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The Startup JudgeRankings of registered agents, LLC formation and foreign registration services in all 50 states.

New York ruling · foreign registration

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in New York (2026)

The Startup Judge has ruled on foreign registration services in New York for 2026: NY Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and New York Registered Agent.ai ($199). The ruling favors NY Registered Agent.org, since the New York registration costs $199 with the first agent year included, and $99 a year follows.
The Startup Judge editorial team
No.1
Our top pick

1. NY Registered Agent.org: best for companies that only add New York

$199 for the service, state fee on top; from year two the agent bills $99 annually

Score9.1out of 10

First place: NY Registered Agent.org. $199 over the state fee registers the company in New York, and the agent renews at $99.

An in-state street address serves as the registered office, and papers served on the company are scanned into your online account.

Its three-year total is below Mainstay Filing's, which carries considerable weight in our scoring.

In the price

  • Registration prepared and filed
  • A first year as your agent for service of process

Why pick it

  • Registration at $199, with the state fee extra
  • Twelve months as your agent for service of process come with it
  • Second-year agent charge: $99

Weak spots

  • Serves New York only; the home state needs its own agent
  • The EIN application carries a separate fee ($99)
No.2
One price, any state

2. Mainstay Filing: best for businesses active in several states

$199 for the registration work and the state's fee besides, $449 payable at checkout; the agent is $149 yearly after year one

Score8.8out of 10

Second place: Mainstay Filing. Its fee is $199 beyond the state's, year-one agent for service of process service costs nothing, and the charge is the same in every state.

The first agent year costs nothing; later years are $149 each, in this state or any other.

NY Registered Agent.org costs $100 less over three years, and Mainstay Filing trails it on that criterion.

In the price

  • The foreign registration, filed for you
  • A free first year as your agent for service of process
  • Service of process scanned and uploaded within the same business day, at no charge

Why pick it

  • Year-one agent for service of process service costs nothing
  • A $199 service charge, with the state's fee added
  • Service of process on the company scanned within the same business day, no charge
  • One price in each of the fifty states

Weak spots

  • The agent is $149 a year after year one, $50 more than NY Registered Agent.org
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. The full ruling on Mainstay Filing
No.3
Best local option

3. New York Registered Agent.ai: best for New York registrations only

$199 for the service, state fee on top; from year two the agent bills $99 annually

Score8.5out of 10

Third place: New York Registered Agent.ai. $199 over the state fee registers the company in New York, and the agent renews at $99.

An in-state street address serves as the registered office, and papers served on the company are scanned into your online account.

New York Registered Agent.ai mirrors NY Registered Agent.org on price and features, so the pair is nearly level.

In the price

  • Registration prepared and filed
  • One year of agent for service of process service at the start

Why pick it

  • Registration at $199, with the state fee extra
  • Second-year agent charge: $99
  • The first year as agent for service of process is free

Weak spots

  • Serves New York only; the home state needs its own agent
  • The EIN application carries a separate fee ($99)

The 3 rulings in brief

RankProviderRuling scoreService chargeYear twoSuited toLink
1NY Registered Agent.org9.1$199$99/yrThe lowest agent renewal on this listVisit NY Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing8.8$199$149/yrBusinesses spread over several statesVisit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3New York Registered Agent.ai8.5$199$99/yrThe lowest agent renewal on this listVisit New York Registered Agent.aiPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
The 10-point scores are editorial. They apply the criteria on How we rank and do not draw on customer ratings.

New York foreign registration service charges in 2026: year one, renewals and the three-year total

ProviderYear oneYear twoYear threeTotal over three yearsAgent covered in year one
NY Registered Agent.org$199$99$99$397Included
Mainstay Filing$199$149$149$497Free
New York Registered Agent.ai$199$99$99$397Included
Each charge was taken from the provider's own pages on November 12, 2026. New York's $250 registration fee is payable in addition to every row below and is not in the totals.

The reasoning for the order

The decisive criterion in New York was charge over three years. For reference, the method assigns 31% to charge over three years, 31% to work taken off the founder and 38% across renewal conduct, fit with local rules and pricing in plain sight.

Over three years NY Registered Agent.org totals $397, $100 less than Mainstay Filing. Both providers include the first year, so the renewal charge carried the ruling.

Each criterion and its weight appear on How we rank.

Foreign LLC registration in New York: the form, the office and the fee

Registration is lodged with the New York Department of State, Division of Corporations using the Application for Authority of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form DOS-1361-f-a). The state fee is $250. New York also requires certificate of Existence (also called a Certificate of Good Standing), issued no more than 365 days before the filing.

Once registered, the company's recurring filing is the biennial statement, priced at $9, with a due date of every two years, in the month the application was filed.

Items to gather before filing

  • Certificate of Existence (also called a Certificate of Good Standing), no older than 365 days at filing.
  • The exact legal name registered in the home state, along with the date it was formed.
  • A agent for service of process whose street address is in the state. Any provider on this page can fill the role.
  • The $250 state fee, remitted with the application.
  • A date in your calendar for the biennial statement, which carries a $9 fee.

Questions on New York foreign registration services

Is an out-of-state LLC required to register in New York?

Yes, as soon as it conducts business there.

What will foreign registration in New York run in total?

The state fee is $250; service charges run $199.

What does New York call its foreign registration form?

The Application for Authority of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form DOS-1361-f-a), lodged with the New York Department of State, Division of Corporations.

Must the home state vouch for the company before New York accepts it?

It must. Certificate of Existence (also called a Certificate of Good Standing), issued no more than 365 days before filing accompanies the application.

Is a agent for service of process still needed after the company is registered?

The Secretary of State is the agent for service of process for every New York LLC; naming a registered agent is optional.

Which foreign registration service does the record favor in New York?

NY Registered Agent.org, since it charges $199 beyond the state fee, including year-one agent for service of process service, then $99 a year for the agent.

Keep reading

The record

  1. New York Department of State, Division of Corporations, State Records and Uniform Commercial Code, on the record as of August 2026
  2. New York Department of State, Division of Corporations, State Records and Uniform Commercial Code, on the record as of August 2026
  3. New York report due date, on the record as of August 2026
  4. NY Limited Liability Company Law § 203, on the record as of August 2026
  5. New York formation fee: Filing fee, official source, on the record as of October 2026
  6. New York registered agent statute, on the record as of October 2026
  7. Department of State, Application for Authority, on the record as of October 2026
  8. LLC Law § 802, application for authority, on the record as of October 2026
  9. LLC Law § 808, consequences of doing business without authority, on the record as of October 2026
  10. Department of State, Certificate of Publication, on the record as of October 2026
  11. Exhibit: NY Registered Agent.org, pricing and service pages, November 12, 2026
  12. Exhibit: Mainstay Filing, New York service page, November 12, 2026
  13. Exhibit: New York Registered Agent.ai, pricing and service pages, November 12, 2026