Maine Foreign Registration Fees
What qualifying a foreign LLC costs in Maine, and what staying qualified costs
Qualifying a foreign LLC in Maine costs $250, and each annual report afterward costs $150. Speeding things up costs $50 more for the next business day and $100 more for the same day. Our charge for preparing and filing the package is $199, listed separately at checkout.
Every Maine fee an LLC meets
| Filing | Fee | Form |
|---|---|---|
| Statement of foreign qualification | $250 | MLLC-12 |
| Annual report | $150 | MLLC-13 or online |
| Amended annual report | $150 | MLLC-13A |
| Statement of change (agent, name, business or other items) | $90 | MLLC-12A |
| Statement of change (principal office address only) | $35 | MLLC-12A |
| Statement of cancellation | $90 | MLLC-12B |
| Fictitious name statement | $40 | FICT-4 |
| Certificate of existence from Maine | $30 | Request |
The same step for other entity types
| Entity | Form | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Business corporation | MBCA-12 | $250 |
| Nonprofit corporation | MNPCA-12 | $45 |
| Limited partnership | MLPA-12 | $250 |
| Limited liability partnership | MLLP-12 | $250 |
Paying for speed
The customer contact cover letter lists two optional tiers. Choosing next-business-day handling adds $50, and same-business-day handling adds $100. Both are per entity, and a single expedite fee covers several documents for the same entity filed together. An LLC that uses same-day service pays $350 for the statement, and one that uses next-day pays $300.
What an LLC spends in Maine
| Path | Total to Maine |
|---|---|
| Statement only | $250 |
| Statement and first annual report | $400 |
| Statement with a fictitious name | $290 |
| Statement and one agent change | $340 |
| Statement and a principal office change | $285 |
| Statement and three annual reports | $700 |
| Statement, three reports and cancellation | $790 |
These totals leave out our fee, the home certificate, any commercial agent and any rush tier.
The cost of skipping it
Maine charges $500 for each calendar year, partial years included, that a foreign LLC conducts activities without qualifying. Three years of unqualified activity therefore comes to $1,500, before the statement fee. That charge is separate from the loss of access to Maine courts for debt collection.
Name filings
Most LLCs use their home name. When the name lacks the required LLC ending or is unavailable, Maine asks for a fictitious name statement on Form FICT-4, which costs $40. An assumed name for an LLC that trades under a different brand costs $125.
What our fee covers
For $199 we draft the statement from your answers, check the proof of existence against its age limit, complete the agent items, prepare the cover letter with the speed you chose and send everything off. Maine's fee, any expedite tier and an outside agent's charge are shown separately.
Corporation fees around the application
| Filing | Fee |
|---|---|
| Application for authority, Form MBCA-12 | $250 |
| Amended application, Form MBCA-12A | $70 |
| Amended application, principal office address only | $35 |
| Application of withdrawal, Form MBCA-12B | $90 |
| Annual report, foreign business corporation | $150 |
| Late annual report penalty, added to the fee | $50 |
| Fictitious name for a foreign corporation | $40 |
| Any other document the Act allows | $35 |
Resigning a noncommercial registered agent costs $35 on Form MBCA-12E-NCRA.
Totals over time
The statement plus three annual reports comes to $700 in Maine charges, and $790 once a cancellation is added. These leave out our fee, the home certificate and any outside agent.
Maine's own certificate
If you later need proof from Maine that the LLC is qualified, the Secretary of State issues a certificate for $30. That is a separate purchase from anything paid to qualify.
Budgeting the first year
A first-year budget for an LLC covers the statement, the first yearly report if its window falls inside the year, any expedite tier, the home-state certificate and a commercial agent's fee if you use one. Set aside $90 more if a change of agent or Maine business is likely.
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.
Maine fee questions
Do LLCs and corporations pay the same?
Yes. Both pay $250 to qualify.
Why is the nonprofit fee so low?
Maine's schedule sets it at $45 for Form MNPCA-12.
Is the annual report cheaper in the first year?
The first report belongs to the following year, at the usual fee.
Our fee and Maine's
- Form MLLC-12 completed from your answers, with the cover letter
- Your home-state proof tested against Maine's 90-day limit
- A Maine registered agent for the statement, either ours or the one you pick
- The package mailed to the corporations division, then your qualification record returned
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
Checkout lists Maine's $250 on a separate line. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Sources
- Maine Secretary of State, foreign entities
- 31 MRSA 1680, fees
- 31 MRSA 1622, statement of foreign qualification required
- Maine Form MLLC-12, statement of foreign qualification
- 31 MRSA 1665, annual report
- Maine Secretary of State, business corporation forms
- Maine Secretary of State, nonprofit corporation forms
- Maine Form MLPA-12, limited partnership application for certificate of authority
- 31 MRSA 1628, statement of cancellation of foreign qualification
- Maine Secretary of State, limited liability company forms and fees
- 13-C MRSA 123, filing fees for corporations
- Maine Form MLLP-12, limited liability partnership application for authority
- 31 MRSA 1629, effect of failure to have statement of foreign qualification
- 31 MRSA 1624, name of a foreign limited liability company
- Delaware Division of Corporations fee schedule (PDF)
- Division of Corporations, certificates of status and entity status online
- Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division fee schedule
Maine qualification, drafted and filed
Give us the LLC details and we prepare the statement, the cover letter and the package.