Foreign registration · Form 326

Maine Corporation Foreign Registration in Louisiana

To do business in Louisiana, a corporation formed in Maine registers there on Form 326, with $160 in state fees. Louisiana may ask for Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30). We file it with the Secretary of State, Commercial Division using your Maine records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Maine vs Louisiana: the paperwork

	Maine formed here	Louisiana registering here
Document	Maine Certificate of Existence	Form 326, Application of Foreign Corporation for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$30	$160 at order
How it is handled	Maine: online, downloaded from the company's information summary page	Filed with Louisiana
Paid expedite		24-hour $35, 2 to 4 hour $60
Office	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions	Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division
Official page	apps3.web.maine.gov	sos.la.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $85, every year	Annual Report, $30, every year
Due	June 1	On or before the anniversary of the date authority to do business was issued
Agent	Your Maine registered agent	Our Louisiana registered agent

From Maine to Louisiana, step by step

We prepare and file Form 326
It lists us as your Louisiana registered agent, next to your Maine name and formation date. If Louisiana wants the Maine certificate, it is ordered first. Once Louisiana approves it, the Maine company can do business there.

Will your Maine name work for Louisiana?

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

Agents: Louisiana and Maine

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

Yearly filings: Louisiana and Maine

Each year your corporation files Maine's Annual Report ($85) and Louisiana's Annual Report ($30). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Maine plus Louisiana comes to $264 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Maine to Louisiana

An LLC formed in Maine files Form 972 with Louisiana ($190 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($30)). After that come Maine's Annual Report ($85) and Louisiana's Annual Report ($35). See the LLC filing.

The other way: Louisiana into Maine

A corporation formed in Louisiana 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 Louisiana

Does my Maine company need to register in Louisiana?

Yes, once a Maine business operates there; Louisiana law lists 10 activities that do not count on their own.

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

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

$359 at checkout; Louisiana may also want Maine's Certificate of Existence, at extra cost.

What are the yearly costs for Maine and Louisiana?

$264 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $85 to Maine and $30 to Louisiana for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Louisiana?

A Maine company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does Louisiana require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Louisiana corporation instead?

Yes, but Maine keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Louisiana's Annual Report ($30), and the original keeps Maine's Annual Report.

What does a Louisiana company file to register in Maine?

It files Form MBCA-12 with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite.

Official sources

People also search

Corporation into Louisiana, by home state (48)

Maine into other states (41)

The same move for an LLC