 V.S.A. 4119(a)(1)). Its contracts remain valid (11 V.S.A. 4119(b)). A per-day penalty of $50 may accrue.

Vermont foreign registration service: quick questions

Does Vermont 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 Vermont?

Expect $155 for the state plus $199 for the service.

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

Yes, the state wants certificate of existence (certificate of good standing), no older than 90 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), Vermont Registered Agent.co ($199) and VT Registered Agent.org ($199), top to bottom.

Which foreign registration service leads the card for Vermont?

Mainstay Filing, since it files the Vermont registration for $199 and acts as your registered agent, free for year one and $149 a year after.

Keep reading

Where the figures come from

  1. Vermont Secretary of State fee schedule, Annual Report, as of October 2026
  2. Vermont report due date, as of August 2026
  3. Vermont formation fee: Filing fee, official source, as of October 2026
  4. Vermont registered agent statute, as of October 2026
  5. Vermont Secretary of State, foreign registration, as of October 2026
  6. 11 V.S.A. § 4112, application for certificate of authority, as of October 2026
  7. 11 V.S.A. § 4113, activities that are not transacting business, as of October 2026
  8. 11 V.S.A. § 4033, annual report, as of October 2026
  9. 11 V.S.A. 4119, effect of failure to obtain certificate of authority, as of November 2026
  10. 11A V.S.A. 15.02, consequences of transacting business without authority, as of November 2026
  11. Read on November 12, 2026: Vermont service page for Mainstay Filing
  12. Read on November 12, 2026: pricing and service pages for Vermont Registered Agent.co
  13. Read on November 12, 2026: pricing and service pages for VT Registered Agent.org