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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 3 · Colorado

Foreign LLC Registration Walkthrough, Colorado (2026): 4 Stages and the 3 Best Services

Here is the short answer for bringing an LLC into a second state in Colorado in 2026: CO Registered Agent.org ($199), Colorado Registered Agent.co ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), ranked from first to last. Colorado wants $100 from a foreign LLC, and the 4 stages below show you how to file.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Key facts up front

What the state charges to register
$100
We pulled this from coloradosos.gov in October 2026
Report fee
$25
Periodic report
What the state collects in three years
$150
Registration and reports
Stages in this walkthrough
4
One at a time

Walkthrough goals

  • Which LLCs must register
  • What you file and what it costs
  • What staying registered costs
  • Our recommendations, with reasons

The Colorado call list

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

Our call

1. CO Registered Agent.org: best for a low yearly agent fee

Number one pick$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

If you only phone one company, make it CO Registered Agent.org, because a service fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $99 a year.

Its three-year total is under Mainstay Filing's, which earns first place because cost carries 32%.

What you get

  • The Colorado registration, prepared and sent
  • Agent service for one year comes with the price

What works

  • $199 above the state fee
  • The agent renews at $99
  • Agent covered in year one

What to watch

  • Covers Colorado only, so your home state needs its own agent
Visit CO Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. Colorado Registered Agent.co: best for registering only in Colorado

One-state plan$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

Second place goes to Colorado Registered Agent.co, since a service fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $99 a year.

It lists the same prices as CO Registered Agent.org.

What you get

  • The Colorado registration, prepared and sent
  • Agent service for one year comes with the price

What works

  • The agent renews at $99
  • $199 above the state fee
  • Agent covered in year one

What to watch

  • Covers Colorado only, so your home state needs its own agent
Visit Colorado Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

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

All fifty states$199 plus the state fee, then $149 a year

Our third call, Mainstay Filing: you pay $199 on top of the state fee, the registered agent costs nothing in year one, and after that it is $149 a year.

CO Registered Agent.org comes in $100 cheaper across three years, enough to keep this one out of first.

Year two brings an agent bill of $149, and it does not change from state to state.

What you get

  • Filing made with the state
  • Your first year of registered agent is free
  • Service in all fifty states

What works

  • $199 above the state fee
  • No agent fee for year one
  • One price anywhere

What to watch

  • Renewal $50 above CO Registered Agent.org's
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services, compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1CO Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit CO Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Colorado Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Colorado Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Listed prices, viewed November 13, 2026. Plan for $100 more in state fees, whichever row you pick.

The stages

  1. Stage 1

    Does the rule cover you?

    Quick definition: a foreign LLC is one formed in a different state. Colorado wants it registered before it operates here. Skipping registration can hurt: topping out at $5,000.

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

  2. Stage 2

    Arrange a Colorado registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a physical address in Colorado, either a home or a usual place of business. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    Any of our picks can take the job.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from sos.state.co.us in October 2026

  3. Stage 3

    The paper to file is the Statement of Foreign Entity Authority

    Filing is registering, and the state charges $100 for it.

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

  4. Stage 4

    Keep the registration in force

    The filing that repeats is the periodic report, $25, once a year, by the end of the second month after your report month.

Costs, stage by stage

What forPayeeAmount
Filing to registerState agency$100
Periodic reportState agency$25
Service, if you hire oneThe provider$199 in the first year
Three years of state feesState agency$150
The state's fees come from official pages, listed below. Over three years they add up to the filing, two reports and, in a few states, a minimum tax.

Why the list runs this way

Three-year bill makes up 32% of the score, and that is where pulled ahead in Colorado.

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

What founders ask

How big is the Colorado fee for a foreign LLC?

$100 at the state office. A service adds $199.

Which form do I file to register?

Track down the Statement of Foreign Entity Authority; it goes to the Colorado Secretary of State, Business Program.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

topping out at $5,000.

What is due after registering?

Stage 4 has it: the periodic report for $25.

Which services are in this lesson?

The picks, best score first: CO Registered Agent.org, Colorado Registered Agent.co and Mainstay Filing.

Which service should handle the registration?

Go with CO Registered Agent.org: $199 plus the state fee to register, and $99 every year afterward. Then Colorado Registered Agent.co and Mainstay Filing.

Where we got the facts

  1. Colorado Secretary of State: go straight to sos.state.co.us, checked August 2026.
  2. Colorado Secretary of State: go straight to sos.state.co.us, checked August 2026.
  3. Colorado yearly filing: Periodic report, official source: go straight to coloradosos.gov, checked October 2026.
  4. Colorado report due date: go straight to colorado.public.law, checked August 2026.
  5. Colo: go straight to sos.state.co.us, checked August 2026.
  6. Colorado formation fee: Filing fee, official source: go straight to coloradosos.gov, checked October 2026.
  7. Colorado Secretary of State, foreign entity FAQ: go straight to coloradosos.gov, checked October 2026.
  8. Sample Statement of Foreign Entity Authority: go straight to coloradosos.gov, checked October 2026.
  9. Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 7: go straight to content.leg.colorado.gov, checked October 2026.
  10. Registered agent requirements effective July 1, 2025: go straight to coloradosos.gov, checked October 2026.
  11. November 13, 2026, pricing page belonging to CO Registered Agent.org
  12. November 13, 2026, pricing page belonging to Colorado Registered Agent.co
  13. November 13, 2026, Colorado service page belonging to Mainstay Filing