Skip to content
LLC SchoolhousePlain LLC lessons, one state at a time.

Class 3 · Maryland

Foreign LLC Registration in Maryland (2026): a 5-Step Lesson and the 3 Best Services

Mainstay Filing ($199), Maryland Registered Agent.co ($199) and MD Registered Agent.org ($199) earned the top three grades for registering an LLC from another state in Maryland in 2026, in that order. Registering involves 5 steps and a $100 state fee, then $300 for each report.

Taught by the LLC Schoolhouse editors

The short version

What the state charges$100Class notes: mgaleg.maryland.gov (October 2026)
Home certificate60 daysOldest it may be at filing
Upkeep filing$300Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1
State total for years 1 to 3$700State charges only
Steps5One at a time

Lesson goals

  • Whether Maryland registration applies to you
  • The form and the fee
  • What comes after registering
  • Our graded picks and the reasoning

Who we would hire in Maryland

Five weighted criteria from how we grade set the order, and three-year cost and steps handled count most.
First choice

1. Mainstay Filing: best for one provider for both states

Service fee $199, renewal $149 a year

Mainstay Filing earns the highest mark because a $199 fee for the work plus Maryland's own fee, then $149 a year for the agent.

Over three years it costs $100 more than Maryland Registered Agent.co, but the grade rewards the extra steps it takes care of.

When the free first year ends, the agent costs $149 a year in any state.

What the price covers

  • Filing with the state
  • A fifty-state service

Marks in its favor

  • $199 above the state fee
  • Covers all fifty states

Where it loses points

  • You pay $50 extra a year for the agent
Local choice

2. Maryland Registered Agent.co: best for a budget registration

Service fee $199, renewal $99 a year

Next on the report card comes Maryland Registered Agent.co, graded second: registering costs $199 plus state fees, and year one of the agent is covered.

What the price covers

  • The filing is done for you
  • One year of agent service

Marks in its favor

  • A low $99 renewal
  • $199 plus the state fee
  • Agent covered for year one

Where it loses points

  • Maryland only; your home state needs its own agent
Local choice

3. MD Registered Agent.org: best for a low agent renewal

Service fee $199, renewal $99 a year

Next on the report card comes MD Registered Agent.org, graded third: registering costs $199 plus state fees, and year one of the agent is covered.

Maryland Registered Agent.co and this service charge the same.

What the price covers

  • The filing is done for you
  • One year of agent service

Marks in its favor

  • A low $99 renewal
  • $199 plus the state fee
  • Agent covered for year one

Where it loses points

  • Maryland only; your home state needs its own agent

Our Maryland picks side by side

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Maryland Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Maryland Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3MD Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit MD Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Prices come from each company's own site, read November 13, 2026. The state fee ($100) is not counted.

The steps

  1. Step
    1

    Confirm that you must register

    Out-of-state LLCs that transact business in Maryland file a foreign registration. If the LLC works there without registering: Maryland courts are closed to an unregistered LLC as a plaintiff (4A-1007(a)). Its contracts remain valid (4A-1007(b)).

    Where this comes from: Class notes: mgaleg.maryland.gov (October 2026)

  2. Step
    2

    Request proof of good standing from home

    Maryland asks for written proof of existence from the home state, equivalent to a certificate of good standing, no older than 60 days.

    Do this step right before you file.

  3. Step
    3

    Choose the Maryland resident agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a Maryland address on file with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation; P.O. boxes are not accepted. The LLC also keeps a principal office in Maryland.

    Our graded picks all serve as the resident agent.

    Where this comes from: Class notes: mgaleg.maryland.gov (October 2026)

  4. Step
    4

    Hand in the Limited Liability Company Registration (For non-Maryland Limited Liability Company)

    Registering means giving the Limited Liability Company Registration (For non-Maryland Limited Liability Company) to the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division together with $100.

    Where this comes from: Class notes: mgaleg.maryland.gov (October 2026)

  5. Step
    5

    Stay registered

    Once registered, file the Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1 for $300, April 15.

What each step costs in Maryland

ItemWho you payPrice
Registering the LLCTo the state$100
Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1To the state$300
Optional serviceService company$199 in the first year
State total over three yearsTo the state$700
Three-year state total: the filing, plus reports in years two and three, plus any minimum tax. Sources are below.

Why this order

edged ahead of on homework the price handles, which counts for 33%.

Maryland Registered Agent.co has the lower renewal, yet covering several states counted for more.

Short answers

What does Maryland charge for registering a foreign LLC?

$100 to the state. A service adds $199.

Which form do I file to register?

Fill out the form named in step 4 and send it to the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: written proof of existence from the home state, equivalent to a certificate of good standing, issued within 60 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

Maryland courts are closed to an unregistered LLC as a plaintiff (4A-1007(a)). Its contracts remain valid (4A-1007(b)).

What is due after registering?

Your next filing is the Business Entity Annual Report and Personal Property Return, Form 1 at $300.

Which service should handle the registration?

Mainstay Filing: you pay $199 plus state fees to register, and the first year with a resident agent is free. Then come Maryland Registered Agent.co and MD Registered Agent.org.

Up next

Class references

  1. Want to see Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation for yourself? Open dat.maryland.gov. We confirmed that page in August 2026 before writing the lesson.
  2. Want to see Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation for yourself? Open dat.maryland.gov. We confirmed that page in August 2026 before writing the lesson.
  3. Want to see Maryland report due date for yourself? Open dat.maryland.gov. We confirmed that page in August 2026 before writing the lesson.
  4. Want to see Md for yourself? Open mgaleg.maryland.gov. We confirmed that page in August 2026 before writing the lesson.
  5. Want to see Maryland formation fee: Filing fee, official source for yourself? Open mgaleg.maryland.gov. We confirmed that page in October 2026 before writing the lesson.
  6. Want to see Maryland formation fee: Filing fee, official source for yourself? Open egov.maryland.gov. We confirmed that page in October 2026 before writing the lesson.
  7. Want to see Maryland registered agent statute for yourself? Open mgaleg.maryland.gov. We confirmed that page in October 2026 before writing the lesson.
  8. Want to see Maryland Business Express for yourself? Open egov.maryland.gov. We confirmed that page in October 2026 before writing the lesson.
  9. Want to see Corporations and Associations § 4A-1002, registration for yourself? Open mgaleg.maryland.gov. We confirmed that page in October 2026 before writing the lesson.
  10. Want to see Corporations and Associations § 4A-1009, activities that are for yourself? Open mgaleg.maryland.gov. We confirmed that page in October 2026 before writing the lesson.
  11. Want to see Corporations and Associations § 4A-1007, effect of not for yourself? Open mgaleg.maryland.gov. We confirmed that page in October 2026 before writing the lesson.
  12. Want to see Tax-Property § 11-101, annual report for yourself? Open mgaleg.maryland.gov. We confirmed that page in October 2026 before writing the lesson.
  13. On November 13, 2026 we read the Maryland service page of Mainstay Filing
  14. On November 13, 2026 we read the pricing page of Maryland Registered Agent.co
  15. On November 13, 2026 we read the pricing page of MD Registered Agent.org