South Dakota board, ranked
Service prices only. The $750 state fee applies to every quote.
1. Mainstay Filing: best for one fee, wherever you register
Leads the board
$199 for registration, $149 for the agent after that
- Opening quote
- $199
- Quote from year 2
- $149/yr
- Reading at year 3
- $497
For South Dakota, Mainstay Filing gives the best value: the South Dakota filing at $199 plus state fees, first agent year covered.
Its three-year reading is $100 above South Dakota Registered Agent.co's, and the extra filings it handles outweigh that in the ranking.
After the free year, the agent bills $149 annually.
Quote includes
- Registration completed for you
- Registered agent costs nothing the first year
- Fifty-state service
Reads well
- Agent free for the first year
- Same fee wherever you register
- $199 above the state fee
Reads poorly
- South Dakota Registered Agent.co bills $50 less for the agent
2
2. South Dakota Registered Agent.co: best for a no-frills registration
South Dakota only
$199 for registration, $99 for the agent after that
- Opening quote
- $199
- Quote from year 2
- $99/yr
- Reading at year 3
- $397
South Dakota Registered Agent.co fills quote 2: $199 to register plus a year of agent service, then $99 yearly.
Quote includes
- Registration done for you
- Agent service for the first year
Reads well
- $99 yearly from year two
- Year-one agent covered
- $199 plus the state fee
Reads poorly
- Nothing outside this state
3
3. SD Registered Agent.org: best for one added registration
South Dakota only
$199 for registration, $99 for the agent after that
- Opening quote
- $199
- Quote from year 2
- $99/yr
- Reading at year 3
- $397
SD Registered Agent.org fills quote 3: $199 to register plus a year of agent service, then $99 yearly.
South Dakota Registered Agent.co publishes the same prices.
Quote includes
- Registration done for you
- Agent service for the first year
Reads well
- $199 plus the state fee
- $99 yearly from year two
- Year-one agent covered
Reads poorly
- Nothing outside this state
What each quote adds up to
Company prices from November 13, 2026, accumulated by year. No break-even appears inside ten years.
Break-even test
Change the years to take a new reading.
Government side of the board, South Dakota
The three-year state reading adds the filing fee, the reports due in years two and three and any yearly minimum tax. Costs with no fixed amount, such as newspaper publication, are noted but not summed.
How the ranking came out
Mainstay Filing wins filings handled per dollar, worth 30%, with South Dakota Registered Agent.co right behind.
Several states at one price beat South Dakota Registered Agent.co's lower renewal.
South Dakota foreign LLC registration fee and rules, quoted from the source
An LLC formed elsewhere registers in South Dakota before it does business there. The filing is the Application for Certificate of Authority, Foreign Limited Liability Company, delivered to the South Dakota Secretary of State with $750. It also needs certificate of Existence.
Official wording: sdlegislature.gov (logged October 2026) for the record
Filing it yourself, measured
Cost of filing yourself: $860 to the state over three years. Service readings of $397 to $497 are the price of avoiding the forms.
Common questions
What is the price of registering a foreign LLC with South Dakota?
$750 to the state, plus $199 if you pay a service for year one.
What do the quotes add up to over three years?
$397 to $497 across the quotes, not counting state fees.
Which form carries out the registration?
The filing is Application for Certificate of Authority, Foreign Limited Liability Company, lodged at the South Dakota Secretary of State.
Is a document from the home state required by South Dakota?
Yes: certificate of Existence.
Which recurring filing follows registration?
The annual report, billed at $55.
When does one quote pass another in total cost?
The quotes do not cross in the first ten years.
Which foreign registration service ranks first for South Dakota?
The top quote is Mainstay Filing, then South Dakota Registered Agent.co, then SD Registered Agent.org.
Logged references
- Bench note on South Dakota Secretary of State: sdsos.gov, August 2026.
- Bench note on South Dakota Secretary of State: sosenterprise.sd.gov, August 2026.
- Bench note on South Dakota yearly filing: Annual: sdlegislature.gov, October 2026.
- Bench note on South Dakota report due date: sdlegislature.gov, August 2026.
- Bench note on SDCL 47-34A-203: sdlegislature.gov, August 2026.
- Bench note on South Dakota formation fee: Filing: sdsos.gov, October 2026.
- Bench note on South Dakota formation fee: Filing: sdlegislature.gov, October 2026.
- Bench note on South Dakota registered agent statute: sdlegislature.gov, October 2026.
- Bench note on South Dakota Secretary of State: sdsos.gov, October 2026.
- Bench note on Foreign LLC application for Certificate: sdsos.gov, October 2026.
- Bench note on SDCL 47-34A-1003, transacting business: sdlegislature.gov, October 2026.
- Bench note on SDCL 47-34A-1008, effect of not: sdlegislature.gov, October 2026.
- Bench note on SDCL 47-34A-1001 to 47-34A-1009, foreign: sdlegislature.gov, November 2026.
- South Dakota service page at Mainstay Filing, taken on November 13, 2026
- pricing page at South Dakota Registered Agent.co, taken on November 13, 2026
- pricing page at SD Registered Agent.org, taken on November 13, 2026