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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 3 · Michigan

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

If you want help with bringing an LLC into a second state in Michigan in 2026, phone Michigan Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and MI Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. First work out whether you have to register; 5 stages and a $50 fee follow.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Read this first

State filing fee
$50
We pulled this from legislature.mi.gov in October 2026
Certificate from your home state
30 days
How old it can be at filing
Yearly filing
$25
Annual statement
Three-year state cost
$100
Registration, reports and any minimum tax
Stages
5
First to last

By the end you will know

  • When registration is required
  • The official form and fee
  • The upkeep that repeats
  • 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. Michigan Registered Agent.co: best for adding just Michigan

Best overall$199 and the $50 state fee, then $99 a year

Start with Michigan Registered Agent.co; a service fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $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

  • $99 yearly from year two
  • $199 and the state fee
  • A year of agent service is included

What to watch

  • No help in other states
Visit Michigan Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. Mainstay Filing: best for a string of registrations

Any state$199 and the $50 state fee, then $149 a year

Mainstay Filing is a solid second: the Michigan registration is $199 plus the state's own charge, and the first year of the resident agent is already covered.

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

The agent charge starts in year two at $149 a year, the same in any state.

What you get

  • Registration filed for you
  • Covers all fifty states

What works

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

What to watch

  • Michigan Registered Agent.co charges $50 less for the agent
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. MI Registered Agent.org: best for registering only in Michigan

In-state service$199 and the $50 state fee, then $99 a year

Pick number 3 is MI Registered Agent.org, where a service fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $99 a year.

On price it is a tie with Michigan Registered Agent.co.

What you get

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

What works

  • A year of agent service is included
  • $199 and the state fee
  • $99 yearly from year two

What to watch

  • No help in other states
Visit MI Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Scores and prices together

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Michigan Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Michigan 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.
3MI Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit MI Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Pulled from each price page on November 13, 2026. The $50 state fee comes on top of each row.

How registration works in Michigan

  1. Stage 1

    Find out if you have to register

    An LLC formed in another state has to register with Michigan before it does business here. Not registering can lead to: until it registers, the LLC cannot sue in Michigan's courts (MCL 450.5007(1)) contracts it has signed stay valid (MCL 450.5007(3))

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

  2. Stage 2

    Request the document your home state issues

    You will need certificate of good standing, issued within 30 days.

    Hold off until the other papers are ready.

  3. Stage 3

    Find a resident agent with an address in Michigan

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

    Our picks each fill the resident agent role.

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

  4. Stage 4

    Get ready the Application for Certificate of Authority to Transact Business in Michigan (for foreign limited liability companies)

    the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Corporations Division receives the filing above and $50.

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

  5. Stage 5

    Look ahead to the repeating filing

    Write down the annual statement and its $25 fee (February 15).

What each stage costs in Michigan

EntryPaid toCost
The registration stagePaid to the state$50
Annual statementPaid to the state$25
A filing service (optional)The service company$199 at the start
Three years of state feesPaid to the state$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.

How we scored the Michigan picks

edged out on three-year bill, which counts for 32%.

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

Short answers

What will registering my LLC in Michigan cost?

$50 in state fees. Hiring one means $199 on top.

Which form do I file to register?

Track down the Application for Certificate of Authority to Transact Business in Michigan (for foreign limited liability companies) (Form CSCL/CD 760); it goes to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Corporations Division.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certificate of good standing, issued within 30 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

until it registers, the LLC cannot sue in Michigan's courts (MCL 450.5007(1)) contracts it has signed stay valid (MCL 450.5007(3))

What is due after registering?

Look ahead to the annual statement, which costs $25.

Which service should handle the registration?

Go with Michigan Registered Agent.co: $199 plus the state fee to register, and $99 every year afterward. Then Mainstay Filing and MI Registered Agent.org.

Where we got the facts

  1. For Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, open michigan.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  2. For Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, open michigan.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  3. For Michigan report due date, open michigan.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  4. For MCL 450.4202, open legislature.mi.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  5. For Michigan formation fee: Filing fee, official source, open michigan.gov (we last saw it September 2026).
  6. For Michigan formation fee: Filing fee, official source, open legislature.mi.gov (we last saw it September 2026).
  7. For Michigan registered agent statute, open legislature.mi.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  8. For LARA limited liability company forms, open michigan.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  9. For MCL 450.5002, certificate of authority, open legislature.mi.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  10. For MCL 450.5008, activities that are not transacting business, open legislature.mi.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  11. For MCL 450.5007, consequences of transacting business without a, open legislature.mi.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  12. Michigan Registered Agent.co pricing page; prices copied November 13, 2026
  13. Mainstay Filing Michigan service page; prices copied November 13, 2026
  14. MI Registered Agent.org pricing page; prices copied November 13, 2026