Skip to content
Founder Mentor Guide

Mentor walkthrough 3 · Montana

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

For bringing an LLC into a second state in Montana in 2026, our mentors would send you to Mainstay Filing ($199), Montana Registered Agent.co ($199) and Registered Agent MT.org ($199), in that order. Budget 4 stages and a $70 filing fee.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Read this first

Fee at the state office
$70
We pulled this from mca.legmt.gov in October 2026
Yearly filing
None
Annual report
Three years of state fees
$70
Service fees not counted
Stages in this walkthrough
4
Each one explained

What this walkthrough covers

  • When the rule applies
  • The filing, its price and its office
  • The recurring filing
  • Our recommendations, with reasons

Who we would phone in Montana

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

Our call

1. Mainstay Filing: best for LLCs on the move

Start with this one$199 plus fees; renewal $149 annually

If you only phone one company, make it Mainstay Filing, because $199 over the state fee in any state; year one of the registered agent is free, then $149 yearly.

Compared with Montana Registered Agent.co, you spend $100 more over three years and file less yourself.

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

What you get

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • Your first year of registered agent is free
  • The same price in each state

What works

  • Any state, one fee
  • No agent fee for year one
  • $199 plus the state fee

What to watch

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

Our call

2. Montana Registered Agent.co: best for adding just Montana

Local choice$199 plus fees; renewal $99 annually

Our second call, Montana Registered Agent.co: registering in Montana here costs $199 and includes a year of agent service; renewal is $99.

What you get

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

What works

  • No agent fee in year one
  • $199 to register
  • The agent renews at $99

What to watch

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

Our call

3. Registered Agent MT.org: best for Montana-only registrations

Local choice$199 plus fees; renewal $99 annually

Our third call, Registered Agent MT.org: registering in Montana here costs $199 and includes a year of agent service; renewal is $99.

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

What you get

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

What works

  • The agent renews at $99
  • No agent fee in year one
  • $199 to register

What to watch

  • No help in other states
Visit Registered Agent MT.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.
2Montana Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Montana Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Registered Agent MT.org$199$99/yr$397Visit Registered Agent MT.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
What each company posted on November 13, 2026. These figures leave out Montana's $70 fee.

The Montana registration, in order

  1. Stage 1

    Does the rule cover you?

    Montana expects an out-of-state LLC to register before it transacts business in the state. An LLC that operates unregistered risks: claims brought by the LLC will not be heard in Montana until it registers (MCA 35-8-1002(1)) a charge of $5.

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

  2. Stage 2

    Choose your Montana registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be an actual street address or rural route box number in Montana. A P.O. box alone is not enough.

    Our picks each fill the registered agent role.

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

  3. Stage 3

    The paper to file is the Application for Certificate of Authority (foreign limited liability company)

    The form and the $70 fee travel together to the Montana Secretary of State, Business Services.

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

  4. Stage 4

    Stay registered

    After registering, a foreign LLC sends in the annual report, April 15.

Costs, stage by stage

ItemPayeeTotal
The registration stageGoes to the state$70
Optional serviceService$199 to start
What the state collects by year threeGoes to the state$70
The state rows come from Montana'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.

The thinking behind the order

edged out on work taken off your desk, which counts for 32%.

With the LLC working in two states, reach settled the order.

What founders ask

What does Montana collect from a foreign LLC when it registers?

$70 to the state. Hiring one means $199 on top.

Which form do I file to register?

Foreign LLCs send this form to The Montana Secretary of State, Business Services.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

claims brought by the LLC will not be heard in Montana until it registers (MCA 35-8-1002(1)) a charge of $5.

What is due after registering?

Next is the annual report.

Which services are in this lesson?

3 services get scores: Mainstay Filing at $199, Montana Registered Agent.co at $199 and Registered Agent MT.org at $199.

Which service should handle the registration?

Go with Mainstay Filing: a service charge of $199 next to Montana's fee, with your first registered agent year included. Then Montana Registered Agent.co and Registered Agent MT.org.

Where we got the facts

  1. Where the Montana Secretary of State fee page and fee advice comes from: sosmt.gov, viewed October 2026.
  2. Where the Montana yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source advice comes from: sosmt.gov, viewed October 2026.
  3. Where the Montana yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source advice comes from: sosmt.gov, viewed October 2026.
  4. Where the Montana report due date advice comes from: mca.legmt.gov, viewed August 2026.
  5. Where the Mont advice comes from: mca.legmt.gov, viewed August 2026.
  6. Where the Montana formation fee: Filing fee, official source advice comes from: sosmt.gov, viewed October 2026.
  7. Where the Montana registered agent statute advice comes from: mca.legmt.gov, viewed October 2026.
  8. Where the Montana Secretary of State, register a business advice comes from: help.sosmt.gov, viewed October 2026.
  9. Where the MCA 35-8-1001, transacting business advice comes from: mca.legmt.gov, viewed October 2026.
  10. Where the MCA 35-8-1002, consequences advice comes from: mca.legmt.gov, viewed October 2026.
  11. Where the MCA 35-8-1003, application contents advice comes from: mca.legmt.gov, viewed October 2026.
  12. Mainstay Filing: Montana service page, opened November 13, 2026
  13. Montana Registered Agent.co: pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  14. Registered Agent MT.org: pricing page, opened November 13, 2026