Delaware Foreign Registration › Cost
What registering a foreign LLC in Delaware costs
Delaware charges a foreign LLC $200 to register and $400 a year after that, so the state's share of the first year is $600. We add $199 for preparing and filing. Below are the state's charges by filing, the rush options, the small fees that come up later and a few worked totals.
State fee to register
| Entity | Filing | Delaware fee |
|---|---|---|
| LLC | Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company | $200 |
| Corporation | Qualification Certificate of a Foreign Corporation | $245 |
| Limited partnership | Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Partnership | $200 |
Rush service on top of the fee
| Service | Extra charge | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|
| Next business day, this registration | $50 | Received by 7:00 pm Eastern |
| Same day, this registration | $100 | Received before 2:00 pm Eastern |
| Two hours | $500 | Received by 7:00 pm Eastern |
| One hour | $1,000 | Received by 9:00 pm Eastern |
The one and two hour charges are per document and are added to the filing fee. The next-day and same-day charges for this filing come from the fee schedule row for a foreign certificate of registration; amendments and cancellations are priced higher.
Later charges for a registered LLC
| Charge | Trigger | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Annual tax | Every year by June 1 | $400 |
| Late amount added to the tax | Tax unpaid after June 1 | $200 |
| Amendment of the registration | A fact on the application changes | $200 |
| Change of agent only | A certificate captioned as changing only the agent or office | $50 |
| Certificate of cancellation | The LLC leaves Delaware | $200 |
| Certified copy | Each copy certified | $50 |
| Short certificate of status | A bank or lender asks for proof | $50 |
| Long form good standing | Lists every filing | $175 |
Totals worked out
| Case | Built from | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Register only | The registration fee | $200 |
| Register with next-day service | Fee plus $50 | $250 |
| Register with same-day service | Fee plus $100 | $300 |
| First year, registration and tax | Fee plus $400 | $600 |
| First year with one certified copy | Fee, $50 and the tax | $650 |
| A tax paid after June 1 | $400 plus $200, before interest | $600 |
| Cancelling in the year of cancellation | $200 plus that year's $400 | $600 |
These totals leave out the home-state certificate, which each home state prices itself, any registered agent charge, and our own charge.
The state fee and the annual tax
The registration fee, the annual tax and the late amount are set by the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act itself (6 Del. C. 18-1105(a)(6); 6 Del. C. 18-1107(b)). The rush charges and certificate fees are the Division of Corporations' schedule amounts. We file at the amounts in force on the day we file.
Paying the state: what to expect
The Division of Corporations takes payment by check, credit card or ACH debit. It requires ACH debit for any transaction over $5,000. If you use its document filing service, the card or bank account is not charged when you submit; it is charged when the order is processed, and an invoice follows. The service does not calculate fees for you, so the order has to name the right amounts. We submit with the amounts already worked out.
What our charge covers
$199 covers preparing the application from your answers, ordering the current certificate of existence from the home state, filing with the Division and handing you the result with the date of your first tax payment. It does not include the state fee, the cost of the home-state certificate, a Delaware registered agent unless you choose ours, or the tax itself. Each line shows before you pay.
What stays the same whatever you pay
Paying for speed shortens the Division's handling only. It does nothing for the wait on the certificate from the LLC's own state, and nothing for the mail that carries the record back. Rush service also does nothing for the annual tax. The tax is due on the same date for an LLC that registered in a day and for one that registered in a month.
Registered agent: first year included, then $149 a year
$199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Delaware cost questions
Can the state fee be paid by card?
Yes. The Division takes credit cards and ACH debit through its document filing service and charges when the order is processed. ACH debit is required above $5,000.
Does a registered foreign LLC pay franchise tax?
A registered foreign LLC pays the flat $400 annual tax, not the corporate franchise tax.
Is the first tax prorated?
No. The Division says there is no proration on alternative entity taxes.
Do you charge for the home-state certificate?
The home state sets its own price, and checkout shows it before you pay.
Our charge, then the Delaware fee
Register in Delaware
+ $200 Delaware fee
- The Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company, prepared from your answers
- A fresh certificate of existence from the home state, ordered for the filing
- A Delaware registered agent, either our office or your own choice
- Your Delaware registration and the date the first annual tax is payable
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
$199
Start my Delaware filingOur charge and the Delaware fee are separate lines at checkout. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Delaware Code and state pages
- Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter XI (fees and annual tax)
- Delaware Division of Corporations, Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (PDF)
- Delaware Code Title 6, chapter 18, subchapter IX (foreign LLCs)
- Delaware Division of Corporations fee schedule (PDF)
- Delaware Division of Corporations, LLC/LP/GP annual tax
- Delaware Division of Corporations, Qualification Certificate of a Foreign Corporation (PDF)
- Delaware Code Title 8, chapter 1, subchapter XVI (foreign corporations)
- Delaware Division of Corporations, Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Partnership (PDF)
- Division of Corporations, expedited services
- Division of Corporations, certificates of status and entity status online
- Division of Corporations, pay taxes and file annual reports
Doing business in Delaware?
One order covers the application, the certificate and the agent. After that we flag the June 1 tax.