Texas

Foreign registration · Form 301

Maine Corporation Foreign Registration in Texas

Texas registers a corporation from Maine as a foreign corporation on Form 301, with $767.13 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Texas may ask for Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30). We file it with the Texas Secretary of State from your Maine records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Maine vs Texas: the paperwork

	Maine formed here	Texas registering here
Document	Maine Certificate of Existence	Form 301, Application for Registration of a Foreign For-Profit Corporation
State fee	$30	$767.13 at order (filing fee $750 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Maine: online, downloaded from the company's information summary page	Filed with Texas
Required expedite		$50 at order (Texas Express)
Faster options		next-day $500, same-day $750
Office	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions	Texas Secretary of State
Official page	apps3.web.maine.gov	sos.state.tx.us
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $85, every year	Franchise Tax Report + Public Information Report, no fee, every year
Due	June 1	May 15 each year
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your Maine registered agent	Our Texas registered agent

From Maine to Texas, step by step

We prepare and file Form 301
It names us as your Texas registered agent, with your Maine name and formation date. If Texas wants the Maine certificate, it is ordered first. Once Texas approves it, the Maine company can do business there.

Will your Maine name work for Texas?

Texas accepts your Maine name if it includes corporation, incorporated, company, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them. If another Texas company uses the Maine name, an alternate name is allowed. We check your exact Maine name against Texas's records before filing.

Your Texas agent and the Maine one

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

Staying in good standing in Maine and Texas

Each year your corporation files Maine's Annual Report ($85) and Texas's Franchise Tax Report + Public Information Report (no fee). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Maine plus Texas comes to $234 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Maine to Texas

An LLC formed in Maine files Form 304 with Texas ($767.13 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Maine's Annual Report ($85) and Texas's Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report. See the LLC filing.

The other way: Texas into Maine

A corporation formed in Texas 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 Texas

Does my Maine company need to register in Texas?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does the Texas registration cost?

$1,016.13 at checkout, including the $50 required expedite; Texas may also want Maine's Certificate of Existence, at extra cost.

How long does the Texas registration take?

Typically 2 to 3 business days with Texas's required expedite, plus time for Maine's certificate if Texas asks for it. Faster state options: next-day $500, same-day $750.

What are the yearly costs for Maine and Texas?

$234 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $85 to Maine and nothing to Texas for the yearly reports.

Does Texas require a registered agent?

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

Will Texas 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. Texas names must include corporation, incorporated, company, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them.

Can I form a new Texas corporation instead?

Yes, but Maine keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Texas's Franchise Tax Report + Public Information Report (no fee), and the original keeps Maine's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Texas later?

Maine companies leave by filing Form 608; until then, Texas's report stays due alongside Maine's filings.

Official sources

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