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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 3 · Texas

Foreign LLC Registration Walkthrough, Texas (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 Texas are TX Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Texas Registered Agent.ai ($199), in that order. You will pass through 4 stages, pay $750 to the state and plan for what comes afterward.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Key facts up front

Registration fee
$750
sos.state.tx.us, seen in October 2026
Recurring report
None
Public Information Report
What the state collects in three years
$750
No service fee included
Walkthrough stages
4
First to last

What this walkthrough covers

  • Whether Texas registration applies to your LLC
  • What you file and what it costs
  • Staying in good standing
  • Who we would phone to file

The Texas call list

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. TX Registered Agent.org: best for a budget registration

Top recommendation$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

In Texas, TX Registered Agent.org leads the list: $199 plus the state fee to register, and $99 every year afterward.

Its three-year total is under Mainstay Filing's, which earns first place because cost carries 32%.

What you get

  • The filing is done for you
  • Agent service for one year comes with the price

What works

  • $199 above the state fee
  • No agent fee in year one
  • $99 yearly from year two

What to watch

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

Our call

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

All fifty states$199 plus the state fee, then $149 a year

Our second call, Mainstay Filing: the first registered agent year comes with the $199 registration service, so you only add the state fee.

A $100 three-year gap to TX Registered Agent.org decides where it lands.

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

What you get

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

What works

  • No agent fee for year one
  • One price anywhere
  • $199 above the state fee

What to watch

  • $50 more a year for the agent
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. Texas Registered Agent.ai: best for another Texas option

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

Texas Registered Agent.ai comes in third: $199 plus the state fee to register, and $99 every year afterward.

It charges exactly what TX Registered Agent.org charges.

What you get

  • The filing is done for you
  • Agent service for one year comes with the price

What works

  • $99 yearly from year two
  • $199 above the state fee
  • No agent fee in year one

What to watch

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

3 services, compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1TX Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit TX Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Texas Registered Agent.ai$199$99/yr$397Visit Texas Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Listed prices, viewed November 13, 2026. Texas's $750 registration fee is still owed in every row.

Registering with Texas, stage by stage

  1. Stage 1

    Is Texas registration required for your LLC?

    Foreign registration is how an LLC from another state gets permission to do business in Texas. What can go wrong without registering: claims brought by the LLC will not be heard in Texas until it registers (BOC 9.051(b)) existing deals still stand (BOC 9.051(c))

    Check it yourself: comptroller.texas.gov, seen in October 2026

  2. Stage 2

    Find a registered agent with an address in Texas

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a street address where papers can be handed to the agent during normal business hours. A mailbox service or answering service alone does not qualify.

    Any of our picks can take the job.

    Check it yourself: sos.texas.gov, seen in October 2026

  3. Stage 3

    Now deal with the Application for Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company

    Filing is registering, and the state charges $750 for it.

    Check it yourself: sos.state.tx.us, seen in October 2026

  4. Stage 4

    Look ahead to the repeating filing

    Send the Public Information Report, May 15 to keep the registration going.

What this walkthrough costs

StageGoes toTotal
Registration feeGoes to the state$750
A filing service (optional)Your service$199 to start
State fees, years one to threeGoes to the state$750
Whatever goes to Texas is an official fee you can verify on the pages listed below. The three-year row combines the filing, two later reports and a minimum tax where there is one; service prices stay out of it.

How the scores came out

What decided it was three-year bill, which carries 32% of the score.

TX Registered Agent.org costs $397 across three years, saving you $100 compared with Mainstay Filing.

Common questions

How much does Texas charge my LLC to register?

$750 to the state. A service adds $199.

Which form do I file to register?

One form does the job, and the recipient is the Texas Secretary of State.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

claims brought by the LLC will not be heard in Texas until it registers (BOC 9.051(b)) existing deals still stand (BOC 9.051(c))

What is due after registering?

Look ahead to the Public Information Report.

Which services are in this lesson?

Three get our call: TX Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Texas Registered Agent.ai ($199).

Which service should handle the registration?

TX Registered Agent.org ranks first and Mainstay Filing and Texas Registered Agent.ai follow; TX Registered Agent.org wins on three-year bill.

Where we got the facts

  1. Our Texas yearly filing: Annual report, official source notes lean on comptroller.texas.gov as of October 2026.
  2. Our Texas report due date notes lean on statutes.capitol.texas.gov as of August 2026.
  3. Our Tex notes lean on sos.texas.gov as of August 2026.
  4. Our Texas registered agent statute notes lean on sos.texas.gov as of October 2026.
  5. Our Texas Secretary of State, foreign entities FAQ notes lean on sos.state.tx.us as of October 2026.
  6. Our Form 304 instructions notes lean on sos.state.tx.us as of October 2026.
  7. Our Business Organizations Code, Chapter 9 notes lean on statutes.capitol.texas.gov as of October 2026.
  8. Our Texas Comptroller, franchise tax notes lean on comptroller.texas.gov as of October 2026.
  9. Our Texas Business Organizations Code, Chapter 9 notes lean on tcss.legis.texas.gov as of November 2026.
  10. November 13, 2026, pricing page belonging to TX Registered Agent.org
  11. November 13, 2026, Texas service page belonging to Mainstay Filing
  12. November 13, 2026, pricing page belonging to Texas Registered Agent.ai