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Founder Mentor Guide

Mentor walkthrough 3 · Louisiana

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

For bringing an LLC into a second state in Louisiana in 2026, our mentors would send you to LA Registered Agent.org ($199), Louisiana Registered Agent.co ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), in that order. You will pass through 5 stages, pay $185 to the state and plan for what comes afterward.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

The short version

Registration fee
$185
Official page: static.sos.la.gov (viewed October 2026)
Certificate from your home state
90 days
No older than
Yearly filing
$35
Annual report
What the state collects in three years
$255
State charges only
Stage count
5
Each one explained

What this walkthrough covers

  • When the rule applies
  • The official form and fee
  • The recurring filing
  • The services at the top of the list

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. LA Registered Agent.org: best for adding just Louisiana

Top recommendation$199 to register, $99 a year after

LA Registered Agent.org is our first call in Louisiana: $199 beyond the state fee, with the first year of the agent covered, then $99 a year.

Cost settles it: three years here come to less than at Mainstay Filing.

What you get

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

What works

  • $99 a year for the agent after that
  • $199 above the state fee
  • A free first agent year

What to watch

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

Our call

2. Louisiana Registered Agent.co: best for Louisiana-only registrations

Focused on Louisiana$199 to register, $99 a year after

Our second call, Louisiana Registered Agent.co: $199 beyond the state fee, with the first year of the agent covered, then $99 a year.

On price it is a tie with LA Registered Agent.org.

What you get

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

What works

  • $199 above the state fee
  • A free first agent year
  • $99 a year for the agent after that

What to watch

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

Our call

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

Upkeep covered$199 to register, $149 a year after

Third place goes to Mainstay Filing, since 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.

Across three years it trails LA Registered Agent.org by $100.

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

What you get

  • Registration filed for you
  • Your first year of registered agent is free
  • Any state, one price

What works

  • $199 to register
  • Registered agent is free in year one
  • The same fee in every state

What to watch

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

Scores and prices together

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1LA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit LA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Louisiana Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Louisiana 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.
Pulled from each price page on November 13, 2026. These figures leave out Louisiana's $185 fee.

The stages

  1. Stage 1

    Check whether Louisiana wants your LLC to register

    An LLC formed in another state has to register with Louisiana before it does business here. What can go wrong without registering: claims brought by the LLC will not be heard in Louisiana until it registers (La. R.S. 12:1354(A)) its contracts can still be enforced (La. R.S. 12:1354(B)) fees for the period before you registered

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

  2. Stage 2

    Request the document your home state issues

    Attach certificate of existence or good standing from the jurisdiction of organization, no older than 90 days.

    A recent certificate is the safe choice, so order late.

  3. Stage 3

    Choose your Louisiana registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a registered office in Louisiana, which the law treats as the company's domicile. P.O. boxes and virtual offices are not accepted.

    Our ranking covers this role.

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

  4. Stage 4

    Now deal with the Application for Authority to Transact Business in Louisiana, Foreign Limited Liability Company

    Filing is registering, and the state charges $185 for it.

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

  5. Stage 5

    Look ahead to the repeating filing

    Write down the annual report and its $35 fee (on or before the anniversary of your qualification).

Louisiana costs by stage

StagePaid toCost
Registering the LLCPaid to the state$185
Annual reportPaid to the state$35
Paid helpThe service company$199 for year one
Three-year state totalPaid to the state$255
Whatever goes to Louisiana is an official fee you can verify on the pages listed below. The three-year row combines the filing, two later reports and a minimum tax where there is one; service prices stay out of it.

Why the list runs this way

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

LA Registered Agent.org costs $397 across three years, saving you $100 compared with Mainstay Filing.

What founders ask

How much does Louisiana charge my LLC to register?

$185 at the state office. The services here charge $199 extra.

Which form do I file to register?

Fill in the form named in stage 4 and send it to the Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certificate of existence or good standing from the jurisdiction of organization, issued within 90 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

claims brought by the LLC will not be heard in Louisiana until it registers (La. R.S. 12:1354(A)) its contracts can still be enforced (La. R.S. 12:1354(B)) fees for the period before you registered

What is due after registering?

The annual report is what keeps the registration alive, at $35.

Which service should handle the registration?

Phone LA Registered Agent.org, because registering in Louisiana here costs $199 and includes a year of agent service; renewal is $99. After that come Louisiana Registered Agent.co and Mainstay Filing.

Where we got the facts

  1. Our Louisiana Secretary of State notes lean on geauxbiz.sos.la.gov as of August 2026.
  2. Our Louisiana Secretary of State notes lean on sos.la.gov as of August 2026.
  3. Our Louisiana yearly filing: Annual report, official source notes lean on legis.la.gov as of October 2026.
  4. Our Louisiana Secretary of State fee changes effective October notes lean on static.sos.la.gov as of October 2026.
  5. Our Louisiana registered agent statute notes lean on legis.la.gov as of October 2026.
  6. Our Louisiana Secretary of State, forms and fee schedule notes lean on sos.la.gov as of October 2026.
  7. Our Form 972, foreign LLC application notes lean on sos.la.gov as of October 2026.
  8. Our R.S. 12:1345, application for authority notes lean on legis.la.gov as of October 2026.
  9. Our R.S. 12:1354, effect of failing to obtain authority notes lean on legis.la.gov as of October 2026.
  10. Our R.S. 12:1350, registered agent notes lean on legis.la.gov as of October 2026.
  11. The pricing page at LA Registered Agent.org, viewed November 13, 2026
  12. The pricing page at Louisiana Registered Agent.co, viewed November 13, 2026
  13. The Louisiana service page at Mainstay Filing, viewed November 13, 2026