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LLC SchoolhousePlain LLC lessons, one state at a time.

Lesson 3 · Missouri

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

Here is who we would send a new founder to for registering an LLC from another state in Missouri in 2026: Mainstay Filing ($199), Missouri Registered Agent.co ($199) and MO Registered Agent.org ($199), in grade order. 5 steps and a $105 filing fee are all that stand between you and registration.

Taught by the LLC Schoolhouse editors

The short version

Filing fee$105Class notes: sos.mo.gov (October 2026)
Home certificate60 daysMust be issued within
Recurring reportNoneNo report
State total for years 1 to 3$105Registration plus reports
Steps in this lesson5One at a time

What you will learn

  • Who has to register
  • The filing, its fee and its office
  • The recurring filing
  • Who we would hire to file

The Missouri services we recommend

Three-year cost and the number of steps a price takes off your list weigh the most; the grading page lists all five criteria.
First choice

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

$199 to register, $149 yearly

First in the class in Missouri is Mainstay Filing: you pay $199 plus state fees to register, and the first year with a registered agent is free.

The three-year premium over Missouri Registered Agent.co is $100, and the 33% weight on steps handled covers it.

Agent service beyond the first year is $149 a year.

What the price covers

  • Filing with the state
  • The registered agent costs nothing in year one
  • A fifty-state service

Marks in its favor

  • $199 above the state fee
  • The same fee in every state
  • No agent fee in year one

Where it loses points

  • A renewal $50 over Missouri Registered Agent.co's
Missouri focus

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

$199 to register, $99 yearly

Missouri Registered Agent.co lands in second place, and the reason is clear: $199 on top of the state fee to register, then $99 each year.

What the price covers

  • The registration filing
  • One year of agent service

Marks in its favor

  • No agent fee in year one
  • $199 to register
  • A low $99 renewal

Where it loses points

  • Missouri only; your home state needs its own agent
Missouri focus

3. MO Registered Agent.org: best for a local filer

$199 to register, $99 yearly

MO Registered Agent.org lands in third place, and the reason is clear: $199 on top of the state fee to register, then $99 each year.

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

What the price covers

  • The registration filing
  • One year of agent service

Marks in its favor

  • $199 to register
  • A low $99 renewal
  • No agent fee in year one

Where it loses points

  • Missouri only; your home state needs its own agent

The 3 graded picks compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Missouri Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Missouri Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3MO Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit MO Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as posted on November 13, 2026. No row includes the $105 state fee.

The Missouri registration, in order

  1. Step
    1

    Find out whether your LLC must register with Missouri

    Out-of-state LLCs that transact business in Missouri file a foreign registration. Operating unregistered means: A suit started by an unregistered LLC will not be heard there (RSMo 347.163.1). Its contracts remain valid (RSMo 347.163.2).

    Where this comes from: Class notes: dor.mo.gov (October 2026)

  2. Step
    2

    Obtain your home state's certificate

    Include certificate of good standing/existence from the home state, at most 60 days.

    Request it close to the filing date.

  3. Step
    3

    Find a registered agent with a Missouri address

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a physical street address in Missouri. A P.O. box can be listed only together with a street address.

    The services in our list provide this.

    Where this comes from: Class notes: revisor.mo.gov (October 2026)

  4. Step
    4

    Prepare and file the Application for Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company

    Registering means giving the Application for Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form LLC 4) to the Missouri Secretary of State, Corporations Division together with $105.

    Where this comes from: Class notes: sos.mo.gov (October 2026)

  5. Step
    5

    After you register

    Missouri does not ask foreign LLCs for a yearly report.

What each step costs in Missouri

ItemPayeeTotal
Registration feeThe state$105
Help from a serviceService$199 for year one
State total over three yearsThe state$105
Official Missouri fees, cited below. The three-year line adds the filing fee, the reports in years two and three and any minimum tax.

Why Mainstay Filing comes first

What settled it was homework the price handles, worth 33% of the grade.

Because the LLC was formed somewhere else, a provider able to serve the home state and this one earned the best grade.

Questions students ask

Which fees come with a foreign LLC registration in Missouri?

$105 in state fees. Service fees: $199.

Which form do I file to register?

Registration runs on one form, which the Missouri Secretary of State, Corporations Division receives.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certificate of good standing/existence from the home state, issued within 60 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

A suit started by an unregistered LLC will not be heard there (RSMo 347.163.1). Its contracts remain valid (RSMo 347.163.2).

What is due after registering?

No recurring report for foreign LLCs in Missouri.

Which service should handle the registration?

Mainstay Filing, Missouri Registered Agent.co and MO Registered Agent.org, graded from first to last.

Keep studying

Class references

  1. Class reference on RSMo 347.037: revisor.mo.gov (the state's own page), reread in August 2026 for this lesson.
  2. Class reference on Missouri formation fee: Filing fee, official source: sos.mo.gov (the state's own page), reread in October 2026 for this lesson.
  3. Class reference on Missouri registered agent statute: revisor.mo.gov (the state's own page), reread in October 2026 for this lesson.
  4. Class reference on Missouri Secretary of State, Corporations: sos.mo.gov (the state's own page), reread in October 2026 for this lesson.
  5. Class reference on Form LLC 4, foreign LLC registration: sos.mo.gov (the state's own page), reread in October 2026 for this lesson.
  6. Class reference on RSMo 347.153, registration of foreign LLCs: revisor.mo.gov (the state's own page), reread in October 2026 for this lesson.
  7. Class reference on RSMo 347.163, transacting business and penalties: revisor.mo.gov (the state's own page), reread in October 2026 for this lesson.
  8. Class reference on Missouri Department of Revenue, business registration: dor.mo.gov (the state's own page), reread in October 2026 for this lesson.
  9. November 13, 2026: the Missouri service page for Mainstay Filing
  10. November 13, 2026: the pricing page for Missouri Registered Agent.co
  11. November 13, 2026: the pricing page for MO Registered Agent.org