Foreign registration · Form 635_0110A

Maine Corporation Foreign Registration in Iowa

To do business in Iowa, a corporation formed in Maine registers there on Form 635_0110A, with $100 in state fees. Iowa may ask for Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Services using your Maine records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Maine vs Iowa: the paperwork

	Maine formed here	Iowa registering here
Document	Maine Certificate of Existence	Form 635_0110A, Registration Statement, Foreign Profit Corporation
State fee	$30	$100 at order
How it is handled	Maine: online, downloaded from the company's information summary page	Filed with Iowa
Paid expedite		5-business-day $15, 2-business-day $50
Office	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions	Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	apps3.web.maine.gov	sos.iowa.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $85, every year	Biennial Report, $60, every two years
Due	June 1	April 1 of even-numbered years
Agent	Your Maine registered agent	Our Iowa registered agent

How Maine companies register with Iowa

We prepare and file Form 635_0110A
It lists us as your Iowa registered agent, next to your Maine name and formation date. If Iowa wants the Maine certificate, it is ordered first. After approval, your Maine corporation is registered with Iowa.

Will your Maine name work for Iowa?

If another Iowa company uses the Maine name, an alternate name is allowed. We check your exact Maine name against Iowa's records before filing.

Your Iowa agent and the Maine one

Maine and Iowa both call it a registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for Maine; ours takes Iowa's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in Maine and Iowa

Maine wants the Annual Report every year ($85); Iowa wants the Biennial Report every two years ($60). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Maine to Iowa

An LLC formed in Maine files Form 635_0010 with Iowa ($100 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($30)). After that come Maine's Annual Report ($85) and Iowa's Biennial Report ($30). See the LLC filing.

Registering an Iowa company in Maine

A corporation formed in Iowa that registers with Maine files Form MBCA-12 with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. See that filing.

Common questions: Maine to Iowa

Does my Maine company need to register in Iowa?

Yes, once a Maine business operates there; Iowa registers it as a foreign corporation.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Iowa calls it registration for Maine corporations; other states say certificate of authority.

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

$299 at checkout; Iowa may also want Maine's Certificate of Existence, at extra cost.

What are the yearly costs for Maine and Iowa?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Maine's report ($85) and Iowa's report ($60, every two years).

Does Iowa require a registered agent?

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

Will Iowa accept my Maine name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Maine name at home.

Can I form a new Iowa corporation instead?

Yes, but Maine keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Iowa's Biennial Report ($60), and the original keeps Maine's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Iowa later?

Maine companies leave by filing a Statement of Withdrawal; until then, Iowa's report stays due alongside Maine's filings.

Official sources

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