Skip to content
State Filing Data LLC fees by state, read from the source.

Foreign LLC guide · Kentucky

Kentucky Foreign LLC Registration (2026): Fees and the 3 Best Services

For foreign LLC registration in Kentucky (2026), the order we'd use is Mainstay Filing ($199), Kentucky Registered Agent.co ($199) and KY Registered Agent.org ($199). The state's fee to register is $90, and the yearly report for foreign LLCs is $15, 38th of 50 over three years.
State Filing Data research desk

Kentucky at a glance

of 50 on foreign LLC state fees

Low rank, low state fees. The 50-state table

Registration fee

$90

apps.legislature.ky.gov, checked October 2026

Yearly report

$15

Annual report

Minimum yearly tax

$175

revenue.ky.gov, checked October 2026

Three-year state fees

$645

Years one to three, state fees only, plus the yearly tax

Who we'd use in Kentucky

Scored on five weighted criteria (methodology). Biggest weights: three-year service fees and filings covered.

Number one

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a second or third state

$199 to register, $149 yearly after

First choice, Mainstay Filing: it files the Kentucky registration for $199 over the state fee and includes year one of agent service.

It costs $100 more than Kentucky Registered Agent.co over three years; on our method the extra filings it covers outweigh that.

The agent renews at $149 a year wherever the company registers.

What you pay for

  • Registration prepared and filed
  • Registered agent, free for the first year
  • Fifty-state coverage

For

  • Any state, one fee
  • $199 plus Kentucky's fee
  • First agent year included

Against

  • Kentucky Registered Agent.co's agent renews for $50 less
Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Local option

2. Kentucky Registered Agent.co: best for a low yearly agent cost

$199 to register, $99 yearly after

Kentucky Registered Agent.co is our second choice: registration at $199 plus state fees, agent included for year one.

What you pay for

  • Filing with the state office
  • A year of agent service

For

  • $99 a year for the agent after that
  • Service fee $199
  • First agent year in the price

Against

  • Covers Kentucky only
Visit Kentucky Registered Agent.co Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Local option

3. KY Registered Agent.org: best for registering only in Kentucky

$199 to register, $99 yearly after

KY Registered Agent.org is our third choice: registration at $199 plus state fees, agent included for year one.

It publishes the same prices as Kentucky Registered Agent.co, so the two are close.

What you pay for

  • Filing with the state office
  • A year of agent service

For

  • $99 a year for the agent after that
  • Service fee $199
  • First agent year in the price

Against

  • Covers Kentucky only
Visit KY Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 picks, side by side

#ServiceYear oneFrom year twoThree-year service fees
1 Mainstay Filing $199$149/yr$497
Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Kentucky Registered Agent.co $199$99/yr$397
Visit Kentucky Registered Agent.co Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 KY Registered Agent.org $199$99/yr$397
Visit KY Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Service prices from each company's own pages, read November 12, 2026. State fee ($90) not included above.

Registration plus upkeep, by year

Totals add Kentucky's foreign LLC fees to each service's published prices.

$1,142 over 3 years with Mainstay Filing (state $645, service $497).

How Kentucky compares with nearby ranks

RankStateThree-year foreign LLC fees
35th Maine$550
37th Arkansas$570
38th Kentucky$645
39th North Carolina$650
40th Maryland$700

Full ranking: Foreign LLC fees by state. 1st is the least expensive.

Kentucky foreign registration: fee, form, office

$90 goes to the Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings with the Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Entity) (Form FBE).

Then comes the annual report ($15), between January 1 and June 30 each year. Separately: Limited Liability Entity Tax: a $175 minimum each year to the Department of Revenue.

Checklist

  • The exact legal name from the home state and the formation date.
  • Someone to serve as registered agent in Kentucky.
  • Budget for the $90 official fee.

The cost of not registering

The state's courts will not hear a suit it files before registering (KRS 14A.9-020(1)). A daily penalty of $2.

Why this order

The split between Mainstay Filing and Kentucky Registered Agent.co sits in state filings covered, which carries 30%.

Since a foreign LLC lives in two states at once, coverage decided it.

Kentucky: questions

How much does it cost to register a foreign LLC in Kentucky?

$90 to the state. Services on this page charge $199 on top.

Which form registers a foreign LLC in Kentucky?

File Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Entity) (Form FBE) with the Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings.

What does a foreign LLC file after registering?

The annual report, $15.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

The state's courts will not hear a suit it files before registering (KRS 14A.9-020(1)). A daily penalty of $2.

Is a registered agent needed there?

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Who should file the registration?

Mainstay Filing first: a $199 service fee in any state, the first agent year included. Then Kentucky Registered Agent.co and KY Registered Agent.org.

Keep going

Citations

  1. Kentucky Secretary of State. sos.ky.gov. Checked August 2026.
  2. Kentucky Secretary of State. sos.ky.gov. Checked August 2026.
  3. Kentucky report due date. apps.legislature.ky.gov. Checked August 2026.
  4. KRS 275.025. apps.legislature.ky.gov. Checked August 2026.
  5. Kentucky formation fee: Filing fee, official source. sos.ky.gov. Checked October 2026.
  6. Kentucky registered agent statute. apps.legislature.ky.gov. Checked October 2026.
  7. Kentucky Secretary of State, business filings. sos.ky.gov. Checked October 2026.
  8. Form FBE, Certificate of Authority. web.sos.ky.gov. Checked October 2026.
  9. KRS 14A.9-020, consequences of transacting business without authority. apps.legislature.ky.gov. Checked October 2026.
  10. KRS 14A.9-010, authority to transact business required. apps.legislature.ky.gov. Checked October 2026.
  11. Kentucky other cost: Limited Liability Entity Tax, official. revenue.ky.gov. Checked October 2026.
  12. Maine Secretary of State, foreign entities. maine.gov. Checked October 2026.
  13. Form MLLC-12. maine.gov. Checked October 2026.
  14. 31 MRSA § 1622, foreign qualification. legislature.maine.gov. Checked October 2026.
  15. 31 MRSA § 1623, activities that do not. legislature.maine.gov. Checked October 2026.
  16. 31 MRSA § 1629, consequences of not qualifying. legislature.maine.gov. Checked October 2026.
  17. 31 MRSA § 1680, fees. legislature.maine.gov. Checked October 2026.
  18. Arkansas Secretary of State, foreign LLC forms and. sos.arkansas.gov. Checked October 2026.
  19. Form FL-01. sos.arkansas.gov. Checked October 2026.
  20. Act 1041 of 2021, Uniform LLC Act. arkleg.state.ar.us. Checked October 2026.
  21. 2026 LLC franchise tax report and instructions. sos.arkansas.gov. Checked October 2026.
  22. Form FL-04, application for cancellation. sos.arkansas.gov. Checked October 2026.
  23. North Carolina Secretary of State, Business Registration. sosnc.gov. Checked October 2026.
  24. Form L-09, Application for Certificate of Authority. sosnc.gov. Checked October 2026.
  25. Secretary of State guide to registering a foreign. sosnc.gov. Checked October 2026.
  26. G.S. ncleg.gov. Checked October 2026.
  27. Annual report due dates. sosnc.gov. Checked October 2026.
  28. Maryland Business Express. egov.maryland.gov. Checked October 2026.
  29. Business Express fee schedule. egov.maryland.gov. Checked October 2026.
  30. Corporations and Associations § 4A-1002, registration. mgaleg.maryland.gov. Checked October 2026.
  31. Corporations and Associations § 4A-1009, activities that are. mgaleg.maryland.gov. Checked October 2026.
  32. Corporations and Associations § 4A-1007, effect of not. mgaleg.maryland.gov. Checked October 2026.
  33. Tax-Property § 11-101, annual report. mgaleg.maryland.gov. Checked October 2026.
  34. Mainstay Filing Kentucky service page, read November 12, 2026
  35. Kentucky Registered Agent.co pricing page, read November 12, 2026
  36. KY Registered Agent.org pricing page, read November 12, 2026