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Founder Mentor Guide

Mentor walkthrough 3 · Minnesota

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

Ranked for 2026, the services worth your call for bringing an LLC into a second state in Minnesota are Mainstay Filing ($199), MN Registered Agent.org ($199) and Minnesota Registered Agent.co ($199), in that order. Minnesota wants $185 from a foreign LLC, and the 4 stages below show you how to file.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

The short version

What the state charges to register
$185
We pulled this from sos.mn.gov in October 2026
Yearly filing
None
Annual renewal
Three years of state fees
$185
Registration, reports and any minimum tax
Stages
4
First to last

By the end you will know

  • Which LLCs must register
  • The filing, its price and its office
  • The recurring filing
  • Who we would phone to file

Our shortlist for Minnesota

Ranked on the scoring page: three-year cost (32%), work taken off your desk (32%), year-two price, fit with Minnesota rules and honest pricing.

Our call

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

Best overall$199 and the $185 state fee, then $149 a year

Mainstay Filing takes first place, and the reason is that $199 over the state fee in any state; year one of the registered agent is free, then $149 yearly.

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

Once the free agent year is over, it is $149 a year.

What you get

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

What works

  • Year-one agent is covered
  • All fifty states covered
  • $199 above the state fee

What to watch

  • A pricier agent renewal ($149)
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. MN Registered Agent.org: best for a low yearly agent fee

In-state service$199 and the $185 state fee, then $99 a year

Our second call, MN Registered Agent.org: a service fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $99 a year.

What you get

  • The Minnesota registration, prepared and sent
  • Agent service for one year comes with the price

What works

  • A free first agent year
  • A small $99 renewal
  • $199 to register

What to watch

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

Our call

3. Minnesota Registered Agent.co: best for another Minnesota option

In-state service$199 and the $185 state fee, then $99 a year

Our third call, Minnesota Registered Agent.co: a service fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $99 a year.

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

What you get

  • The Minnesota registration, prepared and sent
  • Agent service for one year comes with the price

What works

  • $199 to register
  • A small $99 renewal
  • A free first agent year

What to watch

  • A single-state service
Visit Minnesota Registered Agent.coPartner 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.
2MN Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit MN Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Minnesota Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Minnesota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
What each company posted on November 13, 2026. These figures leave out Minnesota's $185 fee.

Registering with Minnesota, stage by stage

  1. Stage 1

    Is Minnesota registration required for your LLC?

    Foreign registration is how an LLC from another state gets permission to do business in Minnesota. Not registering can lead to: an unregistered LLC cannot be a plaintiff in Minnesota (Minn. Stat. 322C.0808, subd. 1) contracts it has signed stay valid (Minn. Stat. 322C.0808, subd. 2)

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

  2. Stage 2

    Choose your Minnesota registered agent

    A Minnesota LLC must keep a registered office in Minnesota; naming an agent there is optional. Every Minnesota LLC keeps a registered office at an actual office location in Minnesota; a P.O. box by itself is not accepted.

    Our ranking covers this role.

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

  3. Stage 3

    Time to send in the Foreign Limited Liability Company Certificate of Authority to Transact Business in Minnesota

    The form and the $185 fee travel together to the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services.

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

  4. Stage 4

    Deal with Minnesota's ongoing filing

    Next on your list is the annual renewal, December 31.

Costs, stage by stage

StageWho gets paidSum
Foreign registrationState agency$185
Service fees (optional)Your service$199 in the first year
Three years of state feesState agency$185
The state's fees come from official pages, listed below. Over three years they add up to the filing, two reports and, in a few states, a minimum tax.

Why the list runs this way

What decided it was work taken off your desk, which carries 32% of the score.

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

Common questions

How much does Minnesota charge my LLC to register?

$185 in state fees. Service fees: $199.

Which form do I file to register?

You want the Foreign Limited Liability Company Certificate of Authority to Transact Business in Minnesota, and the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services is the office that receives it.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

an unregistered LLC cannot be a plaintiff in Minnesota (Minn. Stat. 322C.0808, subd. 1) contracts it has signed stay valid (Minn. Stat. 322C.0808, subd. 2)

What is due after registering?

Next is the annual renewal.

Which services are in this lesson?

Three get our call: Mainstay Filing ($199), MN Registered Agent.org ($199) and Minnesota Registered Agent.co ($199).

Which service should handle the registration?

Mainstay Filing ranks first and MN Registered Agent.org and Minnesota Registered Agent.co follow; Mainstay Filing wins on work taken off your desk.

Where we got the facts

  1. For Minnesota yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source, open revisor.mn.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  2. For Minnesota yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source, open revisor.mn.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  3. For Minnesota report due date, open sos.state.mn.us (we last saw it August 2026).
  4. For Minn, open revisor.mn.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  5. For Minnesota formation fee: Filing fee, official source, open sos.mn.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  6. For Minnesota registered agent statute, open revisor.mn.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  7. For Minnesota Secretary of State, foreign LLC forms, open sos.mn.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  8. For Foreign LLC certificate of authority form, open sos.mn.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  9. For Minnesota Statutes § 322C.0802, certificate of authority, open revisor.mn.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  10. For Minnesota Statutes § 322C.0803, activities that are not, open revisor.mn.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  11. For Minnesota Statutes § 322C.0808, consequences, open revisor.mn.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  12. November 13, 2026, Minnesota service page belonging to Mainstay Filing
  13. November 13, 2026, pricing page belonging to MN Registered Agent.org
  14. November 13, 2026, pricing page belonging to Minnesota Registered Agent.co