Maine Corporation Certificate of Authority: Form MBCA-12

Maine corporation certificate of authority at a glance

Filing

Form MBCA-12, Application for Authority to do Business

State fee

$250 filing fee

Required expedite

$50 (24 hours), charged at checkout

Total with us

$499, first year of Maine registered agent service included

Required expedite processing

24 hours

Home-state certificate

Set by the state

Maine yearly filing

Annual Report, $150, every year

Filed with

Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions

What Form MBCA-12 asks for

Form MBCA-12 has 8 numbered items. In practice, Maine needs:

• The exact name of your corporation as formed
• The state it was formed in and its date of formation
• A Maine registered agent with a street address there; we fill in ours
• A principal office address

Corporation into Maine, by home state

Every home state pays the same $499 at checkout for Maine.

When Maine expects a corporation to register

Maine law lists 13 activities that do not, on their own, count as doing business in Maine. An office, staff, or regular sales and contracts there are what typically lead to registration.

If you do business in Maine without registering

An unregistered corporation doing business there cannot start a lawsuit in Maine courts until it registers. Its contracts stay valid, and it can still defend a case brought against it. Maine penalties for unregistered business: up to $500 for each year or part of a year.

Maine registered agent rule

Maine requires every registered foreign corporation to keep a registered agent there. A resigning agent stays responsible for 31 days after filing the resignation. Our $199 includes the first year of Maine registered agent service, then $149 a year.

Maine yearly filings

Once registered, your corporation files the Maine Annual Report every year, at $150, due June 1. The Maine filing window opens January 1 and closes June 1. Filing it late adds $50. From year two, keeping the Maine registration costs $299 a year with our registered agent service.

How long Maine takes

We file Form MBCA-12 with the Maine Secretary of State. Maine required expedite processing: 24 hours. Checkout includes the required expedite ($50). Faster state options: same-day $100; they are optional and not in the total.

Leaving Maine later

If your corporation stops doing business there, it ends the registration by filing an Application of Withdrawal. Until that is filed, Maine's yearly filing stays due.