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Filing MapperRoutes through every state's LLC paperwork, priced leg by leg.

Foreign LLC guide · California

California Foreign LLC Route (2026): Entry Fees and the 3 Best Registration Services

For a foreign LLC registration in California, our 2026 routing puts Mainstay Filing ($199), California Registered Agent.ai ($199) and CA Registered Agent.org ($199) in that order. Crossing into California as a foreign LLC costs $70 at the California Secretary of State, Business Entities, with $20 due at each report checkpoint after that; the three-year toll ranks 50th of 50.

Surveyed by the Filing Mapper team

The California route in figures

50th

of 50 on foreign LLC tolls

Fewer miles, smaller toll. See the full map

Entry fee for outside LLCs
$70
October 2026 survey: bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov
Checkpoint report
$20
Statement of Information, Form LLC-12
Home-state clearance
180 days
The clearance must be at least this recent
Yearly minimum tax
$800
October 2026 survey: ftb.ca.gov
State toll, three years
$2,490
Only state tolls, miles one to three, plus the minimum tax at every stop

Who walks the California route for you

How the stops were ordered: cost over three years, steps covered, renewal, California fit, fee labeling (method).

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a business crossing state lines

Stop one$199 for lap one, $149 for each lap after

The route starts with Mainstay Filing, where it files the California registration for $199 above the state's entry fee, and the first agent year rides along free.

An owner pays $100 more than at California Registered Agent.ai across three years and has fewer checkpoints to handle.

After the free first lap, agent duty costs $149 a year in any state.

The fare covers

  • The registration drafted and filed by Mainstay
  • Fare does not change by state

On the plus side

  • $199 over the state toll
  • Works for your next crossing too

On the minus side

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

2. California Registered Agent.ai: best for adding only California

Local pick$199 for lap one, $99 for each lap after

The next stop, number 2, is California Registered Agent.ai: $199 above the state's entry fee, then $99 a year.

The fare covers

  • Registration handled from start to filing
  • A year of agent service

On the plus side

  • Agent covered in lap one
  • A fare of $199
  • A renewal of $99

On the minus side

  • Runs in California only; your home state needs its own agent
Visit California Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3. CA Registered Agent.org: best for a second route within California

Local pick$199 for lap one, $99 for each lap after

The next stop, number 3, is CA Registered Agent.org: $199 above the state's entry fee, then $99 a year.

Fare for fare, it equals California Registered Agent.ai.

The fare covers

  • Registration handled from start to filing
  • A year of agent service

On the plus side

  • A renewal of $99
  • Agent covered in lap one
  • A fare of $199

On the minus side

  • Runs in California only; your home state needs its own agent
Visit CA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Fares in a row

StopProviderLeg oneLater legsProvider cost, three years
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2California Registered Agent.ai$199$99/yr$397Visit California Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3CA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit CA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Provider fare pages, read November 12, 2026. Every row still needs California's $70 registration toll.

Entry and upkeep by year

The entry fee is $70, followed by the $20 report from year two, and each provider's fares are added.

Route cost for 3 years with Mainstay Filing: $2,987, of which $2,490 goes to the state and $497 to the provider.

California and the stops on either side of it

MileStateThree-year foreign LLC fees
46thTennessee$900
47thDelaware$1,000
48thRhode Island$1,450
49thMassachusetts$1,500
50thCalifornia$2,490

Foreign LLC fees by state plots all fifty, least expensive first.

California foreign registration: fee, form, office

Entry costs $70, paid when the Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) (Form LLC-5) reaches the California Secretary of State, Business Entities. The filing has to carry certificate of good standing (existence or status) from the home state, issued no more than 180 days.

Once in, the company clears the Statement of Information, Form LLC-12 ($20), within 90 days of registering, then every 2 years. One more state-side stop: $800 a year minimum LLC tax to the Franchise Tax Board (Form FTB 3522), separate from the Statement of Information.

Checklist before the crossing

  • Certificate of good standing (existence or status) from the home state, issued within 180 days.
  • Home-state record: legal name and formation date.
  • A agent for service of process based in the state (all of our picks offer this).
  • A budget for the $70 registration fee.

If you never register

Until it clears registration, the LLC cannot bring a lawsuit in the state's courts (Corp. Code 17708.07(a)).

Why Mainstay Filing leads the route

For California, the criterion that decided the lead was steps the service takes over, at 27%.

A foreign LLC already has a home route, so a provider covering both states scored best.

Questions along the way

What does California toll a foreign LLC for entry?

$70 at the state office. Our picks add $199.

Which form gets a foreign LLC into California?

Entry is on the Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) (Form LLC-5), which goes to the California Secretary of State, Business Entities.

Does the gate ask for clearance from the home state?

It does: certificate of good standing (existence or status) from the home state, dated within 180 days of filing.

Is there a yearly checkpoint for a foreign LLC?

There is: the Statement of Information, Form LLC-12, which costs $20.

What happens when the LLC does business there without registering?

Until it clears registration, the LLC cannot bring a lawsuit in the state's courts (Corp. Code 17708.07(a)).

Does a foreign LLC need to carry an agent for service of process for California?

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Which provider should take my foreign LLC across?

Start at Mainstay Filing: the service fee is $199 in any state, with agent duty free for the opening year. Further along, California Registered Agent.ai and CA Registered Agent.org.

Nearby routes

Survey markers for this route

Survey marker
  1. Marker: California Secretary of State is documented at sos.ca.gov, logged August 2026.
  2. Marker: California Secretary of State is documented at bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, logged August 2026.
  3. Marker: California yearly filing: Statement of Information, official source is documented at sos.ca.gov, logged October 2026.
  4. Marker: Cal is documented at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, logged August 2026.
  5. Marker: California registered agent statute is documented at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, logged October 2026.
  6. Marker: California Secretary of State, foreign LLC forms is documented at sos.ca.gov, logged October 2026.
  7. Marker: Form LLC-5 is documented at bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, logged October 2026.
  8. Marker: Corporations Code section 17708.03 is documented at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, logged October 2026.
  9. Marker: Revenue and Taxation Code section 19135 is documented at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, logged October 2026.
  10. Marker: Franchise Tax Board, LLC filing requirements is documented at ftb.ca.gov, logged October 2026.
  11. Marker: California Corporations Code 17708.07 is documented at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, logged November 2026.
  12. Marker: California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and is documented at ftb.ca.gov, logged October 2026.
  13. Marker: Tennessee Secretary of State, business forms and fees is documented at sos.tn.gov, logged October 2026.
  14. Marker: Form SS-4233, Certificate of Authority for a foreign is documented at sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, logged October 2026.
  15. Marker: Tennessee Secretary of State, business FAQs is documented at sos.tn.gov, logged October 2026.
  16. Marker: Form SS-4241, withdrawal or cancellation is documented at sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, logged October 2026.
  17. Marker: Tennessee Revised LLC Act, Public Chapter 286 is documented at publications.tnsosfiles.com, logged October 2026.
  18. Marker: Foreign LLC registration form is documented at corpfiles.delaware.gov, logged October 2026.
  19. Marker: Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter IX is documented at delcode.delaware.gov, logged October 2026.
  20. Marker: Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter XI is documented at delcode.delaware.gov, logged October 2026.
  21. Marker: Division of Corporations fee schedule, August 2026 is documented at corpfiles.delaware.gov, logged October 2026.
  22. Marker: Alternative entity annual tax instructions is documented at corp.delaware.gov, logged October 2026.
  23. Marker: Form 450, Application for Registration is documented at docs.sos.ri.gov, logged October 2026.
  24. Marker: Business Services fee schedule is documented at docs.sos.ri.gov, logged October 2026.
  25. Marker: R.I is documented at webserver.rilegislature.gov, logged October 2026.
  26. Marker: R.I is documented at webserver.rilegislature.gov, logged October 2026.
  27. Marker: Form 452, Certificate of Cancellation is documented at docs.sos.ri.gov, logged October 2026.
  28. Marker: Rhode Island other cost is documented at tax.ri.gov, logged October 2026.
  29. Marker: Massachusetts Corporations Division, foreign LLC page is documented at sec.state.ma.us, logged October 2026.
  30. Marker: Corporations Division fee schedule is documented at sec.state.ma.us, logged October 2026.
  31. Marker: G.L. c. 156C § 48, foreign LLC registration is documented at malegislature.gov, logged October 2026.
  32. Marker: G.L. c. 156C § 54, failure to register is documented at malegislature.gov, logged October 2026.
  33. Marker: G.L. c. 156D § 15.01, transacting business is documented at malegislature.gov, logged October 2026.
  34. Marker: 950 CMR 112.00, limited liability companies is documented at sec.state.ma.us, logged October 2026.
  35. Mainstay Filing (California service page), survey of November 12, 2026
  36. California Registered Agent.ai (pricing page), survey of November 12, 2026
  37. CA Registered Agent.org (pricing page), survey of November 12, 2026