3 Best Foreign Registration Services in New York (2026): The Straight Story
Our 2026 ranking of foreign registration services in New York runs Mainstay Filing ($199), New York Registered Agent.ai ($199) and NY Registered Agent.org ($199). Here's the money: $250 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
$250
Bring a home-state certificate?
Yes (365 day age cap)
Once you're registered
$9, biennial statement
Who we'd use
Mainstay Filing, New York Registered Agent.ai then NY Registered Agent.org
Who we'd use in New York
The order comes from our five tests: three-year cost first, then what the price covers.
#1Our top pick
1. Mainstay Filing: best for adding states down the road
$199 plus the state fee, then $149 a year
New York's fee plus $199 gets you registered, and nobody bills you for the agent for service of process until year two. That's why Mainstay Filing is first.
Here's the catch: New York Registered Agent.ai costs $100 less over three years, but it only works in New York.
Year one of the agent for service of process is on the house; every renewal after that is $149.
What you get
Registration, start to finish
Agent for service of process, on the house in year one
The same fee no matter the state
Pluses
No agent for service of process fee in year one
All fifty states
$199 on top of New York's fee
What's not
Renewal's $50 over New York Registered Agent.ai
#2New York only
2. New York Registered Agent.ai: best for registering in one place only
$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year
$199 files the registration, and from year two the agent's $99. That puts New York Registered Agent.ai second.
What you get
Registration filed
Agent service covered for year one
Pluses
$199 to register
$99 a year from year two
Year one of the agent comes with it
What's not
New York only, so your home state needs another agent
#3New York only
3. NY Registered Agent.org: best for another in-state choice
$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year
$199 files the registration, and from year two the agent's $99. That puts NY Registered Agent.org third.
It charges what New York Registered Agent.ai charges.
What you get
Registration filed
Agent service covered for year one
Pluses
$199 to register
Year one of the agent comes with it
$99 a year from year two
What's not
New York only, so your home state needs another agent
The numbers
#
Company
Year one
Then
Three-year total
Covers
1
Mainstay Filing
$199
$149/yr
$497
Registration, start to finish; agent for service of process, on the house in year one; the same fee no matter the state
Figure $250 to the state and $199 if you hire help.
Over three years the state's fees reach $259, counting any recurring report. go check ny.gov, last confirmed October 2026
Which form, and who gets it?
The form's the Application for Authority of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form DOS-1361-f-a), and the New York Department of State, Division of Corporations gets it.
Include certificate of Existence (also called a Certificate of Good Standing) no older than 365 days.
Is there a filing that repeats?
Next up is the biennial statement, at $9.
Per the state, it's due every two years, in the month the application was filed.
Why this order?
On jobs the price actually covers (30% of the score), Mainstay Filing wins.
We run five tests: money out the door in three years (35%), jobs the price actually covers (30%), no hunting for the price (14%), no surprise at renewal (11%) and where it works (10%).
An out-of-state LLC already works in two states, and the first pick can cover both.