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Straight talk · Texas

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in Texas (2026) and What Texas Really Requires

For foreign registration services in Texas in 2026, we'd rank Mainstay Filing ($199), TX Registered Agent.org ($199) and Texas Registered Agent.ai ($199), best first. Texas charges $750 to register no matter who files, and services add $397 to $497 over three years.
Straight from the LLC Straight Talk editorial team

Quick facts

The short of it
What the state charges to register
$750
Certificate from home?
No
Once you're registered
Nothing, Public Information Report
Who we'd use
Mainstay Filing, TX Registered Agent.org then Texas Registered Agent.ai

Texas picks, best first

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

#1 Our top pick

1. Mainstay Filing: best for adding states down the road

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

Mainstay Filing is who we'd use first in Texas, because there's one fee, $199, whatever state you're registering in, and the registered agent is waived for the first year.

You'd save $100 over three years with TX Registered Agent.org, as long as the LLC never leaves Texas.

Skip the registered agent charge in year one. Afterward expect $149 a year in every state.

What you get

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

Pluses

  • Agent's free the first year
  • $199 over the state fee
  • Same fee in every state

What's not

  • Renewal's $50 over TX Registered Agent.org
#2 Texas specialist

2. TX Registered Agent.org: best for registering in one place only

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

The service fee's $199, with the first year of agent service included, and renewal is $99. That puts TX Registered Agent.org second.

What you get

  • Texas registration filing
  • The first agent year's on them

Pluses

  • $199 to register
  • $99 a year from year two
  • Year one of the agent comes with it

What's not

  • Two states, two providers
#3 Texas specialist

3. Texas Registered Agent.ai: best for another in-state choice

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

The service fee's $199, with the first year of agent service included, and renewal is $99. That puts Texas Registered Agent.ai third.

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

What you get

  • Texas registration filing
  • The first agent year's on them

Pluses

  • $99 a year from year two
  • $199 to register
  • Year one of the agent comes with it

What's not

  • Two states, two providers

The numbers

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

The questions that matter

Does my LLC have to register here?

Before your LLC does business in Texas. You register with the Texas Secretary of State, then you start working.

If you skip it, expect it can't act as a plaintiff (BOC 9.051(b)).

comptroller.texas.gov, confirmed October 2026, if you don't believe us

What's it cost to register?

Figure $750 to the state and $199 if you hire help.

By year three the state has collected $750. sos.state.tx.us, confirmed October 2026, if you don't believe us

Which form, and who gets it?

Once the Texas Secretary of State accepts the Application for Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form 304), your LLC is registered.

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

What do I owe once I'm registered?

The state wants a Public Information Report later, and it's free.

Per the state, it's due May 15.

What put number one on top?

On jobs the price actually covers (30% of the score), Mainstay Filing wins.

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

With two states in play, a provider that covers every state beat TX Registered Agent.org.

The five tests

What Texas requires to register

WhatThe rule or the numberCheck it
Registration fee $750sos.state.tx.us, confirmed October 2026, if you don't believe us
Good standing certificate Nocomptroller.texas.gov, confirmed October 2026, if you don't believe us
State fees, years one to three $750The 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

Does my home state need its own agent?

You do. Two states, two rule books. One-state services stop at the border, and Mainstay Filing doesn't.

What do the picks cost over three years?

Mainstay Filing comes out at $497; TX Registered Agent.org comes out at $397; Texas Registered Agent.ai comes out at $397, with state fees on top.

Where do these numbers come from?

State fees come from Texas'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. You can file with the state yourself. A service saves you time and can be your agent, but nothing makes you hire one.

Can I pay somebody to register the LLC?

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

What's the best foreign registration service in Texas?

Go with Mainstay Filing first, then look at TX Registered Agent.org and Texas Registered Agent.ai.

Keep reading

Don't take our word for it

  1. Where Texas yearly filing: Annual report comes from: comptroller.texas.gov, confirmed October 2026, and you can go look yourself
  2. Where Texas report due date comes from: statutes.capitol.texas.gov, confirmed August 2026, and you can go look yourself
  3. Where Tex comes from: sos.texas.gov, confirmed August 2026, and you can go look yourself
  4. Where Texas registered agent statute comes from: sos.texas.gov, confirmed October 2026, and you can go look yourself
  5. Where Texas Secretary of State, foreign comes from: sos.state.tx.us, confirmed October 2026, and you can go look yourself
  6. Where Form 304 instructions comes from: sos.state.tx.us, confirmed October 2026, and you can go look yourself
  7. Where Business Organizations Code, Chapter 9 comes from: statutes.capitol.texas.gov, confirmed October 2026, and you can go look yourself
  8. Where Texas Comptroller, franchise tax comes from: comptroller.texas.gov, confirmed October 2026, and you can go look yourself
  9. Where Texas Business Organizations Code, Chapter comes from: tcss.legis.texas.gov, confirmed November 2026, and you can go look yourself
  10. Mainstay Filing Texas service page, read November 13, 2026
  11. TX Registered Agent.org pricing page, read November 13, 2026
  12. Texas Registered Agent.ai pricing page, read November 13, 2026