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Foreign LLC guide · Massachusetts

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

Mainstay Filing ($199), Massachusetts Registered Agent.co ($199) and MA Registered Agent.org ($199) is our order for a foreign LLC registration in Massachusetts for 2026. Fee to get in: $500. Fee per report afterward: $500. Rank 49th of 50.

Desk note by LLC Data Desk ·

Massachusetts: state side

49thof 50, foreign LLC state costSmallest total ranks first. See the whole table
Fee to register
$500Basis: sec.state.ma.us, October 2026
Report
$500Foreign LLC annual report
Home-state certificate
90 daysIssued no earlier than
Total owed to the state, 3 yrs
$1,500State cost only, years 1 to 3

Services ranked for Massachusetts

Criteria and weights: method.

1. Mainstay Filing: best for adding a second state

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

First, Mainstay Filing, because it files the Massachusetts registration for $199 on top of the state fee, first agent year included.

Net of Massachusetts Registered Agent.co, the three-year bill is $100 higher, with more filings covered.

The free year ends; $149 a year begins, whichever state it is.

What the fee covers

  • Registration filed on your behalf
  • One fee, any state

Pros

  • All fifty states covered
  • Service fee $199

Cons

  • $50 more a year for the agent
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

2. Massachusetts Registered Agent.co: best for a small yearly agent fee

Local pick$199 plus state fee; agent $99/yr from yr 2

Spot 2, Massachusetts Registered Agent.co. $199 service fee, $99 agent renewal.

What the fee covers

  • The foreign registration filing
  • A year of agent service

Pros

  • Service fee $199
  • First agent year in the fee
  • $99 renewal

Cons

  • Massachusetts only; home state needs its own agent
Visit Massachusetts Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3. MA Registered Agent.org: best for Massachusetts registrations

Local pick$199 plus state fee; agent $99/yr from yr 2

Spot 3, MA Registered Agent.org. $199 service fee, $99 agent renewal.

Same prices as Massachusetts Registered Agent.co.

What the fee covers

  • The foreign registration filing
  • A year of agent service

Pros

  • First agent year in the fee
  • Service fee $199
  • $99 renewal

Cons

  • Massachusetts only; home state needs its own agent
Visit MA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Fees in a row

#ServiceYr 1Yr 2+Service fees, 3 yrs
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Massachusetts Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Massachusetts Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3MA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit MA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
All fees here were pulled November 12, 2026 from the companies' sites. The state's $500 is not counted above.

Registration cost calculator

Registration fee $500, report $500 from year two; service fees are added.
3 years with Mainstay Filing totals $1,997: $1,500 to the state, $497 to the service.

Massachusetts 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.

How Massachusetts registers foreign LLCs (2026)

Foreign LLCs: file the Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (General Laws Chapter 156C, Section 48) with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division; fee $500. Include certificate of legal existence or good standing, not older than 90 days.

Recurring: the Foreign LLC annual report ($500), anniversary of registration.

Filing checklist

  • Certificate of legal existence or good standing, at most 90 days.
  • Home-state legal name and formation date.
  • A named resident agent at a local street address.
  • Payment of the $500 state charge.

Operating unregistered: risks

Unregistered, the LLC cannot sue in the state's courts (G.L. c. 156C, 54(a)). Contracts stay valid (G.L. c. 156C, 54(a)).

How the Massachusetts order was set

Scope of the price settled first place in Massachusetts. It carries 29% of the score; the other criteria are service bill over three years, renewal step, state rule match, fee transparency.

Reach across states outweighed Massachusetts Registered Agent.co's smaller renewal.

Quick answers

Fee for a foreign LLC to register in Massachusetts?

$500 in state fees. Services here charge $199 more.

Foreign registration form for Massachusetts?

Use the Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (General Laws Chapter 156C, Section 48); it goes to the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division.

Home-state certificate required?

Yes: certificate of legal existence or good standing, dated within 90 days of filing.

Anything due yearly from a foreign LLC?

Yes, the Foreign LLC annual report, fee $500.

What if the LLC works there unregistered?

Unregistered, the LLC cannot sue in the state's courts (G.L. c. 156C, 54(a)). Contracts stay valid (G.L. c. 156C, 54(a)).

Massachusetts: a resident agent 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, Massachusetts Registered Agent.co and MA Registered Agent.org, by rank.

See also

Basis for this page

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