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

North Dakota ruling · foreign registration

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in North Dakota (2026)

The Startup Judge has ruled on foreign registration services in North Dakota for 2026: North Dakota Registered Agent.co ($199), ND Registered Agents.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199). The ruling favors North Dakota Registered Agent.co, since $199 over the state fee registers the company in North Dakota, and the agent renews at $99.
The Startup Judge editorial team
No.1
Best here

1. North Dakota Registered Agent.co: best for companies that only add North Dakota

$199 for the registration work and the state's fee besides; the agent is $99 yearly after year one

Score9.6out of 10

First place: North Dakota Registered Agent.co. It charges $199 beyond the state fee, including year-one registered agent service, then $99 a year for the agent.

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

It comes in under Mainstay Filing across three years.

In the price

  • Filing with the state
  • One year of registered agent service at the start

Why pick it

  • $199 to register, state fee on top
  • Agent charge of $99 a year after the first
  • The first year as registered agent is free

Weak spots

  • Serves North Dakota only; the home state needs its own agent
  • The EIN application carries a separate fee ($99)
No.2
Lower renewal than Mainstay

2. ND Registered Agents.org: best for North Dakota registrations only

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

Score9.1out of 10

Second place: ND Registered Agents.org. It charges $199 beyond the state fee, including year-one registered agent service, then $99 a year for the agent.

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

ND Registered Agents.org mirrors North Dakota Registered Agent.co on price and features, so the pair is nearly level.

In the price

  • Filing with the state
  • One year of registered agent service at the start

Why pick it

  • A $199 service charge plus the registration fee
  • The first year as registered agent is free
  • Agent charge of $99 a year after the first

Weak spots

  • Serves North Dakota only; the home state needs its own agent
  • The EIN application carries a separate fee ($99)
No.3
Best for multi-state companies

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

$199 for the service, $334 due now with the state fee; from year two the agent bills $149 annually

Score8.9out of 10

Third place: Mainstay Filing. $199 covers the North Dakota registration and the registered agent role is free the first year, then $149 annually.

Once the free year has passed, $149 a year applies in any state.

North Dakota Registered Agent.co 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 registered agent
  • Service of process scanned and uploaded within the same business day, at no charge

Why pick it

  • One price in each of the fifty states
  • Year-one registered agent 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

Weak spots

  • The agent is $149 a year after year one, $50 more than North Dakota Registered Agent.co
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. The full ruling on Mainstay Filing

The 3 rulings in brief

RankProviderRuling scoreService chargeYear twoSuited toLink
1North Dakota Registered Agent.co9.6$199$99/yrThe lowest agent renewal on this listVisit North Dakota Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2ND Registered Agents.org9.1$199$99/yrThe lowest agent renewal on this listVisit ND Registered Agents.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Mainstay Filing8.9$199$149/yrBusinesses spread over several statesVisit Mainstay FilingPartner 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.

North Dakota 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
North Dakota Registered Agent.co$199$99$99$397Included
ND Registered Agents.org$199$99$99$397Included
Mainstay Filing$199$149$149$497Free
Each charge was taken from the provider's own pages on November 12, 2026. North Dakota's $135 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota Registered Agent.co 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 North Dakota: the form, the office and the fee

Registration is lodged with the North Dakota Secretary of State using the Application for a Certificate of Authority (foreign limited liability company). The state fee is $135. North Dakota also requires certificate of status, good standing or existence from the home-state filing office.

Once registered, the company's recurring filing is the annual report, priced at $50, with a due date of November 15.

Items to gather before filing

  • Certificate of status, good standing or existence from the home-state filing office.
  • The exact legal name registered in the home state, along with the date it was formed.
  • A registered agent whose street address is in the state. Any provider on this page can fill the role.
  • The $135 state fee, remitted with the application.
  • A date in your calendar for the annual report, which carries a $50 fee.

Questions on North Dakota foreign registration services

Is an out-of-state LLC required to register in North Dakota?

Yes, as soon as it conducts business there.

What will foreign registration in North Dakota run in total?

The state fee is $135; service charges run $199.

Must the home state vouch for the company before North Dakota accepts it?

It must. Certificate of status, good standing or existence from the home-state filing office accompanies the application.

Is a registered agent still needed after the company is registered?

Yes. A registered agent with a street address in the state stays on file for as long as the registration lasts.

Which foreign registration services were heard in this ranking?

North Dakota Registered Agent.co ($199), ND Registered Agents.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), ruled upon in that order.

Which foreign registration service does the record favor in North Dakota?

North Dakota Registered Agent.co, since the North Dakota registration costs $199 with the first agent year included, and $99 a year follows.

Related pages

The record

  1. North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Division, on the record as of August 2026
  2. North Dakota Secretary of State, Business Division, on the record as of August 2026
  3. North Dakota report due date, on the record as of August 2026
  4. North Dakota formation fee: Filing fee, official source, on the record as of October 2026
  5. North Dakota registered agent statute, on the record as of October 2026
  6. Secretary of State, registered agents, on the record as of October 2026
  7. Secretary of State, business services, on the record as of October 2026
  8. Exhibit: North Dakota Registered Agent.co, pricing and service pages, November 12, 2026
  9. Exhibit: ND Registered Agents.org, pricing and service pages, November 12, 2026
  10. Exhibit: Mainstay Filing, North Dakota service page, November 12, 2026