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Founder Mentor Guide

Mentor walkthrough 3 · New York

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

For bringing an LLC into a second state in New York in 2026, our mentors would send you to Mainstay Filing ($199), New York Registered Agent.ai ($199) and NY Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. First work out whether you have to register; 5 stages and a $250 fee follow.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Walkthrough snapshot

Cost to register
$250
Official page: ny.gov (viewed October 2026)
Certificate you must attach
365 days
How recent it has to be
Maintenance filing
$9
Biennial statement
State fees over three years
$259
State charges only
Stages
5
Each one explained

Walkthrough goals

  • Whether New York registration applies to your LLC
  • The official form and fee
  • What comes after registration
  • How the picks compare

The New York call list

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

Our call

1. Mainstay Filing: best for LLCs on the move

Start with this one$199 plus the state fee, then $149 a year

Mainstay Filing is our first call in New York: the first agent for service of process year comes with the $199 registration service, so you only add the state fee.

Three years run $100 higher than at New York Registered Agent.ai, and you get more of the work done in return.

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

What you get

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • Your first year of agent for service of process is free
  • Service in all fifty states

What works

  • Any state, one fee
  • $199 plus the state fee
  • Year-one agent is covered

What to watch

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

Our call

2. New York Registered Agent.ai: best for one extra state

Focused on New York$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

New York Registered Agent.ai is a solid second: $199 beyond the state fee, with the first year of the agent covered, then $99 a year.

What you get

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

What works

  • Then $99 per year
  • Agent covered in year one
  • $199 above the state fee

What to watch

  • Your home state needs a different agent
Visit New York Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. NY Registered Agent.org: best for another New York option

Focused on New York$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

NY Registered Agent.org is a solid third: $199 beyond the state fee, with the first year of the agent covered, then $99 a year.

On price it is a tie with New York Registered Agent.ai.

What you get

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

What works

  • Agent covered in year one
  • Then $99 per year
  • $199 above the state fee

What to watch

  • Your home state needs a different agent
Visit NY Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services, compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2New York Registered Agent.ai$199$99/yr$397Visit New York Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3NY Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit NY Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Each price is copied from the company's own site, opened November 13, 2026. Plan for $250 more in state fees, whichever row you pick.

The walkthrough, stage by stage

  1. Stage 1

    Is New York registration required for your LLC?

    Foreign registration is how an LLC from another state gets permission to do business in New York.

    Check it yourself: Official page: dos.ny.gov (viewed October 2026)

  2. Stage 2

    Request the document your home state issues

    Request certificate of Existence (also called a Certificate of Good Standing), issued within 365 days.

    Order this last so it is fresh when you file.

  3. Stage 3

    Name an agent for service of process for New York

    The Secretary of State is the agent for service of process for every New York LLC; naming a registered agent is optional. New York has no registered-office requirement. The Secretary of State is the agent for service of process for every New York LLC and mails a copy of any papers served to the address the company has on file. A designated registered agent's street address goes on the filing.

    Any of our picks can take the job.

    Check it yourself: Official page: nysenate.gov (viewed October 2026)

  4. Stage 4

    Your next job is the Application for Authority of a Foreign Limited Liability Company

    Filing is registering, and the state charges $250 for it.

    Check it yourself: Official page: ny.gov (viewed October 2026)

  5. Stage 5

    Look ahead to the repeating filing

    The filing that repeats is the biennial statement, $9, every two years, in the month the application was filed.

Costs, stage by stage

What forWho gets paidCost
The registration stagePaid to the state$250
Biennial statementPaid to the state$9
A filing service (optional)Your service$199 to start
State total across three yearsPaid to the state$259
Here is how the three-year state row is built: filing fee, then the report in each of years two and three, then any yearly minimum tax. Service fees get their own rows.

How we scored the New York picks

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

New York Registered Agent.ai renews for less, but reaching several states mattered more.

Short answers

What does New York charge an out-of-state LLC?

$250 for the filing. Hiring one means $199 on top.

Which form do I file to register?

Foreign LLCs send this form to The New York Department of State, Division of Corporations.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certificate of Existence (also called a Certificate of Good Standing), issued within 365 days of filing.

What is due after registering?

The biennial statement is what keeps the registration alive, at $9.

Which services are in this lesson?

The picks, best score first: Mainstay Filing, New York Registered Agent.ai and NY Registered Agent.org.

Which service should handle the registration?

Phone Mainstay Filing, because you pay $199 on top of the state fee, the agent for service of process costs nothing in year one, and after that it is $149 a year. After that come New York Registered Agent.ai and NY Registered Agent.org.

Where we got the facts

  1. Backing for New York Department of State, Division of Corporations: dos.ny.gov, August 2026.
  2. Backing for New York Department of State, Division of Corporations: filing.dos.ny.gov, August 2026.
  3. Backing for New York report due date: nysenate.gov, August 2026.
  4. Backing for NY Limited Liability Company Law § 203: nysenate.gov, August 2026.
  5. Backing for New York formation fee: Filing fee, official source: dos.ny.gov, October 2026.
  6. Backing for New York registered agent statute: nysenate.gov, October 2026.
  7. Backing for Department of State, Application for Authority: dos.ny.gov, October 2026.
  8. Backing for LLC Law § 802, application for authority: nysenate.gov, October 2026.
  9. Backing for LLC Law § 808, consequences of doing business: nysenate.gov, October 2026.
  10. Backing for Department of State, Certificate of Publication: dos.ny.gov, October 2026.
  11. November 13, 2026, New York service page belonging to Mainstay Filing
  12. November 13, 2026, pricing page belonging to New York Registered Agent.ai
  13. November 13, 2026, pricing page belonging to NY Registered Agent.org