No.1
Best here
1. Mainstay Filing: best for businesses active in several states
Service charge $199, with the state fee separate; the agent costs $149 a year from the second year
Score9.4out of 10
First place: Mainstay Filing. Its fee is $199 beyond the state's, year-one registered agent service costs nothing, and the charge is the same in every state.
After the free first year, the agent is $149 annually, whichever state the company chooses.
Its three-year total exceeds WA Registered Agent.org's by $100; the broader coverage outweighs that difference in our scoring.
In the price
- Registration paperwork handled for you
- Registered agent service is free in year one
- Papers served on the company are scanned within the business day, free
Why pick it
- Service of process on the company scanned within the same business day, no charge
- 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
Weak spots
- The agent is $149 a year after year one, $50 more than WA Registered Agent.org
No.2
Low renewal
2. WA Registered Agent.org: best for companies that only add Washington
$199 for the service, state fee on top; from year two the agent bills $99 annually
Score9.2out of 10
Second place: WA Registered Agent.org. The Washington registration costs $199 with the first agent year included, and $99 a year follows.
An in-state street address serves as the registered office, and papers served on the company are scanned into your online account.
In the price
- Foreign registration done for you
- The first year of registered agent service
Why pick it
- Registration at $199, with the state fee extra
- Year-one registered agent service is included
- Second-year agent charge: $99
Weak spots
- Serves Washington only; the home state needs its own agent
- The EIN application carries a separate fee ($99)
The 2 rulings in brief
| Rank | Provider | Ruling score | Service charge | Year two | Suited to | Link |
|---|
| 1 | Mainstay Filing | 9.4 | $199 | $149/yr | Businesses spread over several states | Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
|---|
| 2 | WA Registered Agent.org | 9.2 | $199 | $99/yr | The lowest agent renewal on this list | Visit WA Registered Agent.orgPartner 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.
Washington foreign registration service charges in 2026: year one, renewals and the three-year total
| Provider | Year one | Year two | Year three | Total over three years | Agent covered in year one |
|---|
| Mainstay Filing | $199 | $149 | $149 | $497 | Free |
|---|
| WA Registered Agent.org | $199 | $99 | $99 | $397 | Included |
|---|
Each charge was taken from the provider's own pages on November 12, 2026. Washington's $180 registration fee is payable in addition to every row below and is not in the totals.
What decided the order
The decisive criterion in Washington was work taken off the founder. 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.
A second-state registration involves two jurisdictions. One provider at one price in both earned the higher coverage score, ahead of WA Registered Agent.org.
Each criterion and its weight appear on How we rank.
Foreign LLC registration in Washington: the form, the office and the fee
Registration is lodged with the Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division using the Foreign Registration Statement. The state fee is $180. Washington also requires certificate of existence (good standing) or similar document, issued no more than 60 days before the filing.
Once registered, the company's recurring filing is the annual report, priced at $70, with a due date of last day of your registration month.
Items to gather before filing
- Certificate of existence (good standing) or similar document, no older than 60 days at filing.
- 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 $180 state fee, remitted with the application.
- A date in your calendar for the annual report, which carries a $70 fee.
Questions on Washington foreign registration services
Is an out-of-state LLC required to register in Washington?
Yes, as soon as it conducts business there.
What will foreign registration in Washington run in total?
The state fee is $180; service charges run $199.
Must the home state vouch for the company before Washington accepts it?
It must. Certificate of existence (good standing) or similar document, issued no more than 60 days before filing 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?
Mainstay Filing ($199) and WA Registered Agent.org ($199), ruled upon in that order.
Which foreign registration service does the record favor in Washington?
Mainstay Filing, since $199 covers the Washington registration and the registered agent role is free the first year, then $149 annually.
The record
- Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division, on the record as of August 2026
- Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division, on the record as of August 2026
- Washington yearly filing: Annual report, official source, on the record as of October 2026
- Washington report due date, on the record as of August 2026
- Washington formation fee: Filing fee, official source, on the record as of October 2026
- Washington formation fee: Filing fee, official source, on the record as of October 2026
- Washington registered agent statute, on the record as of October 2026
- Washington SOS, register a foreign LLC online, on the record as of October 2026
- Washington SOS, fee schedules and priority services, on the record as of October 2026
- RCW 23.95.520, activities that are not doing business, on the record as of October 2026
- RCW 23.95.505, consequences of not registering, on the record as of October 2026
- RCW 23.95.510, foreign registration statement, on the record as of October 2026
- Washington SOS, registered agents, on the record as of October 2026
- Exhibit: Mainstay Filing, Washington service page, November 12, 2026
- Exhibit: WA Registered Agent.org, pricing and service pages, November 12, 2026