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Founder Mentor Guide

Mentor notes 3 · Maryland

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

My advice for 2026: when bringing an LLC into a second state in Maryland, start with Mainstay Filing ($199), Maryland Registered Agent.co ($199) and MD Registered Agent.org ($199), best first. Registering takes 5 stages and a $100 state fee, and each later report costs $300.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Walkthrough snapshot

State filing fee
$100
We pulled this from mgaleg.maryland.gov in October 2026
Certificate you must attach
60 days
No older than
Recurring report
$300
Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1
Three-year state cost
$700
Service fees not counted
How many stages
5
Listed below

What this walkthrough covers

  • Which LLCs from elsewhere must register in Maryland
  • The form and the fee
  • The recurring filing
  • Who we would phone to file

If you would rather hand it off

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

Our call

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a second state and beyond

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

Mainstay Filing is our first call in Maryland: you pay $199 on top of the state fee, the resident agent costs nothing in year one, and after that it is $149 a year.

Maryland 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

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • Any state, one price

What works

  • A $199 service charge
  • Ready for your next state too

What to watch

  • Agent renews at $149, $50 above Maryland Registered Agent.co
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. Maryland Registered Agent.co: best for a budget registration

One-state plan$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

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

What you get

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

What works

  • A small $99 renewal
  • No agent fee in year one
  • $199 plus the state fee

What to watch

  • Serves Maryland alone
Visit Maryland Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. MD Registered Agent.org: best for registering only in Maryland

One-state plan$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

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

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

What you get

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

What works

  • $199 plus the state fee
  • A small $99 renewal
  • No agent fee in year one

What to watch

  • Serves Maryland alone
Visit MD Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The services compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Maryland Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Maryland Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3MD Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit MD Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Listed prices, viewed November 13, 2026. Maryland's $100 registration fee is still owed in every row.

The walkthrough, stage by stage

  1. Stage 1

    Find out if you have to register

    Maryland expects an out-of-state LLC to register before it transacts business in the state. Not registering can lead to: if you need to sue, you have to register first (4A-1007(a)) signed contracts keep their force (4A-1007(b))

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from mgaleg.maryland.gov in October 2026

  2. Stage 2

    Collect the certificate from the state of formation

    Your application must include written proof of existence from the home state, equivalent to a certificate of good standing, issued within 60 days.

    Ask for it shortly before you file.

  3. Stage 3

    Arrange a Maryland resident agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a Maryland address on file with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation; P.O. boxes are not accepted. The LLC also keeps a principal office in Maryland.

    Every service we recommend includes the resident agent.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from mgaleg.maryland.gov in October 2026

  4. Stage 4

    Your next job is the Limited Liability Company Registration (For non-Maryland Limited Liability Company)

    Complete the Limited Liability Company Registration (For non-Maryland Limited Liability Company), include $100, and mail or upload both to the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from mgaleg.maryland.gov in October 2026

  5. Stage 5

    What comes next

    Write down the Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1 and its $300 fee (April 15).

What this walkthrough costs

Line itemWho gets paidTotal
Registering the LLCPaid to the state$100
Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1Paid to the state$300
Service, if you hire oneYour service$199 for year one
Three years of state feesPaid to the state$700
Whatever goes to Maryland 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.

The thinking behind the order

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

The company belongs to one state and works in a second, so one provider for both is the better fit.

Maryland questions answered

What will registering my LLC in Maryland cost?

$100 at the state office. A service adds $199.

Which form do I file to register?

Fill in the form named in stage 4 and send it to the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: written proof of existence from the home state, equivalent to a certificate of good standing, issued within 60 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

if you need to sue, you have to register first (4A-1007(a)) signed contracts keep their force (4A-1007(b))

What is due after registering?

The Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1 is what keeps the registration alive, at $300.

Which service should handle the registration?

The order runs Mainstay Filing, Maryland Registered Agent.co and MD Registered Agent.org, with Mainstay Filing first because the Maryland registration is $199 plus the state's own charge, and the first year of the resident agent is already covered.

Where we got the facts

  1. Backing for Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation: dat.maryland.gov, August 2026.
  2. Backing for Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation: dat.maryland.gov, August 2026.
  3. Backing for Maryland report due date: dat.maryland.gov, August 2026.
  4. Backing for Md: mgaleg.maryland.gov, August 2026.
  5. Backing for Maryland formation fee: Filing fee, official source: mgaleg.maryland.gov, October 2026.
  6. Backing for Maryland formation fee: Filing fee, official source: egov.maryland.gov, October 2026.
  7. Backing for Maryland registered agent statute: mgaleg.maryland.gov, October 2026.
  8. Backing for Maryland Business Express: egov.maryland.gov, October 2026.
  9. Backing for Corporations and Associations § 4A-1002, registration: mgaleg.maryland.gov, October 2026.
  10. Backing for Corporations and Associations § 4A-1009, activities that are: mgaleg.maryland.gov, October 2026.
  11. Backing for Corporations and Associations § 4A-1007, effect of not: mgaleg.maryland.gov, October 2026.
  12. Backing for Tax-Property § 11-101, annual report: mgaleg.maryland.gov, October 2026.
  13. Mainstay Filing: Maryland service page, opened November 13, 2026
  14. Maryland Registered Agent.co: pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  15. MD Registered Agent.org: pricing page, opened November 13, 2026