Foreign registration · Form MBCA-12

Connecticut Corporation Foreign Registration in Maine

To do business in Maine, a corporation formed in Connecticut registers there on Form MBCA-12, with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maine may ask for Connecticut's Certificate of Legal Existence ($80). We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions using your Connecticut records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Connecticut and Maine each ask for

	Connecticut formed here	Maine registering here
Document	Connecticut Certificate of Legal Existence	Form MBCA-12, Application for Authority to do Business
State fee	$80	$250 at order
How it is handled	Connecticut: online, with an express version, or by mail	Filed with Maine
Required expedite		$50 at order (24 hours)
Faster options		same-day $100
Office	Connecticut Secretary of the State, Business Services Division	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
Official page	business.ct.gov	maine.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $150, every year	Annual Report, $150, every year
Due	Anniversary date of the filing of the first annual report	June 1
Agent	Your Connecticut registered agent	Our Maine registered agent

From Connecticut to Maine, step by step

We prepare and file Form MBCA-12
It names us as your Maine registered agent, with your Connecticut name and formation date. If Maine wants the Connecticut certificate, it is ordered first. Once Maine approves it, the Connecticut company can do business there.

Your Connecticut name and Maine's rules

We search Maine's records for Connecticut's name on file before anything is filed.

Agents: Maine and Connecticut

Connecticut and Maine both call it a registered agent. Maine papers come to us; Connecticut's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: Maine and Connecticut

Each year your corporation files Connecticut's Annual Report ($150) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Connecticut plus Maine comes to $449 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Connecticut to Maine

An LLC formed in Connecticut files Form MLLC-12 with Maine ($250 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same, plus the Certificate of Legal Existence ($50)). After that come Connecticut's Annual Report ($80) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Maine company in Connecticut

A corporation formed in Maine that registers with Connecticut files Connecticut's registration (no form number) with $385 in state fees. See that filing.

Common questions: Connecticut to Maine

Does my Connecticut company need to register in Maine?

Yes, once a Connecticut business operates there; Maine law lists 13 activities that do not count on their own.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: Maine issues one to Connecticut corporations once the form is approved.

How much does it cost to register a Connecticut corporation in Maine?

$499 at checkout, including the $50 required expedite; Maine may also want Connecticut's Certificate of Legal Existence, at extra cost.

How long does the Maine registration take?

24 hours with Maine's required expedite, plus time for Connecticut's certificate if Maine asks for it. Faster state options: same-day $100.

What are the yearly costs for Connecticut and Maine?

$449 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $150 to Connecticut and $150 to Maine for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Maine?

A Connecticut company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Maine can add up to $500 for each year or part of a year.

Does Maine require a registered agent?

Yes: the Connecticut registered agent stays, and ours covers Maine for year one.

Can I form a new Maine corporation instead?

Yes, but Connecticut keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Maine's Annual Report ($85), and the original keeps Connecticut's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Maine later?

Connecticut companies leave by filing an Application of Withdrawal; until then, Maine's report stays due alongside Connecticut's filings.

Official sources

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