‹ All States

Maryland Foreign LLC Registration

The fee, the form, what triggers registration in Maryland, and how to file.

State filing fee $100 one-time
Registered agent $125/year based on Northwest RA
Estimated total $1,375
Maryland data last reviewed Oct 9, 2026 · dat.maryland.gov Totals include the $100 filing fee once, Northwest RA at $125/year, and Maryland recurring state costs over the selected period.

Foreign Qualification

Filing fee
$100
Form
Limited Liability Company Registration (for a non-Maryland LLC)
Annual obligation
$300/year
Processing time
Maryland reviews a non-expedited online filing in 6 to 8 weeks and a non-expedited paper filing in 4 to 6 weeks.
More

The 7 to 10 business days often quoted for Maryland is the EXPEDITED time and costs $50; SDAT prints the two figures side by side. Paper being faster than online is counterintuitive and is what SDAT states.

Expedite
$50 for documents hand delivered or left in the dropbox, which buys review within 7 to 10 business days rather than the 6 to 8 weeks a non-expedited online filing takes.
More

Same day service is a separate product: $325 online, submitted by 2:30pm, or $425 on paper, dropped off by 10am and collected by 3:45pm.

Estimated year 1 cost
$400
Note: Maryland's $300 charge is an annual report fee, not a property tax. Eligible employers can qualify for a fee waiver through MarylandSaves or by certifying an existing qualified retirement plan. Qualification is based on the preceding year; confirm approval before leaving the fee out of your budget.
Visit Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation ↗

Need to register your LLC in Maryland?

Northwest files the foreign registration and serves as your registered agent in Maryland, which the filing requires. Only need an agent? Northwest's registered agent service alone is $125/year.

Have Northwest register your LLC in Maryland ↗
$225 + the state fee · One year of registered agent included
Other registered agent options 2 alternatives
Registered Agents Inc
$200/year · Report filing included, state fees extra
Visit site ↗
Harbor Compliance
$99 first year, then $159/year · Full-service compliance option
Visit site ↗

What triggers foreign qualification in Maryland?

  • Physical office or place of business
  • Employees working in the state

Important to know

  • Most Maryland LLCs owe the $300 annual report fee even without revenue or business property. Approved MarylandSaves waivers and SDAT-certified family farms are exceptions. A property-tax exemption does not by itself remove the annual report fee.
What does NOT require registration in Maryland 8 activities

Maryland carves 8 activities out by statute. On their own, none of them requires a foreign LLC to register.

  • Maintaining, defending, or settling an action, suit, claim, dispute, or administrative or arbitration proceeding
  • Holding meetings of members or agents, or carrying on internal company affairs
  • Maintaining bank accounts
  • Conducting an isolated transaction that is not one of a number of similar transactions
  • Foreclosing mortgages and deeds of trust on property in the state
  • Acquiring title to property in the state by foreclosure or deed in lieu of foreclosure after a mortgage default
  • Holding, protecting, renting, maintaining, and operating property so acquired
  • Selling or transferring title to property so acquired, including to the FHA or the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Under Md. Corps. and Assns Section 4A-1009. Maryland departs from the uniform pattern more than any other state: only 8 items, keeping 4 of the uniform core (court proceedings, internal affairs, bank accounts and an isolated transaction) and adding four foreclosure items. There is no time limit on the isolated-transaction item. Subsection (b) is an affirmative trigger: a foreign LLC that owns income-producing real or tangible personal property in Maryland is doing business.

Forming a new LLC in Maryland instead? $100 to form
Formation fee
$100
Annual cost
$300/year
State income tax
Income tax up to 6.5%, plus county taxes (2026 tax year)
Privacy
High
Sources 13 pages

The official pages behind the figures on this page, with the date we last read each one. How we check.

Fees and costs

Deadlines and processing

When you must register

Penalties and reinstatement

Forms and filing

More Maryland guides

Already operating without registering?Civil penalty and court access in Maryland, statute-cited ↗ Not sure Maryland applies to you?What counts as doing business, and what does not ↗ Changing your registered agent?The form, the fee and the steps in Maryland ↗ Operating in more than one state?Free 3-question check of where you must register ↗

This page provides general information based on publicly available state requirements. It is not legal advice. Verify with the Maryland SDAT before filing.