Skip to content
LLC PlainlyThe LLC stuff, in words you actually use.

Straight talk · Virginia

2 Best Foreign Registration Services in Virginia (2026): Our Honest Take

For foreign registration services in Virginia, here is our 2026 ranking: VA Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199). Virginia charges $100 to register, and the services add $397 to $497 over three years.
From the LLC Plainly editorial team

Short answer

What the state charges
$100
Proof of good standing?
Yes, you need one (365 days or newer)
After that
$50, annual registration fee
Our ranking
VA Registered Agent.org then Mainstay Filing

Our Virginia picks

Ranked best first using the checks on our method page.
Our favorite

1. VA Registered Agent.org: best for one extra state

$199 up front, then $99 a year

We'd use VA Registered Agent.org in Virginia. $199 over the state fee gets you registered, and renewals run $99.

It beats Mainstay Filing on three-year cost, and cost is what we weigh first.

Your money buys

  • Registration handled for you
  • First-year agent comes with it

The good

  • $199 on top of the state's fee
  • The first year of agent service is covered
  • Year two onward: $99

Trade-offs

  • Works in Virginia alone, so your home state needs its own agent
Works in every state

2. Mainstay Filing: best for LLCs expanding state by state

$199 up front, then $149 a year

Mainstay Filing comes next since registration is $199, and the registered agent costs nothing until year two.

VA Registered Agent.org is $100 less across three years, which is enough to rank higher.

The registered agent costs nothing the first year. After that it's $149 a year, in any state.

Your money buys

  • Out-of-state registration handled
  • Registered agent, first year on us
  • No change in price by state

The good

  • Set for the next state you add
  • A service fee of $199
  • No agent charge the first year

Trade-offs

  • Its agent renewal of $149 is $50 higher than VA Registered Agent.org

How they compare

#CompanyFirst yearAfter year oneThree-year totalIn the price
1VA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397registration handled for you; First-year agent comes with itVisit the VA Registered Agent.org sitePartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Out-of-state registration handled; registered agent, first year on us; no change in price by stateVisit the Mainstay Filing sitePartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Each company's listed prices on November 13, 2026. State fees come on top and don't change by pick.

Your questions, answered

Do I have to register an LLC from another state?

An out-of-state LLC signs up with the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk first and does business in Virginia afterward.

Not registering can cost you Virginia's courts won't hear its claims (Va. Code 13.1-1057(A)).

check it at law.lis.virginia.gov, October 2026

What's the price of foreign registration?

Budget $100 for the state and $199 for help.

Over three years the state itself takes $200, counting any recurring report. check it at scc.virginia.gov, October 2026

Which form do I file, and where?

The paper is the Application for Certificate of Registration to Transact Business in Virginia as a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC1052), and it goes to the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk.

Add certified copy of articles of organization and all amendments no more than 365 days.

What keeps the registration active?

The state wants a annual registration fee later on, priced at $50.

Mark the date: last day of your registration month.

What put number one on top?

Cost across three years, worth 33%, put VA Registered Agent.org first.

33% of the score is cost across three years, 31% is work taken off your hands, and three smaller checks split ties.

VA Registered Agent.org comes out at $397 for three years, $100 below Mainstay Filing.

The five checks

Virginia rules at a glance

ItemDetailsCheck it
Registration fee$100check it at scc.virginia.gov, October 2026
Good standing proofYes, you need one, 365 dayscheck it at law.lis.virginia.gov, October 2026
Annual registration fee$50check it at law.lis.virginia.gov, October 2026
Paid to the state by year three$200Our total of the lines above
How we get the bottom line: filing + report in year two + report in year three + any minimum tax. Open-ended costs are described in the text only.

More questions

Is one agent enough for both states?

You do. Two states mean two sets of rules, and a one-state company stops at its border while Mainstay Filing keeps going.

What's each pick's bill across three years?

VA Registered Agent.org will cost you $397, Mainstay Filing will cost you $497 for the services alone.

Where did you get these numbers?

Official Virginia sources on the state side and company pricing on the service side, all dated.

Does the state make me use a service?

Not required. What you'd pay a service is for convenience.

Is filing included in what they sell?

Each company on this page files for you, at the same state fee.

Who would you go with in Virginia?

VA Registered Agent.org, because registering costs $199 above the state fee and the agent is covered in year one, then $99 a year. After that, Mainstay Filing.

Where we got this

  1. law.lis.virginia.gov covers Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing; we confirmed it October 2026
  2. scc.virginia.gov covers Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing; we confirmed it October 2026
  3. law.lis.virginia.gov covers Va; we confirmed it August 2026
  4. law.lis.virginia.gov covers Virginia formation fee: Filing fee; we confirmed it October 2026
  5. law.lis.virginia.gov covers Virginia registered agent statute; we confirmed it October 2026
  6. scc.virginia.gov covers SCC, foreign limited liability company; we confirmed it October 2026
  7. scc.virginia.gov covers SCC, foreign business entities FAQ; we confirmed it October 2026
  8. scc.virginia.gov covers SCC, foreign registration checklist; we confirmed it October 2026
  9. law.lis.virginia.gov covers Code of Virginia § 13.1-1052; we confirmed it October 2026
  10. law.lis.virginia.gov covers Code of Virginia § 13.1-1059; we confirmed it October 2026
  11. law.lis.virginia.gov covers Code of Virginia § 13.1-1057; we confirmed it October 2026
  12. law.lis.virginia.gov covers Code of Virginia 13.1-1051 to; we confirmed it November 2026
  13. VA Registered Agent.org's pricing page, as of November 13, 2026
  14. Mainstay Filing's Virginia service page, as of November 13, 2026