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Foreign LLC guide · Massachusetts

Massachusetts Foreign LLC Fees (2026) and the 3 Best Registration Services

On our 2026 map for a foreign LLC registration in Massachusetts, the order of preference is Massachusetts Registered Agent.co ($199), MA Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199). Registration fee: $500. Report fee: $500, each time. Spot on the 50-state map: 49th.
Charted by the State Biz Facts team

The numbers behind Massachusetts

49th

on the foreign registration map, of 50

Ordered from smallest bill to largest. All states side by side

  • Charge to register

    $500

    sec.state.ma.us (seen October 2026)

  • Recurring report

    $500

    Foreign LLC annual report

  • Proof of good standing

    90 days

    Maximum age of the certificate

  • State total, years 1 to 3

    $1,500

    A three-year line for foreign LLCs

Massachusetts top picks

How the order was drawn: charges over three years, coverage, renewal, Massachusetts fit, fee labeling (method).

Top of the chart

1. Massachusetts Registered Agent.co: best for a single extra state

$199 plus $500 to the state; $99/yr later

Start with Massachusetts Registered Agent.co, where $199 above the state fee to register, then $99 each year.

This ranking turns on cost: three years here cost less than three years with Mainstay Filing.

Price covers

  • Registration written up and sent in
  • A year of agent service

Upside

  • $199 and the state's fee
  • The agent renews at $99
  • First agent year comes with it

Downside

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

Rooted in Massachusetts

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

$199 plus $500 to the state; $99/yr later

MA Registered Agent.org takes spot 2: $199 above the state fee to register, then $99 each year.

Price for price it equals Massachusetts Registered Agent.co.

Price covers

  • Registration written up and sent in
  • A year of agent service

Upside

  • First agent year comes with it
  • $199 and the state's fee
  • The agent renews at $99

Downside

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

All 50 states

3. Mainstay Filing: best for a business spreading across state lines

$199 plus $500 to the state; $149/yr later

Next on the chart is Mainstay Filing, since $199 on top of Massachusetts's fee, then the agent at $149 each year from year two.

Massachusetts Registered Agent.co comes in $100 lower across three years, which is why it is placed higher.

When the free year ends, the agent charge is $149 per year wherever the company registers.

Price covers

  • Registration papers drawn up and filed for you
  • One service charge for all fifty states

Upside

  • One service charge for every state
  • $199 to register

Downside

  • Agent renewal of $149, $50 above Massachusetts Registered Agent.co
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The 3 providers compared

OrderProviderYear 1Year 2 and onProvider charges, 3 years
1Massachusetts Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Massachusetts Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2MA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit MA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Prices as shown on November 12, 2026. Add the $500 state fee to every row.

Massachusetts foreign LLC budget calculator

The registration fee is $500, with the $500 report from year two; each provider's prices go on top.
$1,500 to the state plus $397 to Massachusetts Registered Agent.co makes $1,897 over 3 years.

Massachusetts and the states beside it on the chart

SpotStateThree-year foreign LLC fees
46thTennessee$900
47thDelaware$1,000
48thRhode Island$1,450
49thMassachusetts$1,500
50thCalifornia$2,490
Every state appears in Foreign LLC fees by state.

The Massachusetts filing for LLCs formed elsewhere

An outside LLC 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 $500. The filing must carry certificate of legal existence or good standing, issued within the last 90 days.

After registering, the company files the Foreign LLC annual report ($500), anniversary of registration.

Gather before filing

  • Certificate of legal existence or good standing, issued within 90 days.
  • Exact legal name and formation date from the home state.
  • A resident agent with a street address here; each provider ranked above can supply one.
  • Means of paying the $500 registration fee.

Working unregistered: the risks

An unregistered LLC cannot sue in the state's courts (G.L. c. 156C, 54(a)). Its contracts continue to hold (G.L. c. 156C, 54(a)).

Reasoning for the ranking

Service cost across three years (36%) is the criterion on which Massachusetts Registered Agent.co outscored MA Registered Agent.org here.

At $397 for three years, $100 beneath Mainstay Filing, Massachusetts Registered Agent.co leads on cost.

Massachusetts: your questions

What does Massachusetts charge a foreign LLC to register?

$500 as the official fee. Providers here charge $199 extra.

Which form does a foreign LLC file with Massachusetts?

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

Does the filing need a certificate from the home state?

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

Does a foreign LLC have a yearly obligation?

A yearly filing applies, namely the Foreign LLC annual report, which costs $500.

What happens if the LLC does business there without registering?

An unregistered LLC cannot sue in the state's courts (G.L. c. 156C, 54(a)). Its contracts continue to hold (G.L. c. 156C, 54(a)).

Must a foreign LLC name a resident agent for Massachusetts?

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

Which provider should register my foreign LLC?

Massachusetts Registered Agent.co, MA Registered Agent.org and Mainstay Filing, as ranked.

Other maps

Where each number comes from

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