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Founder Mentor Guide

Mentor walkthrough 3 · Idaho

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

For bringing an LLC into a second state in Idaho in 2026, our mentors would send you to Idaho Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and ID Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. Idaho wants $100 from a foreign LLC, and the 5 stages below show you how to file.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Read this first

Registration fee
$100
We pulled this from legislature.idaho.gov in October 2026
Home certificate
90 days
How recent it has to be
Annual report
None
Annual report
What the state collects in three years
$100
Registration and reports
Stage count
5
One at a time

Walkthrough goals

  • When registration is required
  • The form and the fee
  • The recurring filing
  • Who we would phone to file

If you would rather hand it off

Five weighted criteria set the order (see how we score), and three-year cost and work taken off your desk count most.

Our call

1. Idaho Registered Agent.co: best for a lean Idaho filing

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

Idaho Registered Agent.co takes first place, and the reason is that $199 beyond the state fee, with the first year of the agent covered, then $99 a year.

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

What you get

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

What works

  • $199 above the state fee
  • $99 a year for the agent after that
  • Agent covered in year one

What to watch

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

Our call

2. Mainstay Filing: best for a string of registrations

Does the most for you$199 plus the state fee, then $149 a year

Pick number 2 is Mainstay Filing, where 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.

Total up three years and it comes to $100 more than Idaho Registered Agent.co.

After the included year, count on $149 per year for the agent, wherever you register.

What you get

  • Filing made with the state
  • Your first year of registered agent is free
  • The same price in each state

What works

  • Registered agent is free in year one
  • All fifty states covered
  • A $199 service charge

What to watch

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

Our call

3. ID Registered Agent.org: best for registering only in Idaho

Focused on Idaho$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

Our third call, ID Registered Agent.org: $199 beyond the state fee, with the first year of the agent covered, then $99 a year.

It charges exactly what Idaho Registered Agent.co charges.

What you get

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

What works

  • $199 above the state fee
  • Agent covered in year one
  • $99 a year for the agent after that

What to watch

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

Every price in one table

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

The Idaho registration, in order

  1. Stage 1

    When registration is a must

    If your LLC came from elsewhere and will operate in Idaho, you register first as a foreign LLC. Skipping registration can hurt: until it registers, the LLC cannot sue in Idaho's courts (Idaho Code 30-21-502(b)) its contracts can still be enforced (Idaho Code 30-21-502(c))

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from archive.sos.idaho.gov in October 2026

  2. Stage 2

    Ask the home state for proof of good standing

    Request certificate of existence (certificate of good standing) from the home state, issued in the past 90 days.

    Ask for it shortly before you file.

  3. Stage 3

    Choose your Idaho registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a physical street address in Idaho. P.O. boxes and commercial mailboxes are not accepted.

    Our picks each fill the registered agent role.

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

  4. Stage 4

    Now deal with the Foreign Registration Statement

    the Idaho Secretary of State, Business Services receives the filing above and $100.

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

  5. Stage 5

    What comes next

    The filing that repeats is the annual report, before the end of the month in which the LLC registered.

The bill

What forWho gets paidSum
Foreign registrationState agency$100
Optional serviceThe service$199 for year one
State total across three yearsState agency$100
Add the filing fee, two later reports and any minimum tax and you have the state's three-year total. The pages listed below show where each figure came from.

The thinking behind the order

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

Idaho Registered Agent.co totals $397 for years one to three, while Mainstay Filing runs $100 higher.

Short answers

What does Idaho charge an out-of-state LLC?

$100 to the state. A service adds $199.

Which form do I file to register?

Foreign LLCs send this form to The Idaho Secretary of State, Business Services.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certificate of existence (certificate of good standing) from the home state, issued within 90 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

until it registers, the LLC cannot sue in Idaho's courts (Idaho Code 30-21-502(b)) its contracts can still be enforced (Idaho Code 30-21-502(c))

What is due after registering?

Next is the annual report.

Which service should handle the registration?

Go with Idaho Registered Agent.co: registering in Idaho here costs $199 and includes a year of agent service; renewal is $99. Then Mainstay Filing and ID Registered Agent.org.

Where we got the facts

  1. For Idaho yearly filing: Annual report: due date, official, open legislature.idaho.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  2. For Idaho Code § 30-25-201, open legislature.idaho.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  3. For Idaho formation fee: Filing fee, official source, open sos.idaho.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  4. For Idaho formation fee: Filing fee, official source, open legislature.idaho.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  5. For Idaho registered agent statute, open legislature.idaho.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  6. For Idaho Secretary of State, Foreign Registration Statement, open archive.sos.idaho.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  7. For Idaho Secretary of State, business FAQ, open sos.idaho.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  8. For Idaho Code 30-21-505, activities that are not doing, open legislature.idaho.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  9. For Idaho Code 30-21-213, annual report, open legislature.idaho.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  10. For Withdrawal of Foreign Registration Statement, open archive.sos.idaho.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  11. For Idaho Code 30-21-502, registration to do business, open legislature.idaho.gov (we last saw it November 2026).
  12. November 13, 2026, pricing page belonging to Idaho Registered Agent.co
  13. November 13, 2026, Idaho service page belonging to Mainstay Filing
  14. November 13, 2026, pricing page belonging to ID Registered Agent.org