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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 3 · California

Foreign LLC Registration Walkthrough, California (2026): 5 Stages and the 3 Best Services

Ranked for 2026, the services worth your call for bringing an LLC into a second state in California are California Registered Agent.ai ($199), CA Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), in that order. Registering takes 5 stages and a $70 state fee, and each later report costs $20.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Key facts up front

Registration fee
$70
We pulled this from bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov in October 2026
Home-state certificate
180 days
Must be issued within
Maintenance filing
$20
Statement of Information, Form LLC-12
State cost, years 1 to 3
$2,490
Service fees not counted
Stage count
5
In order

Walkthrough goals

  • Which LLCs must register
  • How the filing gets made
  • The recurring filing
  • How the picks compare

If you would rather hand it off

Ranked on the scoring page: three-year cost (32%), work taken off your desk (32%), year-two price, fit with California rules and honest pricing.

Our call

1. California Registered Agent.ai: best for one extra state

Top recommendation$199 and the $70 state fee, then $99 a year

If you only phone one company, make it California Registered Agent.ai, because registering in California here costs $199 and includes a year of agent service; renewal is $99.

Because Mainstay Filing costs more over three years, this service takes the top spot.

What you get

  • The registration filing
  • Agent service for one year comes with the price

What works

  • $199 plus the state fee
  • $99 a year for the agent after that
  • A year of agent service is included

What to watch

  • Serves California alone
Visit California Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. CA Registered Agent.org: best for another California option

Focused on California$199 and the $70 state fee, then $99 a year

Our second call, CA Registered Agent.org: registering in California here costs $199 and includes a year of agent service; renewal is $99.

It charges exactly what California Registered Agent.ai charges.

What you get

  • The registration filing
  • Agent service for one year comes with the price

What works

  • $199 plus the state fee
  • A year of agent service is included
  • $99 a year for the agent after that

What to watch

  • Serves California alone
Visit CA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. Mainstay Filing: best for one provider for both states

Any state$199 and the $70 state fee, then $149 a year

Pick number 3 is Mainstay Filing, where $199 over the state fee in any state; year one of the agent for service of process is free, then $149 yearly.

Three years here run $100 above California Registered Agent.ai, and cost is 32% of our ranking.

The agent charge starts in year two at $149 a year, the same in any state.

What you get

  • Registration prepared and sent
  • Any state, one price

What works

  • One price anywhere
  • $199 on top of California's fee

What to watch

  • A pricier agent renewal ($149)
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Every price in one table

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1California Registered Agent.ai$199$99/yr$397Visit California Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2CA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit CA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. No row folds in the $70 state fee.

How registration works in California

  1. Stage 1

    Is California registration required for your LLC?

    Foreign registration is how an LLC from another state gets permission to do business in California. An LLC that operates unregistered risks: if you need to sue, you have to register first (Corp. Code 17708.07(a))

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from ftb.ca.gov in October 2026

  2. Stage 2

    Order the home-state certificate

    Request certificate of good standing (existence or status) from the home state, issued within 180 days.

    Request it close to your filing date.

  3. Stage 3

    Name an agent for service of process for California

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. An individual agent's California street address goes on the public record. A registered corporate agent's address is already on file with the state and is not repeated in the company's filing.

    Our picks each fill the agent for service of process role.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from leginfo.legislature.ca.gov in October 2026

  4. Stage 4

    The paper to file is the Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC)

    the California Secretary of State, Business Entities receives the filing above and $70.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov in October 2026

  5. Stage 5

    What comes next

    Write down the Statement of Information, Form LLC-12 and its $20 fee (within 90 days of registering, then every 2 years). One tax rule applies: $800 a year minimum LLC tax to the Franchise Tax Board (Form FTB 3522), separate from the Statement of Information.

California costs by stage

StageWho gets paidCost
The registration stagePaid to the state$70
Statement of Information, Form LLC-12Paid to the state$20
Tax due every yearPaid to the state$800 a year
A filing service (optional)Your service$199 in the first year
What the state collects by year threePaid to the state$2,490
Whatever goes to California is an official fee you can verify on the pages listed below. The three-year row combines the filing, two later reports and a minimum tax where there is one; service prices stay out of it.

How the scores came out

On three-year bill (32% of the score) finished first, with right behind.

Add up three years and California Registered Agent.ai lands on $397, $100 below Mainstay Filing.

California questions answered

What does California collect from a foreign LLC when it registers?

$70 at the state office. Hiring one means $199 on top.

Which form do I file to register?

You want the Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) (Form LLC-5), and the California Secretary of State, Business Entities is the office that receives it.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certificate of good standing (existence or status) from the home state, issued within 180 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

if you need to sue, you have to register first (Corp. Code 17708.07(a))

What is due after registering?

Stage 5 has it: the Statement of Information, Form LLC-12 for $20.

Which service should handle the registration?

California Registered Agent.ai ranks first and CA Registered Agent.org and Mainstay Filing follow; California Registered Agent.ai wins on three-year bill.

Where we got the facts

  1. Our California Secretary of State notes lean on sos.ca.gov as of August 2026.
  2. Our California Secretary of State notes lean on bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov as of August 2026.
  3. Our California yearly filing: Statement of Information, official source notes lean on sos.ca.gov as of October 2026.
  4. Our Cal notes lean on leginfo.legislature.ca.gov as of August 2026.
  5. Our California registered agent statute notes lean on leginfo.legislature.ca.gov as of October 2026.
  6. Our California Secretary of State, foreign LLC forms notes lean on sos.ca.gov as of October 2026.
  7. Our Form LLC-5 notes lean on bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov as of October 2026.
  8. Our Corporations Code section 17708.03 notes lean on leginfo.legislature.ca.gov as of October 2026.
  9. Our Revenue and Taxation Code section 19135 notes lean on leginfo.legislature.ca.gov as of October 2026.
  10. Our Franchise Tax Board, LLC filing requirements notes lean on ftb.ca.gov as of October 2026.
  11. Our California Corporations Code 17708.07 notes lean on leginfo.legislature.ca.gov as of November 2026.
  12. Our California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and notes lean on ftb.ca.gov as of October 2026.
  13. November 13, 2026, pricing page belonging to California Registered Agent.ai
  14. November 13, 2026, pricing page belonging to CA Registered Agent.org
  15. November 13, 2026, California service page belonging to Mainstay Filing