Foreign registration · Form FBE

Maine Corporation Foreign Registration in Kentucky

A corporation formed in Maine that wants to do business in Kentucky files Form FBE, with $90 in state fees. Kentucky asks nothing of Maine here, not even the Certificate of Existence. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings using your Maine records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Maine and Kentucky side by side

	Maine formed here	Kentucky registering here
Document	Maine Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Form FBE, Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Entity)
State fee	$30	$90 at order
How it is handled	Maine: online, downloaded from the company's information summary page	Filed with Kentucky
Office	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions	Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings
Official page	apps3.web.maine.gov	web.sos.ky.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $85, every year	Annual Report, $15, every year
Due	June 1	On or before June 30
Agent	Your Maine registered agent	Our Kentucky registered agent

How Maine companies register with Kentucky

We prepare and file Form FBE
It lists us as your Kentucky registered agent, next to your Maine name and formation date. Nothing has to come from Maine first, so the Kentucky filing can go in right away. After approval, your Maine corporation is registered with Kentucky.

Will your Maine name work for Kentucky?

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

Your Kentucky agent and the Maine one

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

Staying in good standing in Maine and Kentucky

Each year your corporation files Maine's Annual Report ($85) and Kentucky's Annual Report ($15). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Maine plus Kentucky comes to $249 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Maine to Kentucky

An LLC formed in Maine files Form FBE with Kentucky ($90 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Maine's Annual Report ($85) and Kentucky's Annual Report ($15). See the LLC filing.

The other way: Kentucky into Maine

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

Questions Maine owners ask about Kentucky

Does my Maine company need to register in Kentucky?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

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

$289 at checkout, with nothing to pay Maine.

Do I need Maine's certificate of good standing?

No, Kentucky takes Form FBE without it.

How long does the Kentucky registration take?

Kentucky's standard processing takes up to 3 business days; nothing comes from Maine first.

What are the yearly costs for Maine and Kentucky?

$249 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $85 to Maine and $15 to Kentucky for the yearly reports.

Does Kentucky require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Kentucky corporation instead?

Yes, but Maine keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Kentucky's Annual Report ($15), and the original keeps Maine's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Kentucky later?

Maine companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal (Foreign Business Entity); until then, Kentucky's report stays due alongside Maine's filings.

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC