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Guide: Delaware, from abroad
Updated October 25, 2026
Delaware calls itself a leading domicile for U.S. and international business entities. The filing is $110, the registered agent must have a Delaware street address, and the LLC pays $400 every year it exists, with no proration.
Delaware Division of Corporations fee schedule and tax instructions, read Oct 14, 2026. See source
Read from the August 2026 fee schedule, the How to Form page and the LLC tax instructions on October 14, 2026.
| Item | Fee | What the state says |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Formation, domestic LLC1 | $110.00 | Filing fee plus municipality fee |
| Registered agent at formation4 | No separate fee listed | Required; the agent must consent before the filing is submitted |
| Change of agent only amendment1 | $50.00 | Domestic or foreign LLC |
| 24-hour service1 | $50.00 | Per file number |
| Same day service1 | $100.00 | Per file number; 2-hour $500, 1-hour $1,000 |
| Certified copy1 | $50.00 | Each |
| Certificate of status, short form2 | $50.00 | Long form $175.00; some banks ask for one |
| Name reservation (120 days)2 | $75.00 | Optional |
| Annual LLC tax3 | $400.00 | Due June 1; no annual report; $200 penalty plus 1.5% interest a month; no proration |
| Certificate of cancellation1 | $220.00 plus annual taxes | To close the LLC |
| Foreign LLC registration, for reference1 | $200.00 | What an LLC formed elsewhere pays to register in Delaware |
| Source | Delaware Division of Corporations, Fee Schedule (August 2026)Read Oct 14, 2026 | Delaware Division of Corporations, How to Form, tax instructions and agent listRead Oct 14, 2026 |
The Division's How to Form page opens with "The State of Delaware is a leading domicile for U.S. and international business entities"2. Its eight steps are: choose the entity type, obtain a registered agent, reserve a name if you want to ($75, 120 days), complete the PDF fillable certificate, submit it through the Document Filing and Certificate Request Service or by mail with all fees paid, beneficial ownership reporting, certified copies or a certificate of status for the bank, and the annual tax2. None of the steps asks for the owner's citizenship or residency.
The Division does not give legal advice and recommends an attorney or CPA familiar with Delaware law for the choice of entity2. Filed documents are returned by regular first class mail unless you give a courier account number; nothing is returned by fax or email2.
"Delaware law requires that every business entity have and maintain a Registered Agent in the State of Delaware who may be either an individual resident or business entity that is authorized to do business in the State of Delaware. The registered agent must have a physical street address in Delaware." "If the business is physically located in Delaware, then the business may act as its own registered agent."2
The state's agent list says the legal requirements are "to maintain a street address and office located in Delaware and be open during normal business hours for the purpose of accepting service of process" under 8 Del. C. § 132, that "Registered Agents are not regulated by the State of Delaware", and that "The selected Registered Agent must consent to being appointed before submitting the filing"4. Among the names on that list are Harvard Business Services, Inc., Northwest Registered Agent Service, Inc. and Zenbusiness Inc.4. Every agent service below says it covers Delaware.
The LLC tax instructions, updated August 1, 2026: "All Domestic and Foreign Limited Liability Companies, Limited Partnerships, and General Partnerships formed or registered in Delaware are required to pay an annual tax of $400.00. There is no requirement to file an Annual Report." The tax for the prior year is due on or before June 1; failure to pay brings a $200 penalty plus 1.5% interest per month; "There is no proration"; the tax is assessed if the entity is active in the Division's records at any time from January 1 through December 313.
The How to Form page, dated February 26, 2026, still says LLCs "are required to pay an annual tax of $300.00"2. The two pages disagree; the tax page is the newer of the two and is the page that takes payment. The Division also warns that notices which do not come directly from the State or your Delaware registered agent should be viewed suspiciously3. For December filings, see start an LLC before January or after?.
Tiers from each provider's own page; the last column is our arithmetic: the Delaware filing fee ($110) plus the entry tier plus the provider's own registered agent price where its page states one. A dash means the page does not state it.
| Service | Entry tier | Middle tier | Highest tier | Registered agent | First year in Delaware, our arithmetic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LegalZoom5Get a quote | Basic $0 plus state fees | Pro $249 (operating agreement, EIN, 30 days of attorney calls, then $49 a month) | Premium $299 (Pro plus bookkeeping, $9.99 a month after 6 months) | $249 a year, sold separately | $359 ($110 + $0 + $249) |
| Inc Authority6Get a quote | $0 plus state fees (EIN, first-year agent, 24-hour processing listed as included) | Not stated by the source | Not stated by the source | First year included; the price after is not shown | $110 ($110 + $0 + $0 in year one) |
| Tailor Brands7Get a quote | Lite $0 a year plus state fees (14-business-day processing) | Essential $199 a year (1-business-day processing, operating agreement, EIN) | Elite $249 a year (adds domain, website builder, logos) | Not stated by the source | $110 before an agent; its pricing page states no agent price |
| doola8Get a quote | Starter $297 a year plus state fees (filing, EIN, operating agreement, agent, US address) | Tax and Compliance $1,999 a year | Business-in-a-Box $2,999 a year | Included in Starter | $407 ($110 + $297, agent inside) |
| MyCompanyWorks9Get a quote | Basic $79 (articles filed, operating agreement, minutes) | Entrepreneur $199 (adds EIN, agent, forms guide) | Complete $279 (adds annual report service) | $119 a year; included from Entrepreneur | $308 ($110 + $79 + $119) |
| Zenind10Get a quote | Basic, from $0 (filing in 7 days) | Standard (adds EIN preparation, operating agreement, minutes; 3 days); price not shown when read | Premium (adds annual report service, account manager; 1 business day); price not shown when read | $99 a year, added to any package | $209 ($110 + $0 + $99) |
| Harbor Compliance13Get a quote | From $99 plus state fees | Not stated by the source | Not stated by the source | $99 first year, renews at $159 | from $308 ($110 + $99 + $99) |
| ZenBusiness15See pricesOpens ZenBusiness's site. Not a referral link. | From $0 plus state fees | Not stated by the source | Not stated by the source | $99 plus state fees first year, renews at $199 | $209 ($110 + $0 + $99) |
| Bizee17Get a quote | Basic $0 plus state fee | Standard $199 | Premium $299 | First year included with formation; $149 a year standalone | $110 ($110 + $0 + $0 in year one) |
| Source | Each provider's own formation page; read dates in the noteRead Oct 14, 2026 | Each provider's own formation pageRead Oct 14, 2026 | Each provider's own formation pageRead Oct 14, 2026 | Each provider's own registered agent page, read Oct 14, 2026Read Oct 14, 2026 | Our arithmetic from the cells to the left and the state's fee pageRead Oct 14, 2026 |
State fee1; packages5678910131517; agent prices111416181920. Package pages read: LegalZoom and doola October 7, MyCompanyWorks October 8, Tailor Brands October 12, Harbor Compliance October 13, ZenBusiness October 2, Bizee October 20, Inc Authority October 14, 2026; the others were checked again October 15, 2026. Zenind's pricing page shows "starting at $0" but did not render its Standard and Premium prices on October 14 or 15, so those cells carry no price. Renewal prices apply from year two.
Delaware creates the LLC; the IRS issues the EIN, and it is free. The online tool is only for a business with a principal place of business in the US and a responsible party with an SSN or ITIN21. From abroad, call 267-941-1099 (Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern) or fax Form SS-4 to 304-707-9471; a fax reply takes about 4 business days, mail about 4 weeks22. A nonresident alien with no effectively connected US income enters "N/A" where the form asks for an SSN or ITIN23. See EIN without an SSN.
FinCEN's final rule, effective August 14, 2026, exempts entities created in the United States from beneficial ownership reporting; a Delaware LLC is created in the United States even when its owner lives abroad. Companies formed under foreign law that register to do business in a US state remain reporting companies unless exempt, and there is no fee to file with FinCEN24. The whole route is on US LLC for non-residents.
Good for founders outside the US who want the agent, EIN and a US address in one yearly fee
Good for formation from $99 with the agent at $99 for the first year
Also on Harbor Compliance's site
Good for a $0 Lite plan when 14 business days is fine
Also on Tailor Brands's site
Good for founders abroad who want the EIN application prepared inside a one-time package
Also on Zenind's site
Good for a $0 service charge with the first year of registered agent included
Good for a one-time package with the operating agreement in every tier
Good for a guided filing; Pro adds the operating agreement, EIN and attorney time
Good for a $0 start with the agent at $99 for the first year
Also on ZenBusiness's site
Good for a one-time-payment package with the first year of registered agent included
Also on Bizee's site
The Division's formation steps do not ask for either, and the page describes Delaware as a domicile for international entities2. For your own situation, ask a Delaware attorney.
No. The agent must be a Delaware resident or an entity authorized in Delaware with a physical street address there, and a business may only act as its own agent if it is physically located in Delaware2.
No. The tax is assessed for any calendar year the LLC is on the Division's records, and the page says there is no proration3.
Its order form listed a $155 Delaware state fee line when read on October 8, 20269; the Division's schedule lists $110 for the certificate itself1. Our arithmetic uses the state's figure; ask the provider what its line includes.
No. The state pages are linked in the sources; for your own situation, talk to a tax professional or attorney you choose.
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FormationFile is not a law firm, accountant, insurer or broker, and nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice. We do not file anything for you and do not refer you to lawyers.
Prices and state fees are what the named source published on the date we read it. The state's own filing office and the provider's own page are the final word on fees and terms.