Foreign LLC guide · Massachusetts

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

2026 route for a foreign LLC registration in Massachusetts: Mainstay Filing ($199), MA Registered Agent.org ($199) and Massachusetts Registered Agent.co ($199), ranked first to last. An LLC from elsewhere pays $500 to enter Massachusetts and $500 at every report checkpoint, which puts the state 49th of 50.

Surveyed by the Filing Mapper team

Updated November 12, 2026

The Massachusetts route in figures

49th

by the three-year odometer for foreign LLCs, of 50

Lowest toll, lowest number. Every state on one map

Entry fee for outside LLCs: $500; sec.state.ma.us (surveyed October 2026)
Checkpoint report: $500; Foreign LLC annual report
Home-state clearance: 90 days; Oldest clearance accepted
State toll, three years: $1,500; Only state tolls, miles one to three

The Massachusetts stops, ranked

The criteria and weights behind the order are in the method.

1. Mainstay Filing: best for several registrations at once

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

We put Mainstay Filing at the head of the route because $199 above the state toll, resident agent duty free in year one, then $149 a year.

Its three-year provider cost runs $100 above MA Registered Agent.org's, and in exchange more of the state's checkpoints are cleared for you.

The free lap ends, and an agent fare of $149 a year begins wherever the company registers.

The fare covers

The registration drafted and filed by Mainstay
One fare, any state

On the plus side

The same fare anywhere
$199 over the state toll

On the minus side

MA Registered Agent.org's agent renews for $50 less

Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

2. MA Registered Agent.org: best for a light Massachusetts crossing

Home-state route$199 for lap one, $99 for each lap after

Continuing, MA Registered Agent.org is the second alternative, since the Massachusetts registration for $199 with a free agent lap, then $99 each lap.

The fare covers

Registration handled from start to filing
A year of agent service

On the plus side

$99 yearly from lap two
The first agent lap comes with the fare
$199 plus the state toll

On the minus side

A one-state route

Visit MA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3. Massachusetts Registered Agent.co: best for Massachusetts crossings

Home-state route$199 for lap one, $99 for each lap after

Continuing, Massachusetts Registered Agent.co is the third alternative, since the Massachusetts registration for $199 with a free agent lap, then $99 each lap.

Compared with MA Registered Agent.org, the fares come out level.

The fare covers

Registration handled from start to filing
A year of agent service

On the plus side

The first agent lap comes with the fare
$99 yearly from lap two
$199 plus the state toll

On the minus side

A one-state route

Visit Massachusetts Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The 3 stops compared

Stop	Provider	Leg one	Later legs	Provider cost, three years
1	Mainstay Filing	$199	$149/yr	$497	Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2	MA Registered Agent.org	$199	$99/yr	$397	Visit MA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3	Massachusetts Registered Agent.co	$199	$99/yr	$397	Visit Massachusetts Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

We read every provider's price page on November 12, 2026. Massachusetts charges $500 to register, apart from each provider.

Massachusetts foreign LLC route calculator

The entry fee is $500, followed by the $500 report from year two, and each provider's fares are added.

Massachusetts and the stops on either side of it

Mile	State	Three-year foreign LLC fees
46th	Tennessee	$900
47th	Delaware	$1,000
48th	Rhode Island	$1,450
49th	Massachusetts	$1,500
50th	California	$2,490

Every state is plotted in Foreign LLC fees by state.

The Massachusetts entry filing for LLCs formed elsewhere

To get in, an outside LLC files the Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (General Laws Chapter 156C, Section 48) with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division and pays $500. The gate also asks for certificate of legal existence or good standing, issued no more than 90 days.

Once in, the company clears the Foreign LLC annual report ($500), anniversary of registration.

Papers to gather

Certificate of legal existence or good standing, dated within 90 days.
Home-state record: legal name and formation date.
A resident agent based in the state (all of our picks offer this).
A budget for the $500 state toll.

Consequences of staying unregistered

An LLC that has not registered cannot sue in the state's courts (G.L. c. 156C, 54(a)). Its contracts stay valid (G.L. c. 156C, 54(a)).

Reasoning for the order

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

The company already has a home state; one provider for it and Massachusetts scored highest.

Common questions

What does Massachusetts toll a foreign LLC for entry?

$500 in state tolls. A provider adds $199 to the bill.

Which form gets a foreign LLC into Massachusetts?

Entry is on the Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (General Laws Chapter 156C, Section 48), which goes to the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division.

Does the gate ask for clearance from the home state?

It does: certificate of legal existence or good standing, dated within 90 days of filing.

Is there a yearly checkpoint for a foreign LLC?

There is: the Foreign LLC annual report, which costs $500.

What happens when the LLC does business there without registering?

An LLC that has not registered cannot sue in the state's courts (G.L. c. 156C, 54(a)). Its contracts stay valid (G.L. c. 156C, 54(a)).

Does a foreign LLC need to carry a resident agent for Massachusetts?

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: it files the Massachusetts registration for $199 above the state's entry fee, and the first agent year rides along free. Further along, MA Registered Agent.org and Massachusetts Registered Agent.co.

Other routes

Survey markers for this route

Survey marker

Marker: Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth is documented at sec.state.ma.us, logged August 2026.
Marker: Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth is documented at malegislature.gov, logged August 2026.
Marker: M.G.L. c. 156C, sec. 12 is documented at sec.state.ma.us, logged August 2026.
Marker: Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source is documented at sec.state.ma.us, logged October 2026.
Marker: Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source is documented at sec.state.ma.us, logged October 2026.
Marker: Massachusetts registered agent statute is documented at sec.state.ma.us, logged October 2026.
Marker: Massachusetts Corporations Division, foreign LLC page is documented at sec.state.ma.us, logged October 2026.
Marker: G.L. c. 156C § 48, foreign LLC registration is documented at malegislature.gov, logged October 2026.
Marker: G.L. c. 156C § 54, failure to register is documented at malegislature.gov, logged October 2026.
Marker: G.L. c. 156D § 15.01, transacting business is documented at malegislature.gov, logged October 2026.
Marker: Tennessee Secretary of State, business forms and fees is documented at sos.tn.gov, logged October 2026.
Marker: Form SS-4233, Certificate of Authority for a foreign is documented at sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, logged October 2026.
Marker: Tennessee Secretary of State, business FAQs is documented at sos.tn.gov, logged October 2026.
Marker: Form SS-4241, withdrawal or cancellation is documented at sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, logged October 2026.
Marker: Tennessee Revised LLC Act, Public Chapter 286 is documented at publications.tnsosfiles.com, logged October 2026.
Marker: Foreign LLC registration form is documented at corpfiles.delaware.gov, logged October 2026.
Marker: Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter IX is documented at delcode.delaware.gov, logged October 2026.
Marker: Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter XI is documented at delcode.delaware.gov, logged October 2026.
Marker: Division of Corporations fee schedule, August 2026 is documented at corpfiles.delaware.gov, logged October 2026.
Marker: Alternative entity annual tax instructions is documented at corp.delaware.gov, logged October 2026.
Marker: Form 450, Application for Registration is documented at docs.sos.ri.gov, logged October 2026.
Marker: Business Services fee schedule is documented at docs.sos.ri.gov, logged October 2026.
Marker: R.I is documented at webserver.rilegislature.gov, logged October 2026.
Marker: R.I is documented at webserver.rilegislature.gov, logged October 2026.
Marker: Form 452, Certificate of Cancellation is documented at docs.sos.ri.gov, logged October 2026.
Marker: Rhode Island other cost is documented at tax.ri.gov, logged October 2026.
Marker: California Secretary of State, foreign LLC forms is documented at sos.ca.gov, logged October 2026.
Marker: Form LLC-5 is documented at bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, logged October 2026.
Marker: Corporations Code section 17708.03 is documented at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, logged October 2026.
Marker: Revenue and Taxation Code section 19135 is documented at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, logged October 2026.
Marker: Franchise Tax Board, LLC filing requirements is documented at ftb.ca.gov, logged October 2026.
Marker: California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and is documented at ftb.ca.gov, logged October 2026.
Mainstay Filing's Massachusetts service page, as surveyed November 12, 2026
MA Registered Agent.org's pricing page, as surveyed November 12, 2026
Massachusetts Registered Agent.co's pricing page, as surveyed November 12, 2026