What to know about South Dakota
45th
on the 50-state list for foreign LLCs
Fee the state takes at registration
$750
Report you must file again
$55
Annual report
Paper from the home state
Required
Include it in the filing
What the state collects in 3 years
$860
The first filing and two years of upkeep
What we would pick in South Dakota
Every criterion and weight is on the
method page.
First pick
1. SD Registered Agent.org: best for a small yearly agent price
$199 plus the state fee; the agent then costs $99 a year from year 2
We start with SD Registered Agent.org, and the reason is simple: their fee is $199, and the agent renews at $99.
Mainstay Filing costs more over three years, and that criterion is worth 33% of the score.
What your money gets you
- Handles the foreign registration filing for you
- A year of agent service
What works
- $199 plus the state fee
- A $99 renewal
- The first agent year is free
What to weigh
- Your home state needs a separate agent
South Dakota only
2. South Dakota Registered Agent.co: best for South Dakota registrations
$199 plus the state fee; the agent then costs $99 a year from year 2
South Dakota Registered Agent.co takes second place because their fee is $199, and the agent renews at $99.
SD Registered Agent.org and this provider charge the same.
What your money gets you
- Handles the foreign registration filing for you
- A year of agent service
What works
- A $99 renewal
- The first agent year is free
- $199 plus the state fee
What to weigh
- Your home state needs a separate agent
All-in-one
3. Mainstay Filing: best for one price in every added state
$199 plus the state fee; the agent then costs $149 a year from year 2
Why Mainstay Filing is third: you pay $199 on top of the state fee, your registered agent is free in year 1, and then it is $149 a year.
SD Registered Agent.org costs $100 less over three years, and that explains the order.
From the second year, agent service costs you $149 a year.
What your money gets you
- Prepares your registration and files it
- Your registered agent for the first year is free
- The same price in any state
What works
- You pay no agent fee in the first year
- One price everywhere
- $199 to register
What to weigh
- SD Registered Agent.org's agent renews for $50 less
The 3 picks compared
Each company's own price page was open in front of us on November 13, 2026. Remember to add the $750 state fee to each row.
Registration cost calculator
The registration fee is $750, with a $55 report from year 2, and provider fees are added on top.
How South Dakota compares with the states near it in the ranking
South Dakota foreign registration: the fee, the form and the office
Your registration goes through the South Dakota Secretary of State: the Application for Certificate of Authority, Foreign Limited Liability Company, with a fee of $750. The state asks you to supply certificate of Existence.
After you register, you must file the annual report ($55), 1st of the anniversary month.
Gather these first
- Certificate of Existence.
- The registered name and formation date in your home state.
- A registered agent with an office here, which any ranked provider can give you.
- Money set aside for the $750 state charge.
What happens if you skip registration in South Dakota
What your LLC signed can still be enforced (SDCL 47-34A-1008(b)).
Why the South Dakota list is in this order
In South Dakota, SD Registered Agent.org beat South Dakota Registered Agent.co on price over three years (33%).
Cost puts it ahead, at $397 over three years, which is $100 lower than Mainstay Filing.
South Dakota foreign registration service questions
How much will it cost to register my out-of-state LLC with South Dakota?
$750 at the state office. Provider fees are $199.
Which form do I use to register an out-of-state LLC with South Dakota?
Use the Application for Certificate of Authority, Foreign Limited Liability Company and send it to the South Dakota Secretary of State.
Does the state want a certificate from my home state?
Yes, you need certificate of Existence.
Will my foreign LLC have to file anything every year?
Yes, you file the annual report and pay $55.
What happens if my LLC does business there without registering?
What your LLC signed can still be enforced (SDCL 47-34A-1008(b)).
Must I appoint a registered agent when registering in South Dakota?
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Which service should I choose to register a foreign LLC?
We would choose SD Registered Agent.org first ($199 above the state fee gets you registered; after that it is $99 a year), with South Dakota Registered Agent.co and Mainstay Filing behind it.
Where this briefing comes from
- Want to double-check South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services /? Go to sdsos.gov, where we confirmed the details in August 2026.
- Want to double-check South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services /? Go to sosenterprise.sd.gov, where we confirmed the details in August 2026.
- Want to double-check South Dakota yearly filing: Annual report: fee and? Go to sdlegislature.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check South Dakota report due date? Go to sdlegislature.gov, where we confirmed the details in August 2026.
- Want to double-check SDCL 47-34A-203? Go to sdlegislature.gov, where we confirmed the details in August 2026.
- Want to double-check South Dakota formation fee: Filing fee, official source? Go to sdsos.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check South Dakota formation fee: Filing fee, official source? Go to sdlegislature.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check South Dakota registered agent statute? Go to sdlegislature.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check South Dakota Secretary of State, business services? Go to sdsos.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check Foreign LLC application for Certificate of Authority? Go to sdsos.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check SDCL 47-34A-1003, transacting business? Go to sdlegislature.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check SDCL 47-34A-1008, effect of not registering? Go to sdlegislature.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check SDCL 47-34A-1001 to 47-34A-1009, foreign limited liability companies? Go to sdlegislature.gov, where we confirmed the details in November 2026.
- Want to double-check Nevada Secretary of State, limited-liability companies? Go to nvsos.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check Nevada Revised Statutes, Chapter 86? Go to leg.state.nv.us, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check Nevada Revised Statutes, Chapter 77? Go to leg.state.nv.us, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check Nevada LLC formation and registration packet? Go to bizhub.nv.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check Annual list and State Business License instructions? Go to bizhub.nv.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check Oregon Secretary of State, foreign LLC forms? Go to sos.oregon.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check Application for Authority, form instructions? Go to sos.oregon.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check Business Registry fee schedule? Go to sos.oregon.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check Registered agents and service of process? Go to sos.oregon.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check Oregon Revised Statutes, chapter 63? Go to oregonlegislature.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check Tennessee Secretary of State, business forms and fees? Go to sos.tn.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check Form SS-4233, Certificate of Authority for a foreign? Go to sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check Tennessee Secretary of State, business FAQs? Go to sos.tn.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check Form SS-4241, withdrawal or cancellation? Go to sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check Tennessee Revised LLC Act, Public Chapter 286? Go to publications.tnsosfiles.com, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check Foreign LLC registration form? Go to corpfiles.delaware.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter IX? Go to delcode.delaware.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter XI? Go to delcode.delaware.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check Division of Corporations fee schedule, August 2026? Go to corpfiles.delaware.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- Want to double-check Alternative entity annual tax instructions? Go to corp.delaware.gov, where we confirmed the details in October 2026.
- You can see pricing page for SD Registered Agent.org on its own website, which we looked at on November 13, 2026
- You can see pricing page for South Dakota Registered Agent.co on its own website, which we looked at on November 13, 2026
- You can see South Dakota service page for Mainstay Filing on its own website, which we looked at on November 13, 2026