Foreign registration · no form number

Maine Corporation Foreign Registration in South Dakota

A corporation formed in Maine that wants to do business in South Dakota files an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South Dakota also wants Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30). We file it with the Secretary of State using your Maine records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Maine vs South Dakota: the paperwork

	Maine formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	Maine Certificate of Existence	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Corporation) (no form number)
State fee	$30	$750 at order
How it is handled	Maine: online, downloaded from the company's information summary page	Filed online with South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	apps3.web.maine.gov	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $85, every year	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	June 1	By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your Maine registered agent	Our South Dakota registered agent

From Maine to South Dakota, step by step

Order the Maine certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($30) is ordered from Maine separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. South Dakota wants the Maine certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your South Dakota registered agent, with your Maine name and formation date and the certificate attached. The Maine certificate comes first; then the South Dakota filing goes in. After approval, your Maine corporation is registered with South Dakota.

South Dakota costs for Maine companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Certificate of Existence, paid to Maine	$30
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Maine certificate included	$979

South Dakota's paid expedite is optional and not in the total.

Your Maine name and South Dakota's rules

If South Dakota's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Maine company. South Dakota can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Your South Dakota agent and the Maine one

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

Staying in good standing in Maine and South Dakota

Maine wants the Annual Report every year ($85); South Dakota wants the Annual Report every year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Maine to South Dakota

An LLC formed in Maine files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($30)). After that come Maine's Annual Report ($85) and South Dakota's Annual Report ($55). See the LLC filing.

The other way: South Dakota into Maine

A corporation formed in South Dakota 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 South Dakota

Does my Maine company need to register in South Dakota?

Yes, once a Maine business operates there; South Dakota law lists 11 activities that do not count on their own.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: South Dakota issues one to Maine corporations once the filing is approved.

How much does the South Dakota registration cost?

$949 at checkout plus $30 to Maine for the Certificate of Existence, $979 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Maine's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Dakota wants Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30), current at filing.

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

South Dakota approves online filings immediately, once Maine's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: $50.

What are the yearly costs for Maine and South Dakota?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Maine's report ($85) and South Dakota's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Dakota?

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

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will South Dakota 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 South Dakota corporation instead?

Yes, but Maine keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files South Dakota's Annual Report, and the original keeps Maine's Annual Report.

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC