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Formation Rated

Rankings of registered agents, LLC formation and foreign registration services in all 50 states.

Foreign registration ratings · Delaware

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in Delaware (2026)

From the Formation Rated editorial team
Formation Rated's 2026 ratings for foreign registration services in Delaware, highest first: Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and DE Registered Agent.org ($199). Delaware Registered Agent.ai holds the top rating: the Delaware registration at $199, first agent year included, then $99 yearly.
Position1
Top pick on this page

1. Delaware Registered Agent.ai: best for adding Delaware and nothing else

$199 for the service, plus state fees, then $99 a year for the agent

Our score9.2out of 10

Delaware Registered Agent.ai is rated first: $199 on top of the state fee to register in Delaware, agent at $99 afterward.

The plan lists an in-state street address as the registered office and scans papers served there into your account.

Its three-year sum is under Mainstay Filing's, which scores well on cost.

What you get

  • The registration filing
  • A year of registered agent service at the start

Pros

  • Then $99 yearly for the agent
  • A $199 registration amount before the state fee
  • The first registered agent year is covered

Trade-offs

  • Delaware only; your home state needs its own agent
  • EIN application billed at $99
Position2
Fifty-state coverage

2. Mainstay Filing: best for companies registered in more than one state

Service fee $199, with $399 due at checkout including the state fee; agent $149 a year after that

Our score8.7out of 10

Mainstay Filing is rated second: the Delaware registration costs $199, and the registered agent is free for year one and $149 a year after.

The agent line is $149 a year from year two, identical across states, after a free first year.

Delaware Registered Agent.ai is $100 cheaper on the three-year sum, and that lowers Mainstay Filing's cost rating.

What you get

  • Registration documents prepared and filed
  • Year one as your registered agent, no charge
  • No-fee scans of service of process on the day it is received

Pros

  • Same-business-day scans of service of process, no fee
  • $199 service fee, state fee separate
  • Registered agent, no charge in year one
  • The same amount in all fifty states

Trade-offs

  • Agent renewal of $149 is $50 over Delaware Registered Agent.ai
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. The Mainstay Filing entry
Position3
Best for a Delaware-only company

3. DE Registered Agent.org: best for Delaware registrations only

Service fee $199, state fee on top; agent $99 a year after that

Our score8.4out of 10

DE Registered Agent.org is rated third: $199 on top of the state fee to register in Delaware, agent at $99 afterward.

The plan lists an in-state street address as the registered office and scans papers served there into your account.

On amounts and features alone, Delaware Registered Agent.ai and DE Registered Agent.org are the same, which makes the order between them a close call.

What you get

  • The registration filing
  • The first year as your registered agent

Pros

  • Year-two agent amount: $99
  • Registered agent service for year one is included
  • $199 to register, state fee on top

Trade-offs

  • Delaware only; your home state needs its own agent
  • EIN application billed at $99
Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. The DE Registered Agent.org entry

The 3 ratings summarized

LineServiceRatingService feeYear twoBest forOpen
1 Delaware Registered Agent.ai 9.2 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit Delaware Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Mainstay Filing 8.7 $199 $149/yr Companies that register in several states Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 DE Registered Agent.org 8.4 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit DE Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Formation Rated sets each rating out of 10 itself, using the weighted criteria on How we rank; customers have no part in them.

Delaware foreign registration service amounts for 2026: year one, renewal and three-year sum

ServiceYear oneYear twoYear threeThree-year sumAgent paid for year one
Delaware Registered Agent.ai$199$99$99$397Included
Mainstay Filing$199$149$149$497Free
DE Registered Agent.org$199$99$99$397Included
Each amount was read from the company's own site on November 12, 2026. Delaware's $200 registration fee is paid in addition to each line and sits outside these sums.

Why the order looks like this

Formation Rated puts 27% on cost over years one to three, 27% on inclusions per price and the other 46% on renewal price and terms, fit with state rules and price clarity. In Delaware the order came down to cost over years one to three.

Delaware Registered Agent.ai sums to $397 across three years, $100 below Mainstay Filing. Both services include year one of agent service, so the renewal amount decided the order.

Each criterion and its weight is listed on How we rank.

Delaware foreign LLC registration: amount, form and office

A company from another state registers by lodging the Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company with the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations; the state amount is $200. Delaware also needs certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, issued inside 180 days of the filing.

Registration adds one recurring line: the Annual LLC tax ($400), due June 1.

Have these ready

  • Certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, issued within 180 days before the filing.
  • Home-state legal name, spelled exactly, and the formation date.
  • An in-state registered agent; every service rated here can fill the role.
  • $200 to the state, paid with the filing.
  • The date of the Annual LLC tax and its $400 fee on your calendar.

What skipping Delaware registration costs

An unregistered outside LLC may not sue in Delaware courts until it registers (6 Del. C. 18-907(a)). Contracts it signs remain valid (6 Del. C. 18-907(b)).

Delaware foreign registration service: your questions

Is registration compulsory for an outside LLC doing business in Delaware?

Yes, once it does business there. An unregistered company cannot bring suit in the state's courts.

What are the costs of foreign registration in Delaware?

$200 to the state plus $199 to the service.

Must the filing include a home-state certificate for Delaware?

Yes: certificate of existence from the jurisdiction of formation, with an issue date within 180 days.

Must a registered agent stay on file after registering?

Yes. A registered agent with a street address in the state stays on record.

Which foreign registration services are rated on this page?

Delaware Registered Agent.ai ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and DE Registered Agent.org ($199), highest rated first.

Which foreign registration service holds the top rating in Delaware?

Delaware Registered Agent.ai, as $199 plus the state fee, year-one registered agent service included, then $99 a year for the agent.

Source lines

  1. Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source (ledger date October 2026)
  2. Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source (ledger date October 2026)
  3. Delaware yearly filing: HB 400, official source (ledger date October 2026)
  4. Delaware report due date (ledger date August 2026)
  5. 6 Del. C. § 18-201 (ledger date August 2026)
  6. Delaware registered agent statute (ledger date October 2026)
  7. Foreign LLC registration form (ledger date October 2026)
  8. Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter IX (ledger date October 2026)
  9. Division of Corporations fee schedule, August 2026 (ledger date October 2026)
  10. Delaware Registered Agent.ai, pricing and service pages: amounts read November 12, 2026
  11. Mainstay Filing, Delaware service page: amounts read November 12, 2026
  12. DE Registered Agent.org, pricing and service pages: amounts read November 12, 2026