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Founder Mentor Guide

Mentor notes 2 · Minnesota

Minnesota Registered Agent Walkthrough (2026): 6 Stages and the 3 Best Agents

Ranked for 2026, the services worth your call for naming a registered agent in Minnesota are Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), MN Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) and Minnesota Registered Agent.co ($99 a year), in that order. In 6 stages you will know what Minnesota wants from a registered agent, who can do the job, which address works and how to make the appointment official.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

The short version

Required by law
Check stage 1
Verify it at revisor.mn.gov, which we opened in October 2026
Yearly cost of the agents we recommend
$99 to $149 a year
Posted prices
Annual renewal
No fee
Verify it at revisor.mn.gov, which we opened in October 2026
Stage count
6
In order

What this walkthrough covers

  • The legal requirement
  • Who can serve and from what address
  • How to name or swap the agent
  • The agents we picked

Our shortlist for Minnesota

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

Our call

1. Mainstay Filing: best for companies working in several states

Best overall$149 a year, $149 when it renews

In Minnesota, Mainstay Filing leads the list: you pay $149 a year here and the identical amount in any state you add later.

You will pay $150 more than at MN Registered Agent.org over three years, but this service does more of the legwork, and we count that.

What you get

  • An office address inside the state
  • Papers served on the company are scanned for you, no charge
  • Up to three government mailings a year are scanned for free
  • Also works for nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

What works

  • $149 per year
  • Works in all fifty states

What to watch

  • $50 yearly more than the local option
  • Reports remain your job
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. MN Registered Agent.org: best for LLCs that live in Minnesota only

Local choice$99 a year, $99 when it renews

Second place goes to MN Registered Agent.org, since $99 yearly, and scans of served papers land in an online account.

What you get

  • An in-state office address
  • Served documents appear online

What works

  • $99 each year, no increase
  • Beats Mainstay Filing on the yearly bill

What to watch

  • A single-state service
  • It will not help with the annual renewal
Visit MN Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. Minnesota Registered Agent.co: best for an in-state mailing address

Local choice$99 a year, $99 when it renews

Third place goes to Minnesota Registered Agent.co, since $99 yearly, and scans of served papers land in an online account.

Its prices are identical to MN Registered Agent.org's, so either is fine on cost.

What you get

  • An in-state office address
  • Served documents appear online

What works

  • Beats Mainstay Filing on the yearly bill
  • $99 each year, no increase

What to watch

  • A single-state service
  • It will not help with the annual renewal
Visit Minnesota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The services compared

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2MN Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit MN Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Minnesota Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit Minnesota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Each price is copied from the company's own site, opened November 13, 2026. The state bills the same no matter which agent you name.

The stages

  1. Stage 1

    Know what Minnesota requires

    A Minnesota LLC must keep a registered office in Minnesota; naming an agent there is optional.

    Check it yourself: Verify it at revisor.mn.gov, which we opened in October 2026

  2. Stage 2

    Find out who can serve

    If one is named: a Minnesota resident, or a corporation or LLC formed in Minnesota or authorized there, with a business office at the registered office. (Minn. Stat. § 5.36)

  3. Stage 3

    Choose a compliant address

    Every Minnesota LLC keeps a registered office at an actual office location in Minnesota; a P.O. box by itself is not accepted.

    Each of our picks supplies a Minnesota office address.

  4. Stage 4

    Decide who takes the role

    If you pass the tests above you can name yourself. Hiring one of our picks costs $99 to $149 a year.

  5. Stage 5

    Put the agent on the state's record

    You name the agent when you file the Articles of Organization; to replace the agent later you file again with the Minnesota Secretary of State.

    Check it yourself: Verify it at revisor.mn.gov, which we opened in October 2026

  6. Stage 6

    Track the repeating filing

    Every year the annual renewal confirms who your agent is, by December 31.

    Check it yourself: Verify it at revisor.mn.gov, which we opened in October 2026

The bill

EntryReceiverAmount
Agent serviceYour service$99 to $149 a year
Every year afterYour service$99 to $149 a year
Annual renewalPaid to the stateNo fee
The state rows come from Minnesota's published fee schedules (the pages we opened are listed under the table), and each service row comes from that company's own price. Across three years the state row counts the filing, the report in year two, the report in year three and any minimum tax.

Why the list runs this way

Work taken off your desk makes up 32% of the score, and that is where pulled ahead in Minnesota.

Working in all fifty states outweighed MN Registered Agent.org's lower price on our weights.

What founders ask

Is having a registered agent the law in Minnesota?

A Minnesota LLC must keep a registered office in Minnesota; naming an agent there is optional.

Can I be my own registered agent?

The rule in stage 1 makes it optional, so stages 2 and 3 apply only if you appoint an agent.

Can I change my registered agent later?

You can. An existing LLC files a change with the Minnesota Secretary of State; see stage 5.

What does a registered agent cost in Minnesota?

$99 to $149 per year for the agents listed.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

Every year the LLC files the annual renewal, which carries no fee.

Which registered agent would you choose?

Phone Mainstay Filing, because one annual fee of $149 follows the company when it expands, and renewal stays $149. After that come MN Registered Agent.org and Minnesota Registered Agent.co.

Where we got the facts

  1. Minnesota yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source: go straight to revisor.mn.gov, checked October 2026.
  2. Minnesota yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source: go straight to revisor.mn.gov, checked October 2026.
  3. Minnesota report due date: go straight to sos.state.mn.us, checked August 2026.
  4. Minn: go straight to revisor.mn.gov, checked August 2026.
  5. Minnesota formation fee: Filing fee, official source: go straight to sos.mn.gov, checked October 2026.
  6. Minnesota registered agent statute: go straight to revisor.mn.gov, checked October 2026.
  7. The Minnesota service page at Mainstay Filing, viewed November 13, 2026
  8. The pricing page at MN Registered Agent.org, viewed November 13, 2026
  9. The pricing page at Minnesota Registered Agent.co, viewed November 13, 2026