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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 3 · Georgia

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

If you want help with bringing an LLC into a second state in Georgia in 2026, phone Mainstay Filing ($199), Georgia Registered Agent.co ($199) and GA Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. Registering takes 4 stages and a $235 state fee, and each later report costs $60.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

What to know before you start

What the state charges to register
$235
Official page: sos.ga.gov (viewed October 2026)
Recurring report
$60
Annual registration
State fees over three years
$355
State charges only
Stage count
4
One at a time

What you will get from this walkthrough

  • Which LLCs from elsewhere must register in Georgia
  • The form and the fee
  • What staying registered costs
  • How the picks compare

Our shortlist for Georgia

The mentors' five criteria are on how we score, and they decide the order.

Our call

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

Number one pick$199 to register, $149 a year after

Mainstay Filing takes first place, and the reason is that 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.

Georgia Registered Agent.co costs $100 less across three years; this one still ranks higher because it takes more work off your plate.

Agent pricing past the first year is $149 annually in every state.

What you get

  • The registration filing
  • Your first year of registered agent is free
  • The same price in each state

What works

  • Registered agent is free in year one
  • Ready for your next state too
  • $199 on top of Georgia's fee

What to watch

  • $50 more a year for the agent
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. Georgia Registered Agent.co: best for a lean Georgia filing

In-state service$199 to register, $99 a year after

Second place goes to Georgia Registered Agent.co, since the registration runs $199 plus state fees, and your first agent year is already paid for.

What you get

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • Agent service for one year comes with the price

What works

  • $99 a year for the agent after that
  • $199 and the state fee
  • No agent fee in year one

What to watch

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

Our call

3. GA Registered Agent.org: best for a local filer

In-state service$199 to register, $99 a year after

Third place goes to GA Registered Agent.org, since the registration runs $199 plus state fees, and your first agent year is already paid for.

It charges exactly what Georgia Registered Agent.co charges.

What you get

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • Agent service for one year comes with the price

What works

  • $199 and the state fee
  • $99 a year for the agent after that
  • No agent fee in year one

What to watch

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

Every price in one table

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Georgia Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Georgia Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3GA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit GA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Each price is copied from the company's own site, opened November 13, 2026. These figures leave out Georgia's $235 fee.

The walkthrough, stage by stage

  1. Stage 1

    When registration is a must

    Georgia expects an out-of-state LLC to register before it transacts business in the state. Skipping registration can hurt: an unregistered LLC cannot be a plaintiff in Georgia (O.C.G.A. 14-2-1502)

    Check it yourself: Official page: sos.ga.gov (viewed October 2026)

  2. Stage 2

    Arrange a Georgia registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a Georgia street address that is also the agent's business office, and the agent has to be located there. A P.O. box or mail drop cannot be used.

    Our picks each fill the registered agent role.

    Check it yourself: Official page: sos.ga.gov (viewed October 2026)

  3. Stage 3

    Time to send in the Application for Certificate of Authority for Foreign Limited Liability Company

    To register, send the Application for Certificate of Authority for Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form CD 241) to the Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division along with $235.

    Check it yourself: Official page: sos.ga.gov (viewed October 2026)

  4. Stage 4

    Deal with Georgia's ongoing filing

    Write down the annual registration and its $60 fee (between January 1 and April 1).

Costs, stage by stage

ItemWho gets paidPrice
Filing to registerGoes to the state$235
Annual registrationGoes to the state$60
Paid helpThe provider$199 in the first year
Three years of state feesGoes to the state$355
Here is how the three-year state row is built: filing fee, then the report in each of years two and three, then any yearly minimum tax. Service fees get their own rows.

Why Mainstay Filing is first

Work taken off your desk makes up 32% of the score, and that is where pulled ahead in Georgia.

Your LLC was formed in one state and operates in another, so a provider serving both scored best.

Common questions

How big is the Georgia fee for a foreign LLC?

$235 to the state. Hiring one means $199 on top.

Which form do I file to register?

Foreign LLCs send this form to The Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

an unregistered LLC cannot be a plaintiff in Georgia (O.C.G.A. 14-2-1502)

What is due after registering?

Next is the annual registration at $60.

Which services are in this lesson?

3 services get scores: Mainstay Filing at $199, Georgia Registered Agent.co at $199 and GA Registered Agent.org at $199.

Which service should handle the registration?

Phone Mainstay Filing, because the Georgia registration is $199 plus the state's own charge, and the first year of the registered agent is already covered. After that come Georgia Registered Agent.co and GA Registered Agent.org.

Where we got the facts

  1. For Georgia Secretary of State fee schedule Rev. 8/2025, open sos.ga.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  2. For Georgia report due date, open law.justia.com (we last saw it August 2026).
  3. For Georgia Secretary of State Corporations Division fee schedule, open sos.ga.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  4. For Georgia registered agent statute, open sos.ga.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  5. For Georgia Secretary of State, how to register a, open sos.ga.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  6. For Form CD 241, application for certificate of authority, open sos.ga.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  7. For Form CD 555, application for withdrawal, open sos.ga.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  8. Mainstay Filing: Georgia service page, opened November 13, 2026
  9. Georgia Registered Agent.co: pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  10. GA Registered Agent.org: pricing page, opened November 13, 2026