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Straight talk · Kentucky

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in Kentucky (2026): The Straight Story

If you need foreign registration services in Kentucky in 2026, here's the order we'd go in: KY Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Kentucky Registered Agent.co ($199). Here's the money: $90 to the state, $397 to $497 to a service across three years.
Straight from the LLC Straight Talk editorial team

The short of it

The short of it
What the state charges to register
$90
Certificate from home?
Nope
Once you're registered
$15, annual report
Who we'd use
KY Registered Agent.org, Mainstay Filing then Kentucky Registered Agent.co

Who we'd use in Kentucky

Prices come from each company's own page. Here's how we judge.

#1 Our top pick

1. KY Registered Agent.org: best for adding this state and no others

$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

KY Registered Agent.org wins the top spot: add up three years of its service fees and you've got $397.

Three years cost less here than at Mainstay Filing, and price counts most.

What you get

  • Registration filed
  • The first agent year's on them

Pluses

  • Service fee of $199
  • No agent charge in year one
  • Agent renews at $99

What's not

  • Nothing outside this state
Go to KY Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
#2 Works in all 50 states

2. Mainstay Filing: best for registering in several states

$199 plus the state fee, then $149 a year

There's one fee, $199, whatever state you're registering in, and the registered agent is waived for the first year. That puts Mainstay Filing second.

It ranks lower because three years cost $100 more than KY Registered Agent.org, and price is the biggest test.

Year one of the registered agent is on the house; every renewal after that is $149.

What you get

  • Registration, start to finish
  • Registered agent, on the house in year one
  • A flat fee in every state

Pluses

  • The price doesn't change by state
  • $199 to file
  • Agent's free the first year

What's not

  • KY Registered Agent.org renews its agent $50 lower
Go to Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
#3 Kentucky only

3. Kentucky Registered Agent.co: best for another in-state choice

$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

Add up three years of its service fees and you've got $397. That puts Kentucky Registered Agent.co third.

Price for price, it's a tie with KY Registered Agent.org.

What you get

  • Registration filed
  • The first agent year's on them

Pluses

  • Agent renews at $99
  • Service fee of $199
  • No agent charge in year one

What's not

  • Nothing outside this state
Go to Kentucky Registered Agent.co Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Side by side

#WhoYear oneEach year afterThree-year totalCovers
1 KY Registered Agent.org $199$99/yr$397registration filed; The first agent year's on them Go to KY Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Mainstay Filing $199$149/yr$497Registration, start to finish; registered agent, on the house in year one; A flat fee in every state Go to Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 Kentucky Registered Agent.co $199$99/yr$397registration filed; The first agent year's on them Go to Kentucky Registered Agent.co Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Service fees only, from each company's prices on November 13, 2026. State fees are the same whoever you pick.

What you need to know

Does my LLC have to register here?

Before your LLC does business in Kentucky. You register with the Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings, then you start working.

If you skip it, expect it can't sue in Kentucky courts until it registers (KRS 14A.9-020(1)); a per-day charge of $2.

sos.ky.gov, confirmed October 2026, if you don't believe us

How much does registering run?

$90 goes to the state. A service is $199 more.

Over three years the state's fees reach $645, counting any recurring report and the minimum tax. apps.legislature.ky.gov, confirmed October 2026, if you don't believe us

Which form, and who gets it?

The form's the Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Entity) (Form FBE), and the Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings gets it.

The state doesn't ask for a certificate from your home state.

Is there a filing that repeats?

Expect the annual report: $15.

Straight from the state, the deadline is Between January 1 and June 30 each year.

Why this order?

On money out the door in three years (35% of the score), KY Registered Agent.org wins.

Two tests carry most of the weight: money out the door in three years (35%) and jobs the price actually covers (30%).

Go with KY Registered Agent.org and you'll pay $397 over three years, $100 less.

The five tests

What Kentucky requires to register

RequirementThe rule or the numberCheck it
Registration fee $90apps.legislature.ky.gov, confirmed October 2026, if you don't believe us
Certificate from home Nopesos.ky.gov, confirmed October 2026, if you don't believe us
Annual report $15sos.ky.gov, confirmed October 2026, if you don't believe us
Minimum tax $175 a yearrevenue.ky.gov, confirmed October 2026, if you don't believe us
State fees, years one to three $645The rows above, added up

The last row is our math, not the state's: filing fee, plus the reports in years two and three, plus any minimum tax. If a cost has no fixed amount, like a newspaper notice, it's explained above and left out.

More questions

Do I still need an agent at home?

Yes. Your home state has its own agent rule, and Mainstay Filing can cover both states from one account.

What's the three-year damage for each?

Over three years you're looking at $397 at KY Registered Agent.org, $497 at Mainstay Filing, $397 at Kentucky Registered Agent.co, with state fees on top.

Are the fees official?

State fees come from Kentucky's official documents, and service fees come from each company's own price page. Both are dated here.

Do I have to use a service?

No law says you need a service. It's a convenience you pay for.

Will a service file it for me?

All of them do, so the service fee's the only difference.

Who should I use for a foreign registration service in Kentucky?

Go with KY Registered Agent.org first, then look at Mainstay Filing and Kentucky Registered Agent.co.

What's next

Sources, so you can check

  1. Where Kentucky Secretary of State comes from: sos.ky.gov, confirmed August 2026, and you can go look yourself
  2. Where Kentucky Secretary of State comes from: sos.ky.gov, confirmed August 2026, and you can go look yourself
  3. Where Kentucky report due date comes from: apps.legislature.ky.gov, confirmed August 2026, and you can go look yourself
  4. Where KRS 275.025 comes from: apps.legislature.ky.gov, confirmed August 2026, and you can go look yourself
  5. Where Kentucky formation fee: Filing fee comes from: sos.ky.gov, confirmed October 2026, and you can go look yourself
  6. Where Kentucky registered agent statute comes from: apps.legislature.ky.gov, confirmed October 2026, and you can go look yourself
  7. Where Kentucky Secretary of State, business comes from: sos.ky.gov, confirmed October 2026, and you can go look yourself
  8. Where Form FBE, Certificate of Authority comes from: web.sos.ky.gov, confirmed October 2026, and you can go look yourself
  9. Where KRS 14A.9-020, consequences of transacting comes from: apps.legislature.ky.gov, confirmed October 2026, and you can go look yourself
  10. Where KRS 14A.9-010, authority to transact comes from: apps.legislature.ky.gov, confirmed October 2026, and you can go look yourself
  11. Where Kentucky other cost: Limited Liability comes from: revenue.ky.gov, confirmed October 2026, and you can go look yourself
  12. KY Registered Agent.org pricing page, read November 13, 2026
  13. Mainstay Filing Kentucky service page, read November 13, 2026
  14. Kentucky Registered Agent.co pricing page, read November 13, 2026