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Foreign registration cost calculators + California

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in California (2026): Cost Calculator

Run for 2026, the foreign registration services in California that come out best are Mainstay Filing ($199), California Registered Agent.ai ($199) and CA Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. Input one is the state's $70. Input two, the services, comes to $397 to $497 over three years.
Calculated by the Formation Calc editorial team

Result order: Best value first, from our five-term calculation

Results in brief

Registration fee owed to the state$70bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov {input read October 2026, shown in full}
Year-one band$199Service side only
Three-year outputs$397 to $497Opening input plus two more
What the state takes in 3 years$2,490Independent of the service
CrossoverDoes not occurRanking steady to year 10

California ranking

Ranked by the formula. The $70 state fee is not folded into any result.
1

1. Mainstay Filing: best for the same cost in each state

Leads the results
Year-1 input$199
Input for year 2 on$149/yr
Result at year 3$497
Input $199; later years $149

Mainstay Filing gives the best result in California: $199 to file, no agent input in year one, and one price in any state.

Using California Registered Agent.ai would save $100 over three years and leave more filing work to you.

Agent price from year two: $149 a year, in any state.

Inputs covered

  • Registration delivered to the state office
  • One fee wherever you register

Adds up well

  • $199 above the state fee
  • Same fee wherever you register

Adds up badly

  • $50 more each year for the agent
2

2. California Registered Agent.ai: best for a basic registration

California only
Year-1 input$199
Input for year 2 on$99/yr
Result at year 3$397
Input $199; later years $99

Result 2: California Registered Agent.ai. Filing with California through this service costs $199, after which the agent renews at $99.

Inputs covered

  • Registration delivered to the state office
  • Agent service for the first year

Adds up well

  • Service fee of $199
  • No agent charge in year one
  • $99 yearly from year two

Adds up badly

  • The home state needs a different agent
3

3. CA Registered Agent.org: best for a nearby provider

California only
Year-1 input$199
Input for year 2 on$99/yr
Result at year 3$397
Input $199; later years $99

Result 3: CA Registered Agent.org. Filing with California through this service costs $199, after which the agent renews at $99.

Its inputs match California Registered Agent.ai's exactly.

Inputs covered

  • Registration delivered to the state office
  • Agent service for the first year

Adds up well

  • Service fee of $199
  • $99 yearly from year two
  • No agent charge in year one

Adds up badly

  • The home state needs a different agent

Results over time

RankServiceResult, year 1Result, year 2Result, year 3Result, year 5
1Mainstay Filing$199$348$497$795Open Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2California Registered Agent.ai$199$298$397$595Open California Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3CA Registered Agent.org$199$298$397$595Open CA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Prices entered November 13, 2026. Every column adds a renewal. None of the totals cross in ten years.

Break-even test

How long will the company stay open? Enter the years and compare.
Result for 3 years: Mainstay Filing $497, California Registered Agent.ai $397, CA Registered Agent.org $397. Lowest of the results: California Registered Agent.ai.

California fee list

InputAmountSource
Cost to register$70bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov {input read October 2026, shown in full}
Statement of Information, Form LLC-12$20ftb.ca.gov {input read October 2026, shown in full}
Yearly minimum tax$800 per yearftb.ca.gov {input read October 2026, shown in full}
State side, 3 years$2,490Sum of the inputs above
The state's three-year figure is a sum of three kinds of charge: the filing fee, the reports owed in years two and three, and a minimum tax where the state levies one. Costs with no fixed amount, such as publication in a newspaper, are noted in the text and left out of the sum.

How the result came out

Mainstay Filing did better than California Registered Agent.ai on filing work in the price, a 27% term.

A foreign LLC already spans two states, so a provider covering both came first.

How California describes the foreign LLC registration fee and rules

Registration inputs: the Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) (Form LLC-5), the California Secretary of State, Business Entities, $70. It also takes certificate of good standing (existence or status) from the home state from the past 180 days.

An unregistered LLC can face dismissal of its own claims in California courts (Corp. Code 17708.07(a)).

Official text: ftb.ca.gov {input read October 2026, shown in full}

Filing it yourself

Take the services out and the sum is state fees alone: $2,490 for three years. Every service stacks its own $397 to $497 on that base.

Quick answers

What is the registration fee for a foreign LLC in California?

$70 to the state, where our results add $199.

What do these services calculate to over three years?

Anywhere from $397 to $497 for three years of service.

Which form registers the LLC?

Complete Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) (Form LLC-5) and deliver it to the California Secretary of State, Business Entities.

Does the California filing need a document from the home state?

Yes, one less than 180 days old: certificate of good standing (existence or status) from the home state.

What recurring filing follows registration?

The Statement of Information, Form LLC-12, charged at $20.

When does one service pass another in total cost?

No break-even within ten years.

Which foreign registration service calculates best for California?

Mainstay Filing, which wins on filing work in the price. California Registered Agent.ai and CA Registered Agent.org follow.

Related calculators

Input sources

  1. Input for California Secretary of State comes from sos.ca.gov, entered August 2026.
  2. Input for California Secretary of State comes from bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, entered August 2026.
  3. Input for California yearly filing: Statement of comes from sos.ca.gov, entered October 2026.
  4. Input for Cal comes from leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, entered August 2026.
  5. Input for California registered agent statute comes from leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, entered October 2026.
  6. Input for California Secretary of State, foreign comes from sos.ca.gov, entered October 2026.
  7. Input for Form LLC-5 comes from bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, entered October 2026.
  8. Input for Corporations Code section 17708.03 comes from leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, entered October 2026.
  9. Input for Revenue and Taxation Code section comes from leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, entered October 2026.
  10. Input for Franchise Tax Board, LLC filing comes from ftb.ca.gov, entered October 2026.
  11. Input for California Corporations Code 17708.07 comes from leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, entered November 2026.
  12. Input for California other cost: Annual LLC comes from ftb.ca.gov, entered October 2026.
  13. California service page figure supplied by Mainstay Filing, November 13, 2026
  14. pricing page figure supplied by California Registered Agent.ai, November 13, 2026
  15. pricing page figure supplied by CA Registered Agent.org, November 13, 2026