Montana: ordered by value
Service prices only. The $70 state fee is identical in every row.
1. Mainstay Filing: best for several registrations
Best value
Service $199, agent renewal $149
- First year
- $199
- Later years
- $149/yr
- Three-year tally
- $497
Mainstay Filing books the first line, since $199 above Montana's fee, followed by $149 a year for the agent.
Spend $100 more than Montana Registered Agent.co across three years and the recurring paperwork comes off your list.
The agent line reads zero in year one and $149/yr from year two, in any state.
Included lines
- State registration handled
- Registered agent, year one free
- Fifty-state coverage
Gains
- Ready for the next state you add
- A service fee of $199
- Agent costs nothing in year one
Minus column
- Agent renewal of $149 is $50 above Montana Registered Agent.co
2
2. Montana Registered Agent.co: best for adding one state
Montana only
Service $199, agent renewal $99
- First year
- $199
- Later years
- $99/yr
- Three-year tally
- $397
Montana Registered Agent.co takes line 2 since service fees add up to $397 over three years.
Included lines
- The foreign filing
- Agent service, year one
Gains
- Year one of the agent comes with it
- $99 a year from year two
- Registers you for $199
Minus column
- Nothing outside this state
3
3. Registered Agent MT.org: best for a second local line
Montana only
Service $199, agent renewal $99
- First year
- $199
- Later years
- $99/yr
- Three-year tally
- $397
Registered Agent MT.org takes line 3 since service fees add up to $397 over three years.
Same posted prices as Montana Registered Agent.co.
Included lines
- The foreign filing
- Agent service, year one
Gains
- $99 a year from year two
- Year one of the agent comes with it
- Registers you for $199
Minus column
- Nothing outside this state
Running tally by year
Company prices on November 13, 2026, summed year by year. The order holds through year ten.
Run the tally yourself
Choose a number of years to see each row's total by then.
State fees, cited
The last row is a sum: the filing fee, the reports for years two and three and any yearly minimum tax. Publication and other variable costs are named in the text but not added.
Reading the ranking
At 28%, jobs ticked off is the column that decided the first row.
With the LLC in two states, reach decided it.
Montana foreign LLC registration fee and rules (official)
Out-of-state LLCs send the Application for Certificate of Authority (foreign limited liability company) to the Montana Secretary of State, Business Services with a fee of $70.
What an unregistered LLC may face: its access to the courts as a plaintiff is suspended (MCA 35-8-1002(1)); daily fines of $5.
Source: see mca.legmt.gov, entered October 2026 in the ledger
The do-it-yourself row
With no service you pay the state $70 over three years and handle every form. Hiring costs $397 to $497 more for that work.
Questions about these totals
What does Montana charge to register an LLC formed elsewhere?
$70 as the official fee, plus a service fee of $199.
What do three years of service add up to?
$397 to $497 across the rows, with state fees left out.
Which form registers the LLC?
The registration is Application for Certificate of Authority (foreign limited liability company), submitted to the Montana Secretary of State, Business Services.
What recurring filing follows the registration?
The annual report carries no fee.
When does one service turn into the lower total?
There is no break-even point inside ten years.
Which foreign registration service is the best value for Montana?
The first line belongs to Mainstay Filing, the second to Montana Registered Agent.co and the third to Registered Agent MT.org.
Record of sources
- October 2026 entry: Montana Secretary of State fee, source sosmt.gov
- October 2026 entry: Montana yearly filing: Annual report, source sosmt.gov
- October 2026 entry: Montana yearly filing: Annual report, source sosmt.gov
- August 2026 entry: Montana report due date, source mca.legmt.gov
- August 2026 entry: Mont, source mca.legmt.gov
- October 2026 entry: Montana formation fee: Filing fee, source sosmt.gov
- October 2026 entry: Montana registered agent statute, source mca.legmt.gov
- October 2026 entry: Montana Secretary of State, register, source help.sosmt.gov
- October 2026 entry: MCA 35-8-1001, transacting business, source mca.legmt.gov
- October 2026 entry: MCA 35-8-1002, consequences, source mca.legmt.gov
- October 2026 entry: MCA 35-8-1003, application contents, source mca.legmt.gov
- Mainstay Filing Montana service page (ledger date November 13, 2026)
- Montana Registered Agent.co pricing page (ledger date November 13, 2026)
- Registered Agent MT.org pricing page (ledger date November 13, 2026)