Everything you need to register a foreign LLC in Maryland.
State filing fee$100one-time
Registered agent$125/yearbased on Northwest RA
Total, all in$1,375
Maryland data last reviewed Aug 22, 2026 · dat.maryland.govTotals 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. 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. 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: The $300 is technically a personal property tax return fee, not a franchise tax. A 2022 bill proposed eliminating the fee for online filers but was not enacted in that form, so $300 remains payable online. The one live exemption is MarylandSaves enrollment, which waives the annual report fee for qualifying employers.
Maryland data last reviewed Aug 22, 2026 · dat.maryland.gov
Formation in Maryland
Formation fee
$100
Annual cost
$300/year
State income tax
Income tax up to 5.75% plus county taxes
Privacy
Low
What triggers foreign qualification in Maryland?
Physical office or place of business
Employees working in the state
Important to know
Every Maryland LLC pays $300 for the annual report, domestic and foreign alike, and owes it whether or not the business operated, earned revenue or owns any property. SDAT Form 1 serves as both the annual report and the personal property return, which is why the charge is sometimes described as a tax.
Activities that do NOT require registration in Maryland
The following activities are explicitly carved out by statute. On their own, they do not require a foreign LLC to register in Maryland.
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 3 of the 11 uniform core and replacing the rest with a foreclosure safe harbor. 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.
This page provides general information based on publicly available state requirements. It is not legal advice. Verify with the Maryland SDAT before filing.