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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 3 · Iowa

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

If you want help with bringing an LLC into a second state in Iowa in 2026, phone Mainstay Filing ($199), Iowa Registered Agent.co ($199) and IA Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. First work out whether you have to register; 5 stages and a $100 fee follow.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Key facts up front

Fee at the state office
$100
Official page: sos.iowa.gov (viewed October 2026)
Certificate you must attach
90 days
Age limit
Report fee
$30
Biennial report
State fees over three years
$130
No service fee included
Stages
5
One at a time

By the end you will know

  • Which LLCs must register
  • The official form and fee
  • The recurring filing
  • Who we would phone to file

The Iowa call list

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

Our call

1. Mainstay Filing: best for LLCs on the move

Our first call$199 and the $100 state fee, then $149 a year

If you only phone one company, make it Mainstay Filing, because 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.

Next to Iowa Registered Agent.co the three-year premium is $100, which the 32% weight on work taken off your desk outweighs.

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

What you get

  • Registration filed for you
  • Your first year of registered agent is free
  • Service in all fifty states

What works

  • All fifty states covered
  • $199 to register
  • The first year of the agent is included

What to watch

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

Our call

2. Iowa Registered Agent.co: best for a low yearly agent fee

In-state service$199 and the $100 state fee, then $99 a year

Second place goes to Iowa Registered Agent.co, since $199 beyond the state fee, with the first year of the agent covered, then $99 a year.

What you get

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

What works

  • A $199 service charge
  • $99 a year for the agent after that
  • A free first agent year

What to watch

  • A single-state service
Visit Iowa Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

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

In-state service$199 and the $100 state fee, then $99 a year

Third place goes to IA Registered Agent.org, since $199 beyond the state fee, with the first year of the agent covered, then $99 a year.

Iowa Registered Agent.co and this service cost the same.

What you get

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

What works

  • A free first agent year
  • A $199 service charge
  • $99 a year for the agent after that

What to watch

  • A single-state service
Visit IA 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.
2Iowa Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Iowa Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3IA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit IA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
What each company posted on November 13, 2026. Iowa's $100 registration fee is still owed in every row.

The walkthrough, stage by stage

  1. Stage 1

    Check whether Iowa wants your LLC to register

    If your LLC came from elsewhere and will operate in Iowa, you register first as a foreign LLC. An LLC that operates unregistered risks: if you need to sue, you have to register first (Iowa Code 489.902) signed contracts keep their force (Iowa Code 489.902(3))

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

  2. Stage 2

    Get a certificate from your home state

    Attach certificate of existence (good standing) from the state or country of formation, no older than 90 days.

    Order this last so it is fresh when you file.

  3. Stage 3

    Arrange an Iowa registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a place of business in Iowa. The registered office street address and the agent's business office have to match, and P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    Every service we recommend includes the registered agent.

    Check it yourself: Official page: legis.iowa.gov (viewed October 2026)

  4. Stage 4

    Your next job is the Limited Liability Company Foreign Registration Statement

    Complete the Limited Liability Company Foreign Registration Statement (Form 635_0010), include $100, and mail or upload both to the Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services.

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

  5. Stage 5

    Deal with Iowa's ongoing filing

    Next on your list is the biennial report at $30, January 1 to April 1 of each odd-numbered year.

The bill

Line itemGoes toTotal
The registration stageState office$100
Biennial reportState office$30
Optional serviceThe provider$199 to start
Three years of state feesState office$130
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 the list runs this way

edged out on work taken off your desk, which counts for 32%.

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

Short answers

How much does Iowa charge my LLC to register?

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

Which form do I file to register?

Track down the Limited Liability Company Foreign Registration Statement (Form 635_0010); it goes to the Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

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

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

if you need to sue, you have to register first (Iowa Code 489.902) signed contracts keep their force (Iowa Code 489.902(3))

What is due after registering?

Stage 5 has it: the biennial report for $30.

Which service should handle the registration?

Go with Mainstay Filing: the Iowa registration is $199 plus the state's own charge, and the first year of the registered agent is already covered. Then Iowa Registered Agent.co and IA Registered Agent.org.

Where we got the facts

  1. Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services Division: go straight to help.sos.iowa.gov, checked August 2026.
  2. Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services Division: go straight to help.sos.iowa.gov, checked August 2026.
  3. Iowa report due date: go straight to legis.iowa.gov, checked August 2026.
  4. Iowa Code § 489.201: go straight to legis.iowa.gov, checked August 2026.
  5. Iowa formation fee: Filing fee, official source: go straight to legis.iowa.gov, checked October 2026.
  6. Iowa registered agent statute: go straight to legis.iowa.gov, checked October 2026.
  7. Iowa Secretary of State, business entity forms and: go straight to sos.iowa.gov, checked October 2026.
  8. LLC Foreign Registration Statement, Form 635_0010: go straight to sos.iowa.gov, checked October 2026.
  9. Iowa Code 489.902, registration requirement: go straight to legis.iowa.gov, checked October 2026.
  10. Iowa Code 489.905, activities that do not count: go straight to legis.iowa.gov, checked October 2026.
  11. Iowa Secretary of State, certificate of existence: go straight to sos.iowa.gov, checked October 2026.
  12. Iowa Code 489.902, registration to do business: go straight to legis.iowa.gov, checked November 2026.
  13. Iowa Code 490.1502, registration of a foreign corporation: go straight to legis.iowa.gov, checked November 2026.
  14. Mainstay Filing Iowa service page; prices copied November 13, 2026
  15. Iowa Registered Agent.co pricing page; prices copied November 13, 2026
  16. IA Registered Agent.org pricing page; prices copied November 13, 2026