Maine Foreign Registration Do it yourself
Qualifying a foreign LLC in Maine on your own
A foreign LLC can qualify in Maine without a service: complete Form MLLC-12, sign it, attach proof of existence issued within 90 days, add the customer contact cover letter and send it to the Secretary of State's corporations division with $250.
Before you begin
Gather the LLC's exact name, its formation date and state, the address where its principal office sits, the names with business, residence and mailing addresses of any managers, the agent's details and a description of the Maine business. You also need someone authorized to sign, a way to pay, and a printer for the form and the cover letter.
The package, piece by piece
| Piece | Comes from | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Form MLLC-12 | The Secretary of State's forms page | 12 items; use the current edition |
| Proof of existence | The formation state | Issued at most 90 days before delivery |
| Customer contact cover letter | The Secretary of State's forms page | Contacts, speed and the attested copy recipient |
| Fictitious name statement, Form FICT-4 | The Secretary of State | Only if the name needs it; $40 |
| Payment | You | $250 to the Maine Secretary of State |
Step 1: download the right edition
The form and its cover letter are on the Secretary of State's LLC forms page, and the form is revision 12/23. Use the page rather than a copy from elsewhere, because fees and layouts change over time.
Step 2: settle the name and the agent
Make sure the Maine name ends with one of the recognized markers, or plan a fictitious name statement. Then pick the agent: a commercial registered agent with a public number, or a noncommercial agent with a physical Maine address. Confirm that the agent has agreed before you write its name down.
Step 3: complete the twelve items
Fill in the form in order. Where a box does not apply, write not applicable, as items FIRST and SECOND instruct. Do not leave blanks that the form asks you to complete, such as the manager addresses or the Maine start date.
Step 4: sign
An authorized person signs and dates the statement, printing a name and capacity beneath. The signature is an oath under the false swearing statute. No notary is called for, but the signer should read each item first.
Step 5: fill in the cover letter
The cover letter asks for the entity name, optional handling, the total fee, a contact person and a daytime phone, one email for the filing and a second for annual report reminders, and the recipient of the attested copy. Omit the contact name, or both phone and email, and the filing comes back as erroneous.
Step 6: pick a speed and pay
Ordinary filing carries no expedite fee. Next-business-day handling is $50 extra, and same-business-day handling is $100 extra. Pay with a check or money order payable to the Maine Secretary of State, or use a card through the published voucher.
Step 7: deliver the package
Mail it to Department of the Secretary of State, Corporations, UCC and Commissions, 101 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0101; for FedEx or UPS the street address is 6 E. Chestnut Street, 5th Floor, Augusta, ME 04330. Keep a complete copy of everything you send. If you want the attested copy held for pick-up, tick that box.
After you file
When Maine files the statement, the LLC may conduct activities. The attested copy goes to the recipient you named. Put June 1 on a calendar as the annual report deadline, and note that the first report window runs from January 1 to June 1 of the next year. If Maine ever revokes the LLC, it has to be authorized again under the chapter.
Where people get stuck
- The proof of existence ages past its limit while other papers are gathered.
- The principal office is a P.O. Box.
- The agent is named before it has agreed.
- The cover letter has no contact name.
- A corporation's form is used for an LLC.
- The home name has no LLC ending and no fictitious name is filed.
The cost of doing it yourself
You pay Maine's fee and any expedite tier. The home-state certificate costs what your formation state charges, and a commercial agent charges its own fee. That saves $199 at the price of your hours. The fee page gives totals.
Filing Form MLLC-12 yourself
Download the current form and cover letter
From the Secretary of State's LLC forms page.
Choose the name and the agent
A required ending and a physical Maine address.
Fill in the twelve items
Write not applicable where needed.
Sign
An authorized person, under false swearing penalties.
Complete the cover letter
Contacts, speed and attested copy recipient.
Send it with the fee
$250 and proof of existence under 90 days old.
A checklist to print
| Check | Done when |
|---|---|
| Current form and cover letter downloaded | The form shows the edition 12/23 or later |
| Name settled | It carries a required ending, or Form FICT-4 is ready |
| Agent confirmed | Commercial number or physical Maine address entered |
| Twelve items complete | Not applicable is written where it applies |
| Proof of existence in hand | Issued at most 90 days before delivery |
| Statement signed | An authorized person has signed and dated it |
| Cover letter complete | A contact name and phone or email are on it |
| Funds ready | $250, made out to the Maine Secretary of State |
What the state charges
Maine's fee is $250 for the statement, paid by check or money order to the Maine Secretary of State or by card through the voucher. A fictitious name is $40, and the speed tiers add $50 or $100. Later, the annual report is $150, a statement of change is $90, and cancellation is $90. Next-day handling for the statement alone totals $300, and same-day totals $350; the tier is chosen on the cover letter.
After you file
A foreign LLC pays $150 for each yearly report, against $85 for a Maine LLC. Moving only the principal office address costs $35 on a statement of change, and cancelling before a report falls due excuses that report and its $150 fee. A certificate of existence from Maine, if you ever need one, is $30. These charges are separate from anything you pay your own agent.
Keeping proof that you filed
Send the package by a method that gives you a receipt, and retain a full copy, cover letter included. When the attested copy comes back, file it with the LLC's records. If you ticked the hold-for-pick-up box, remember that the copy must be collected at the Augusta office.
When a service is easier
Doing it alone is straightforward when the name is clean, the agent is settled and the LLC has no managers to list. A service helps when there is a name issue, a long manager list, a professional or series LLC, or a tight date. Whichever route you take, the statement and the cover letter are the same, and you can still order from this page if you reconsider.
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.
Self-filing questions
Can I file Form MLLC-12 myself?
Yes. Nothing requires a service.
Can I file it online?
We mail the statement package to Augusta. Annual reports can be filed online.
Is notarizing part of the process?
No notary block appears on the form.
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
- Maine Secretary of State, limited liability company forms and fees
- Maine Form MBCA-12, application for authority to do business
- Maine Form MLLC-12A, statement of change of foreign qualification
- 31 MRSA 1626, procedure for and effect of revocation
- 31 MRSA 1628, statement of cancellation of foreign qualification
- 13-C MRSA 123, filing fees for corporations
Maine qualification, drafted and filed
Give us the LLC details and we prepare the statement, the cover letter and the package.