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Foreign LLC guide · Rhode Island

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

Rhode Island for a foreign LLC registration, 2026: Mainstay Filing ($199), RI Registered Agent.org ($199) and Rhode Island Registered Agent.co ($199), in that order. Foreign LLCs register with the Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division for $150 and then pay $50 per report, which puts Rhode Island at 48th of 50 on three years of state fees.
Charted by the State Biz Facts team

Where Rhode Island stands on fees

48th

among 50 states, counting foreign LLC fees

The map starts at the smallest bill. The full 50-state chart

  • Charge to register

    $150

    docs.sos.ri.gov, as seen October 2026

  • Recurring report

    $50

    Annual report

  • Proof of good standing

    60 days

    Oldest the certificate can be

  • Tax owed each year

    $400

    tax.ri.gov, as seen October 2026

  • State total, years 1 to 3

    $1,450

    A three-year line for foreign LLCs, and the yearly minimum tax on top

Rhode Island top picks

The order follows five criteria described in the method: three-year provider charges (36%), filings covered (24%), renewal price, match to Rhode Island rules and fee labeling.

Rank 1

1. Mainstay Filing: best for companies adding a second state

$199 plus $150 to the state; $149/yr later

Mainstay Filing leads the chart because the Rhode Island registration is filed for $199 above the state charge, and the first agent year costs nothing.

Three years of provider charges come to $100 more than RI Registered Agent.org, and more of the state's paperwork is handled in exchange.

From the second year on, expect $149 per year for the agent.

Price covers

  • Registration papers drawn up and filed for you
  • Fifty-state service

Upside

  • All fifty states covered
  • $199 plus the state fee

Downside

  • Renewal $50 higher than RI Registered Agent.org's
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Home-state option

2. RI Registered Agent.org: best for a modest Rhode Island registration

$199 plus $150 to the state; $99/yr later

Placed second, RI Registered Agent.org offers a $199 service charge and a $99 agent renewal.

Price covers

  • The state filing for foreign LLCs
  • A year of agent service

Upside

  • Year-one agent duty is included
  • $199 to register
  • Then $99 each year

Downside

  • One-state service
Visit RI Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Home-state option

3. Rhode Island Registered Agent.co: best for another route for Rhode Island

$199 plus $150 to the state; $99/yr later

Placed third, Rhode Island Registered Agent.co offers a $199 service charge and a $99 agent renewal.

Prices match RI Registered Agent.org's exactly, so the two sit next to each other on the chart.

Price covers

  • The state filing for foreign LLCs
  • A year of agent service

Upside

  • Then $99 each year
  • $199 to register
  • Year-one agent duty is included

Downside

  • One-state service
Visit Rhode Island Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 providers, side by side

OrderProviderYear 1Year 2 and onProvider charges, 3 years
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2RI Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit RI Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Rhode Island Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Rhode Island Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Prices were taken from each company's own pages on November 12, 2026. Rhode Island charges $150 to register, separately from each provider.

Foreign LLC budget

The registration fee is $150, with the $50 report from year two; each provider's prices go on top.
Mainstay Filing over 3 years comes to $1,947: $1,450 for the state and $497 for the provider.

Rhode Island 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
To see other states, open Foreign LLC fees by state.

How Rhode Island registers outside LLCs (2026)

An outside LLC registers by sending the Application for Registration for a Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form 450) to the Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division, with $150. The application is not complete without certificate of Good Standing or Letter of Status, at most 60 days.

It then keeps filing the annual report ($50), between February 1 and May 1. A state tax rule applies too: $400 a year minimum tax to the Division of Taxation (Form RI-1065), owed whether or not the LLC makes a profit.

Gather before filing

  • Certificate of Good Standing or Letter of Status, not more than 60 days.
  • Name and formation date as the home state lists them.
  • A resident agent based in the state (all our picks offer this).
  • Budget for the $150 official fee.

Working unregistered: the risks

Registration must come first if the LLC wants to sue there (R.I. Gen. Laws 7-16-54(a)). What the LLC signed is still enforceable (R.I. Gen. Laws 7-16-54(b)).

How the Rhode Island ranking was drawn

Requirements handled (24%) is the criterion on which Mainstay Filing outscored RI Registered Agent.org here.

A foreign LLC lives in two states, and coverage settled the order.

Rhode Island foreign registration service questions

What does Rhode Island charge a foreign LLC to register?

$150 paid to the state. Our picks add $199.

Which form does a foreign LLC file with Rhode Island?

The form is the Application for Registration for a Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form 450), and it goes to the Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division.

Does the filing need a certificate from the home state?

Yes: certificate of Good Standing or Letter of Status, dated within 60 days of filing.

Does a foreign LLC have a yearly obligation?

A yearly filing applies, namely the annual report, which costs $50.

What happens if the LLC does business there without registering?

Registration must come first if the LLC wants to sue there (R.I. Gen. Laws 7-16-54(a)). What the LLC signed is still enforceable (R.I. Gen. Laws 7-16-54(b)).

Must a foreign LLC name a resident agent for Rhode Island?

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

Which provider should register my foreign LLC?

Mainstay Filing, RI Registered Agent.org and Rhode Island Registered Agent.co, as ranked.

Related

Where each number comes from

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