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Foreign LLC guide · California

California Foreign LLC Fees (2026): Data on File and the 3 Best Services

Mainstay Filing ($199), California Registered Agent.ai ($199) and CA Registered Agent.org ($199) is our order for a foreign LLC registration in California for 2026. California takes $70 from a foreign LLC and then $20 on every report; that is 50th of 50 across three years.

Desk note by LLC Data Desk ·

California: state side

50thrank, 50 states, foreign LLC costSmall number, small bill. Open the 50-state table
Fee to register
$70bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov; pulled October 2026
Report
$20Statement of Information, Form LLC-12
Home-state certificate
180 daysOldest the certificate can be
Minimum tax, yearly
$800ftb.ca.gov; pulled October 2026
Total owed to the state, 3 yrs
$2,490First filing, then two upkeep years, plus minimum tax every year

California: desk picks

Criteria and weights: method.

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a later third or fourth state

Desk pick$199 plus state fee; agent $149/yr from yr 2

Mainstay Filing takes first: $199 service fee in any state; year-one agent service costs nothing.

Over three years it costs $100 more than California Registered Agent.ai. Coverage carries 29%, and the extra filings handled outweigh the gap.

Year two on, the agent costs $149 a year in every state.

What the fee covers

  • Registration filed on your behalf
  • Fifty-state service

Pros

  • Same fee in every state
  • Service fee $199

Cons

  • Higher agent renewal ($149)
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

2. California Registered Agent.ai: best for a light California registration

California only$199 plus state fee; agent $99/yr from yr 2

California Registered Agent.ai takes second: registration $199 plus state fees; agent covered in year one.

What the fee covers

  • The foreign registration filing
  • A year of agent service

Pros

  • First agent year in the fee
  • Then $99 a year
  • $199 and the state fee

Cons

  • California alone
Visit California Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3. CA Registered Agent.org: best for registering only in California

California only$199 plus state fee; agent $99/yr from yr 2

CA Registered Agent.org takes third: registration $199 plus state fees; agent covered in year one.

Ties with California Registered Agent.ai on price.

What the fee covers

  • The foreign registration filing
  • A year of agent service

Pros

  • $199 and the state fee
  • Then $99 a year
  • First agent year in the fee

Cons

  • California alone
Visit CA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services, side by side

#ServiceYr 1Yr 2+Service fees, 3 yrs
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2California Registered Agent.ai$199$99/yr$397Visit California Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3CA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit CA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Fees as posted November 12, 2026. The $70 state fee is not in any row.

California foreign LLC cost calculator

Registration fee $70, report $20 from year two; service fees are added.
$2,490 state plus $497 service (Mainstay Filing) gives $2,987 over 3 years.

California next to nearby ranks

RkStateThree-year foreign LLC fees
46thTennessee$900
47thDelaware$1,000
48thRhode Island$1,450
49thMassachusetts$1,500
50thCalifornia$2,490
Foreign LLC fees by state lists every state, least expensive first.

California filing for out-of-state LLCs

An outside LLC registers by sending the Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) (Form LLC-5) and $70 to the California Secretary of State, Business Entities. The state wants certificate of good standing (existence or status) from the home state, not older than 180 days.

After registration it files the Statement of Information, Form LLC-12 ($20), within 90 days of registering, then every 2 years. Tax note: $800 a year minimum LLC tax to the Franchise Tax Board (Form FTB 3522), separate from the Statement of Information.

Before you file

  • Certificate of good standing (existence or status) from the home state, no older than 180 days.
  • Home-state legal name and formation date.
  • A agent for service of process based in the state (included with each pick).
  • Payment of the $70 state charge.

Consequences of staying unregistered

A suit filed before registration is blocked until the filing is made (Corp. Code 17708.07(a)).

Reasoning

Deciding criterion for California: scope of the price, at 29%.

A foreign LLC already has a home state, so one provider for both states scored best.

California foreign registration service questions

Fee for a foreign LLC to register in California?

$70 as the official fee. A service adds $199.

Foreign registration form for California?

Use the Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) (Form LLC-5); it goes to the California Secretary of State, Business Entities.

Home-state certificate required?

Yes: certificate of good standing (existence or status) from the home state, dated within 180 days of filing.

Anything due yearly from a foreign LLC?

Yes, the Statement of Information, Form LLC-12, fee $20.

What if the LLC works there unregistered?

A suit filed before registration is blocked until the filing is made (Corp. Code 17708.07(a)).

California: an agent for service of process for a foreign LLC?

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Which service do you pick for foreign registration?

Mainstay Filing, California Registered Agent.ai and CA Registered Agent.org, by rank.

More from this state

Basis for this page

  1. Desk file on California Secretary of State: basis sos.ca.gov, pulled August 2026.
  2. Desk file on California Secretary of State: basis bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, pulled August 2026.
  3. Desk file on California yearly filing: Statement of Information, official source: basis sos.ca.gov, pulled October 2026.
  4. Desk file on Cal: basis leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, pulled August 2026.
  5. Desk file on California registered agent statute: basis leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, pulled October 2026.
  6. Desk file on California Secretary of State, foreign LLC forms: basis sos.ca.gov, pulled October 2026.
  7. Desk file on Form LLC-5: basis bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, pulled October 2026.
  8. Desk file on Corporations Code section 17708.03: basis leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, pulled October 2026.
  9. Desk file on Revenue and Taxation Code section 19135: basis leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, pulled October 2026.
  10. Desk file on Franchise Tax Board, LLC filing requirements: basis ftb.ca.gov, pulled October 2026.
  11. Desk file on California Corporations Code 17708.07: basis leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, pulled November 2026.
  12. Desk file on California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and: basis ftb.ca.gov, pulled October 2026.
  13. Desk file on Tennessee Secretary of State, business forms and fees: basis sos.tn.gov, pulled October 2026.
  14. Desk file on Form SS-4233, Certificate of Authority for a foreign: basis sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, pulled October 2026.
  15. Desk file on Tennessee Secretary of State, business FAQs: basis sos.tn.gov, pulled October 2026.
  16. Desk file on Form SS-4241, withdrawal or cancellation: basis sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, pulled October 2026.
  17. Desk file on Tennessee Revised LLC Act, Public Chapter 286: basis publications.tnsosfiles.com, pulled October 2026.
  18. Desk file on Foreign LLC registration form: basis corpfiles.delaware.gov, pulled October 2026.
  19. Desk file on Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter IX: basis delcode.delaware.gov, pulled October 2026.
  20. Desk file on Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter XI: basis delcode.delaware.gov, pulled October 2026.
  21. Desk file on Division of Corporations fee schedule, August 2026: basis corpfiles.delaware.gov, pulled October 2026.
  22. Desk file on Alternative entity annual tax instructions: basis corp.delaware.gov, pulled October 2026.
  23. Desk file on Form 450, Application for Registration: basis docs.sos.ri.gov, pulled October 2026.
  24. Desk file on Business Services fee schedule: basis docs.sos.ri.gov, pulled October 2026.
  25. Desk file on R.I: basis webserver.rilegislature.gov, pulled October 2026.
  26. Desk file on R.I: basis webserver.rilegislature.gov, pulled October 2026.
  27. Desk file on Form 452, Certificate of Cancellation: basis docs.sos.ri.gov, pulled October 2026.
  28. Desk file on Rhode Island other cost: basis tax.ri.gov, pulled October 2026.
  29. Desk file on Massachusetts Corporations Division, foreign LLC page: basis sec.state.ma.us, pulled October 2026.
  30. Desk file on Corporations Division fee schedule: basis sec.state.ma.us, pulled October 2026.
  31. Desk file on G.L. c. 156C § 48, foreign LLC registration: basis malegislature.gov, pulled October 2026.
  32. Desk file on G.L. c. 156C § 54, failure to register: basis malegislature.gov, pulled October 2026.
  33. Desk file on G.L. c. 156D § 15.01, transacting business: basis malegislature.gov, pulled October 2026.
  34. Desk file on 950 CMR 112.00, limited liability companies: basis sec.state.ma.us, pulled October 2026.
  35. Mainstay Filing, California service page: pulled from the company site November 12, 2026
  36. California Registered Agent.ai, pricing page: pulled from the company site November 12, 2026
  37. CA Registered Agent.org, pricing page: pulled from the company site November 12, 2026