3 Best Foreign Registration Services in Montana (2026) and What Montana Really Requires
If you need foreign registration services in Montana in 2026, here's the order we'd go in: Montana Registered Agent.co ($199), Registered Agent MT.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199). Every option pays Montana $70, then services run $397 to $497 over three years.
Straight from the LLC Straight Talk editorial team
Quick facts
The short of it
State fee to register
$70
Bring a home-state certificate?
No
Once you're registered
Nothing, annual report
Who we'd use
Montana Registered Agent.co, Registered Agent MT.org then Mainstay Filing
1. Montana Registered Agent.co: best for registering in one place only
$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year
Montana Registered Agent.co is who we'd use first in Montana, because you'll pay $199 over the state fee and get the agent free for year one, then $99 a year.
It beats Mainstay Filing on three-year cost, and cost is the biggest test.
What you get
Registration filed
Agent service covered for year one
Pluses
A free agent year at the start
Agent renews at $99
$199 over the state fee
What's not
Montana only, so your home state needs another agent
#2Montana only
2. Registered Agent MT.org: best for one added state, and that's it
$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year
You'll pay $199 over the state fee and get the agent free for year one, then $99 a year. That puts Registered Agent MT.org second.
Price for price, it's a tie with Montana Registered Agent.co.
What you get
Registration filed
Agent service covered for year one
Pluses
A free agent year at the start
Agent renews at $99
$199 over the state fee
What's not
Montana only, so your home state needs another agent
#3Works in all 50 states
3. 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 third.
Montana Registered Agent.co is $100 less over three years, and that's enough to decide the order.
Skip the registered agent charge in year one. Afterward expect $149 a year in every state.
What you get
Your registration filed for you
Registered agent, on the house in year one
The same fee no matter the state
Pluses
Service fee of $199
Ready for the next state
No registered agent fee in year one
What's not
$50 more a year for the agent
Side by side
#
Company
First year
Then
3 years
What you get
1
Montana Registered Agent.co
$199
$99/yr
$397
registration filed; agent service covered for year one
Figure $70 to the state and $199 if you hire help.
Over three years the state's fees reach $70, counting any recurring report. go check mca.legmt.gov, last confirmed October 2026
Which form, and who gets it?
The form's the Application for Certificate of Authority (foreign limited liability company), and the Montana Secretary of State, Business Services gets it.
The state doesn't ask for a certificate from your home state.
Is there a filing that repeats?
Next up is the annual report, which costs nothing.
Per the state, it's due April 15.
Why this order?
Montana Registered Agent.co scores best on money out the door in three years, and that test is worth 35%.
Two tests carry most of the weight: money out the door in three years (35%) and jobs the price actually covers (30%).
Do the math: Montana Registered Agent.co is $397 for three years, and that's $100 less than Mainstay Filing.
Every line above links to the state's own page. The total's ours: the filing, two reports and any minimum tax.
More questions
Does my home state need its own agent?
Each state sets its own rule, so keep an agent at home too. A provider that works in every state, like Mainstay Filing, can handle both.
What's the three-year damage for each?
Montana Registered Agent.co will set you back $397, and Registered Agent MT.org will set you back $397, and Mainstay Filing will set you back $497, with state fees on top.
Where do these numbers come from?
State fees come from Montana'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?
Not required. The state takes filings from owners.
Will a service file it for me?
Yes. Every pick files it, and the state fee's the same whichever you choose.
What's the best foreign registration service in Montana?
Montana Registered Agent.co is first: $199 files the registration, and from year two the agent's $99. Then comes Registered Agent MT.org and Mainstay Filing.