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Filing Verdict

Rankings of registered agents, LLC formation and foreign registration services in all 50 states.

Foreign registration verdict · Massachusetts

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in Massachusetts (2026)

Filing Verdict's 2026 verdict on foreign registration services in Massachusetts: Mainstay Filing ($199), Massachusetts Registered Agent.co ($199) and MA Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. Mainstay Filing takes first place: $199 on top of the state fee, the same in any state, with the first year of resident agent service included.
The Filing Verdict editorial team
Number one here
Spot 1

1. Mainstay Filing: best for companies working in several states

$199 on top of the state fee; the agent is $149 a year from year two

9.2Editorial score
out of 10

Mainstay Filing wins here: $199 plus the state's own fee, with the resident agent free for the first year and one price in every state.

The agent renews at $149 a year after the free first year, in this state or any other.

The three-year bill is $100 higher than Massachusetts Registered Agent.co's, and the wider coverage is worth that to us.

What you get

  • Foreign registration paperwork prepared and filed
  • Same-business-day scan and upload of served papers, no charge

What we like

  • Same-business-day scans of served papers, free
  • One price in all fifty states
  • Service fee of $199, plus the state's fee

Cons

  • After year one its agent runs $149 a year, $50 above Massachusetts Registered Agent.co
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. Our full Mainstay Filing verdict
Best local option
Spot 2

2. Massachusetts Registered Agent.co: best for companies adding only Massachusetts

Service fee $199, state fee extra; agent $99 yearly after year one

9.0Editorial score
out of 10

Second place goes to Massachusetts Registered Agent.co: the Massachusetts registration for $199 with the first agent year included, then $99 a year.

The plan gives the company an in-state street address as its registered office, and papers served on the company are scanned to your online account.

What you get

  • Filing with the state
  • A year of resident agent service up front

What we like

  • Year-two agent cost of $99
  • A year of resident agent service is part of the price
  • Files the registration for $199 plus fees

Cons

  • Covers Massachusetts only; your home state needs its own agent
  • The EIN application is billed separately ($99)
Visit Massachusetts Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. Our full Massachusetts Registered Agent.co verdict
Best value here
Spot 3

3. MA Registered Agent.org: best for Massachusetts registrations only

Service fee $199, state fee extra; agent $99 yearly after year one

8.9Editorial score
out of 10

Third place goes to MA Registered Agent.org: the Massachusetts registration for $199 with the first agent year included, then $99 a year.

The plan gives the company an in-state street address as its registered office, and papers served on the company are scanned to your online account.

On price and features Massachusetts Registered Agent.co and MA Registered Agent.org match line for line, which makes this a close call between safe choices.

What you get

  • Filing with the state
  • Year-one resident agent service

What we like

  • $99 a year for the agent from year two
  • $199 to register, plus the state's fee
  • First-year resident agent service comes with it

Cons

  • Covers Massachusetts only; your home state needs its own agent
  • The EIN application is billed separately ($99)
Visit MA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. Our full MA Registered Agent.org verdict

The 3 verdicts at a glance

No.ServiceVerdict scoreService feeYear twoBest forVisit
1Mainstay Filing9.2$199$149/yrCompanies registered in several states Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Massachusetts Registered Agent.co9.0$199$99/yrThe lowest agent renewal here Visit Massachusetts Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3MA Registered Agent.org8.9$199$99/yrThe lowest agent renewal here Visit MA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
The marks out of 10 are editorial: Filing Verdict sets them from the criteria on How we rank, and customers do not rate anything here.

Massachusetts foreign registration service prices for 2026: year one, renewals and three years

ServiceYear 1Year 2Year 3Total, 3 yearsAgent covered in year one
Mainstay Filing$199$149$149$497Not stated
Massachusetts Registered Agent.co$199$99$99$397Included
MA Registered Agent.org$199$99$99$397Included
Prices were read from each company's own pages on November 12, 2026. Massachusetts's $500 registration fee goes on top of every row and is not counted in these totals.

The reasoning behind the order

Filing Verdict gives total over three years and paperwork the price handles 35% each, and renewal behavior, match to the state and up-front pricing split the rest. In Massachusetts the order was settled by paperwork the price handles.

Registering in a second state involves two states, so one provider with one price in both scored best on coverage, ahead of Massachusetts Registered Agent.co.

The full list of criteria and weights is on How we rank.

Massachusetts foreign LLC registration: the fee, the form and the filing office

The company registers with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division by filing the Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (General Laws Chapter 156C, Section 48). The state fee is $500. Massachusetts also asks for certificate of legal existence or good standing, issued within 90 days of filing.

Afterwards the company files the Foreign LLC annual report ($500), due anniversary of registration.

Before you file: a checklist

  • Certificate of legal existence or good standing, issued within 90 days before you file.
  • The exact legal name from the home state, and the date the company was formed there.
  • A resident agent with a street address in the state; each service on this page can act in that role.
  • The $500 state fee, paid with the filing.
  • A calendar entry for the Foreign LLC annual report and its $500 fee.

What skipping Massachusetts registration can cost

Until it registers, an out-of-state LLC cannot bring suit in Massachusetts courts (G.L. c. 156C, 54(a)). Contracts it signs stay valid (G.L. c. 156C, 54(a)).

Massachusetts foreign registration service: questions answered

Does Massachusetts require an out-of-state LLC to register?

Yes, once it transacts business there. Until it registers, it cannot bring suit in the state's courts.

What does foreign registration cost in Massachusetts?

The state fee is $500, and the service fee is $199.

Does Massachusetts want a certificate from my home state?

Yes. It asks for certificate of legal existence or good standing, issued within 90 days of filing.

Is a resident agent required once I have registered?

Yes. The company still needs a resident agent here, with a street address in the state.

Which foreign registration services are ranked on this page?

Mainstay Filing ($199), Massachusetts Registered Agent.co ($199) and MA Registered Agent.org ($199), from first place to last.

Which foreign registration service is the best pick in Massachusetts?

Mainstay Filing, because it prepares the Massachusetts registration for $199 and serves as your resident agent, free in year one, then $149 a year.

Related pages

Sources and dates

  1. Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, confirmed August 2026
  2. Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, confirmed August 2026
  3. M.G.L. c. 156C, sec. 12, confirmed August 2026
  4. Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source, confirmed October 2026
  5. Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source, confirmed October 2026
  6. Massachusetts registered agent statute, confirmed October 2026
  7. Massachusetts Corporations Division, foreign LLC page, confirmed October 2026
  8. G.L. c. 156C § 48, foreign LLC registration, confirmed October 2026
  9. G.L. c. 156C § 54, failure to register, confirmed October 2026
  10. G.L. c. 156D § 15.01, transacting business, confirmed October 2026
  11. Checked November 12, 2026: Mainstay Filing, Massachusetts service page
  12. Checked November 12, 2026: Massachusetts Registered Agent.co, pricing and service pages
  13. Checked November 12, 2026: MA Registered Agent.org, pricing and service pages