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Your questions · Washington

2 Best Foreign Registration Services in Washington (2026): Who to Hire

For foreign registration services in Washington, our 2026 reply is Mainstay Filing ($199) and WA Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. Set aside $180 for the state and $397 to $497 for services over three years.
By the LLC Answered editorial team

Answer in four lines

Short reply
Price to register
$180
Paper from the home state?
Needed (60 days or newer)
Afterward
$70, annual report
Who to hire
Mainstay Filing then WA Registered Agent.org

Who to hire in Washington

Order set by our five tests: three-year cost first, then what the price covers.

#1 Top reply

1. Mainstay Filing: best for companies that keep growing

$199 to register, $149 for the agent after

Why Mainstay Filing? Simply put, it asks $199 plus state fees and waives the registered agent charge for the first year.

Choosing WA Registered Agent.org saves $100 over three years, but only a Washington company can use it.

Year one carries no registered agent fee; after that it is $149 a year.

What is bundled

  • Your foreign filing
  • Registered agent, free in year one
  • A nationwide flat fee

Pluses

  • The fee is the same in every state
  • Service fee $199
  • Registered agent costs nothing in year one

Downsides

  • Agent renews at $149, $50 over WA Registered Agent.org
#2 One-state pick

2. WA Registered Agent.org: best for one extra state

$199 to register, $99 for the agent after

Why WA Registered Agent.org second? Simply put, registering costs $199 over the state fee, agent covered in year one, then $99 a year.

What is bundled

  • Foreign filing submitted
  • Agent for year one

Pluses

  • First-year agent comes with it
  • Registers for $199
  • Then $99 yearly

Downsides

  • One-state service

Numbers at a glance

#CompanyStart priceLater yearsThree-year costPrice buys
1 Mainstay Filing $199$149/yr$497your foreign filing; registered agent, free in year one; A nationwide flat fee Get started with Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 WA Registered Agent.org $199$99/yr$397foreign filing submitted; agent for year one Get started with WA Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Service fees only, from each company's prices on November 13, 2026. State fees are identical whichever you pick.

What people ask here

Does my out-of-state LLC need to register here?

An LLC from another state registers with the Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division ahead of transacting business in Washington.

sos.wa.gov | October 2026 | verified

How much is foreign registration?

$180 for the state; hire a service and it adds $199.

Over three years the state's total is $320. sos.wa.gov | October 2026 | verified

What gets submitted?

One filing, the Foreign Registration Statement, goes to the Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division.

Provide certificate of existence (good standing) or similar document no older than 60 days.

What does staying registered cost?

$70 for the annual report.

Watch for this date: last day of your registration month.

How did you rank them?

Mainstay Filing leads on paperwork covered, a 29% test.

Five tests set the order: three-year price (36%), paperwork covered (29%), straightforward pricing (15%), renewal behavior (10%) and states served (10%).

With two states involved, a provider for every state beat WA Registered Agent.org.

Our method in full

Washington: the requirements, cited

QuestionAnswerWhere it is from
Application fee $180sos.wa.gov | October 2026 | verified
Home-state certificate Needed, 60 dayssos.wa.gov | October 2026 | verified
Annual report $70sos.wa.gov | October 2026 | verified
State total, years 1 to 3 $320Sum of the rows above

How the total works: filing + report in year two + report in year three + any minimum tax. Open-ended costs are mentioned in the text only.

Short Q&A

Do I need an agent at home too?

You still need one at home. Mainstay Filing works in both states, while a local company works in one.

What does each pick cost across three years?

Three-year costs are Mainstay Filing, $497; WA Registered Agent.org, $397 (services only).

Where are these numbers from?

Official Washington documents supply the state fees, and the companies' own price pages supply the service fees. Every figure carries a date.

Must I hire a service?

Not at all. Owners can file with the state directly; a service is there to save you the work and to act as agent.

Will a service do the registration for me?

Every company on this page handles the filing for you; the state charges the same regardless.

Which foreign registration service should I hire in Washington?

Mainstay Filing is first on paperwork covered, with WA Registered Agent.org behind it.

Next stop

Our evidence

  1. Washington Secretary of State, Corporations: ccfs.sos.wa.gov, last confirmed August 2026
  2. Washington Secretary of State, Corporations: sos.wa.gov, last confirmed August 2026
  3. Washington yearly filing: Annual report: sos.wa.gov, last confirmed October 2026
  4. Washington report due date: app.leg.wa.gov, last confirmed August 2026
  5. Washington formation fee: Filing fee: sos.wa.gov, last confirmed October 2026
  6. Washington formation fee: Filing fee: sos.wa.gov, last confirmed October 2026
  7. Washington registered agent statute: app.leg.wa.gov, last confirmed October 2026
  8. Washington SOS, register a foreign: sos.wa.gov, last confirmed October 2026
  9. Washington SOS, fee schedules and: sos.wa.gov, last confirmed October 2026
  10. RCW 23.95.520, activities that are: app.leg.wa.gov, last confirmed October 2026
  11. RCW 23.95.505, consequences of not: app.leg.wa.gov, last confirmed October 2026
  12. RCW 23.95.510, foreign registration statement: app.leg.wa.gov, last confirmed October 2026
  13. Washington SOS, registered agents: sos.wa.gov, last confirmed October 2026
  14. November 13, 2026 price read: Mainstay Filing Washington service page
  15. November 13, 2026 price read: WA Registered Agent.org pricing page