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Formation Rated

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

Foreign registration ratings · Ohio

2 Best Foreign Registration Services in Ohio (2026)

From the Formation Rated editorial team
Formation Rated's 2026 ratings for foreign registration services in Ohio, highest first: OH Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199). OH Registered Agent.org holds the top rating: $199 on top of the state fee to register in Ohio, agent at $99 afterward.
Position1
Number one here

1. OH Registered Agent.org: best for adding Ohio and nothing else

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

Our score9.2out of 10

OH Registered Agent.org is rated first: $199 plus the state fee, year-one statutory agent service included, then $99 a year for the agent.

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

  • Foreign registration done for you
  • A year of statutory agent service at the start

Pros

  • The first statutory agent year is covered
  • $199 to register, state fee on top
  • $99 per year to keep the agent

Trade-offs

  • Ohio only; your home state needs its own agent
  • EIN application billed at $99
Visit OH Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. The OH Registered Agent.org entry
Position2
Same price in every state

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

$199 for the service, $298 due today, plus state fees, then $149 a year for the agent

Our score8.9out of 10

Mainstay Filing is rated second: $199 on top of the state's fee, with year one as statutory agent free and the same amount in every state.

Agent service starts free and then runs $149 a year, in any state.

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

What you get

  • Registration documents prepared and filed
  • No-fee scans of service of process on the day it is received

Pros

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

Trade-offs

  • Agent renewal of $149 is $50 over OH Registered Agent.org
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. The Mainstay Filing entry

The 2 ratings summarized

LineServiceRatingService feeYear twoBest forOpen
1 OH Registered Agent.org 9.2 $199 $99/yr The lowest agent renewal we rank here Visit OH Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Mainstay Filing 8.9 $199 $149/yr Companies that register in several states Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Our editors assign the ratings out of 10 from the criteria on How we rank. None come from customers.

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

ServiceYear oneYear twoYear threeThree-year sumAgent paid for year one
OH Registered Agent.org$199$99$99$397Included
Mainstay Filing$199$149$149$497Not stated
Each amount was read from the company's own site on November 12, 2026. Ohio's $99 registration fee is paid in addition to each line and sits outside these sums.

How the lines were rated

The rating method counts cost over years one to three and inclusions per price at 27% each and splits 46% among renewal price and terms, fit with state rules and price clarity. For Ohio, cost over years one to three was the deciding line.

OH Registered Agent.org 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.

Ohio foreign LLC registration: amount, form and office

A company from another state registers by lodging the Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form 617) with the Ohio Secretary of State, Business Services; the state amount is $99.

Ohio sets no yearly report for foreign LLCs.

Have these ready

  • Home-state legal name, spelled exactly, and the formation date.
  • An in-state statutory agent; every service rated here can fill the role.
  • $99 to the state, paid with the filing.

What skipping Ohio registration costs

An unregistered outside LLC may not sue in Ohio courts until it registers (R.C. 1706.515(A)). Contracts it signs remain valid (R.C. 1706.515(E)).

Ohio foreign registration service: your questions

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

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 Ohio?

$99 to the state plus $199 to the service.

What form does Ohio use to register a foreign LLC?

the Ohio Secretary of State, Business Services handles it; the form's exact title is on the facts line above.

Must a statutory agent stay on file after registering?

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

Which foreign registration services are rated on this page?

OH Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), highest rated first.

Which foreign registration service holds the top rating in Ohio?

OH Registered Agent.org, as the Ohio registration at $199, first agent year included, then $99 yearly.

Source lines

  1. Ohio Rev. Code § 1706.16 (ledger date August 2026)
  2. Ohio formation fee: Filing fee, official source (ledger date October 2026)
  3. Ohio registered agent statute (ledger date October 2026)
  4. Ohio Secretary of State, filing forms and fee schedule (ledger date October 2026)
  5. Form 617, Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (ledger date October 2026)
  6. R.C. 1706.511, registration of foreign LLCs (ledger date October 2026)
  7. R.C. 1706.515, effect of failing to register (ledger date October 2026)
  8. OH Registered Agent.org, pricing and service pages: amounts read November 12, 2026
  9. Mainstay Filing, Ohio service page: amounts read November 12, 2026