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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 3 · Kentucky

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

My advice for 2026: when bringing an LLC into a second state in Kentucky, start with Kentucky Registered Agent.co ($199), KY Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), best first. First work out whether you have to register; 4 stages and a $90 fee follow.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Read this first

Registration fee
$90
Verify it at apps.legislature.ky.gov, which we opened in October 2026
Annual report
$15
Annual report
State fees over three years
$645
Service fees not counted
Stage count
4
Each one explained

What this walkthrough covers

  • Which LLCs from elsewhere must register in Kentucky
  • The filing, its price and its office
  • What staying registered costs
  • Our recommendations, with reasons

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

Best overall$199 and the $90 state fee, then $99 a year

If you only phone one company, make it Kentucky Registered Agent.co, because registering in Kentucky 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 filing is done for you
  • Agent service for one year comes with the price

What works

  • $99 yearly from year two
  • $199 and the state fee
  • A free first agent year

What to watch

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

Our call

2. KY Registered Agent.org: best for another Kentucky option

Local choice$199 and the $90 state fee, then $99 a year

KY Registered Agent.org comes in second: registering in Kentucky here costs $199 and includes a year of agent service; renewal is $99.

It lists the same prices as Kentucky Registered Agent.co.

What you get

  • The filing is done for you
  • Agent service for one year comes with the price

What works

  • $199 and the state fee
  • $99 yearly from year two
  • A free first agent year

What to watch

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

Our call

3. Mainstay Filing: best for companies adding a second state

Works in every state$199 and the $90 state fee, then $149 a year

Pick number 3 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 Kentucky Registered Agent.co.

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

What you get

  • Registration prepared and sent
  • Your first year of registered agent is free
  • Any state, one price

What works

  • $199 to register
  • Ready for your next state too
  • The agent costs nothing in year one

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
1Kentucky Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Kentucky Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2KY Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit KY 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.
Listed prices, viewed November 13, 2026. These figures leave out Kentucky's $90 fee.

The walkthrough, stage by stage

  1. Stage 1

    Does the rule cover you?

    Quick definition: a foreign LLC is one formed in a different state. Kentucky wants it registered before it operates here. Skipping registration can hurt: an unregistered LLC cannot be a plaintiff in Kentucky (KRS 14A.9-020(1)) a per-day fine of $2.

    Check it yourself: Verify it at sos.ky.gov, which we opened in October 2026

  2. Stage 2

    Name a registered agent for Kentucky

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a physical registered office in Kentucky that matches the agent's business address. A P.O. box is not enough.

    Our picks each fill the registered agent role.

    Check it yourself: Verify it at apps.legislature.ky.gov, which we opened in October 2026

  3. Stage 3

    Get ready the Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Entity)

    The form and the $90 fee travel together to the Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings.

    Check it yourself: Verify it at apps.legislature.ky.gov, which we opened in October 2026

  4. Stage 4

    What comes next

    Next on your list is the annual report at $15, between January 1 and June 30 each year. About taxes: Limited Liability Entity Tax: a $175 minimum each year to the Department of Revenue.

The bill

EntryPaid toTotal
Foreign registrationThe state$90
Annual reportThe state$15
Minimum taxThe state$175 a year
Service, if you hire oneService$199 to start
What the state collects by year threeThe state$645
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

Three-year bill settled first place in Kentucky. It is 32% of the score, and the rest comes from work taken off your desk, year-two price, fit for where you operate and honest pricing.

Three years with Kentucky Registered Agent.co cost $397, which is $100 under Mainstay Filing.

What founders ask

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

$90 at the state office. Hiring one means $199 on top.

Which form do I file to register?

Foreign LLCs send this form to The Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

an unregistered LLC cannot be a plaintiff in Kentucky (KRS 14A.9-020(1)) a per-day fine of $2.

What is due after registering?

The annual report is what keeps the registration alive, at $15.

Which services are in this lesson?

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

Which service should handle the registration?

The order runs Kentucky Registered Agent.co, KY Registered Agent.org and Mainstay Filing, with Kentucky Registered Agent.co first because a service fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $99 a year.

Where we got the facts

  1. Our Kentucky Secretary of State notes lean on sos.ky.gov as of August 2026.
  2. Our Kentucky Secretary of State notes lean on sos.ky.gov as of August 2026.
  3. Our Kentucky report due date notes lean on apps.legislature.ky.gov as of August 2026.
  4. Our KRS 275.025 notes lean on apps.legislature.ky.gov as of August 2026.
  5. Our Kentucky formation fee: Filing fee, official source notes lean on sos.ky.gov as of October 2026.
  6. Our Kentucky registered agent statute notes lean on apps.legislature.ky.gov as of October 2026.
  7. Our Kentucky Secretary of State, business filings notes lean on sos.ky.gov as of October 2026.
  8. Our Form FBE, Certificate of Authority notes lean on web.sos.ky.gov as of October 2026.
  9. Our KRS 14A.9-020, consequences of transacting business without authority notes lean on apps.legislature.ky.gov as of October 2026.
  10. Our KRS 14A.9-010, authority to transact business required notes lean on apps.legislature.ky.gov as of October 2026.
  11. Our Kentucky other cost: Limited Liability Entity Tax, official notes lean on revenue.ky.gov as of October 2026.
  12. Kentucky Registered Agent.co: pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  13. KY Registered Agent.org: pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  14. Mainstay Filing: Kentucky service page, opened November 13, 2026