Maryland

Foreign registration · Form MBCA-12

Maryland Corporation Foreign Registration in Maine

Maine registers a corporation from Maryland as a foreign corporation on Form MBCA-12, with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maine may ask for Maryland's Certificate of Status ($20). We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions from your Maryland records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Maryland vs Maine: the paperwork

	Maryland formed here	Maine registering here
Document	Maryland Certificate of Status	Form MBCA-12, Application for Authority to do Business
State fee	$20	$250 at order
How it is handled	Maryland: online through Maryland Business Express, emailed right away	Filed with Maine
Required expedite		$50 at order (24 hours)
Faster options		same-day $100
Office	Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
Official page	businessexpress.maryland.gov	maine.gov
Yearly filing	Periodic report, $300, every year	Annual Report, $150, every year
Due	April 15	June 1
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Required expedite processing: 24 hours
Agent	Your Maryland resident agent	Our Maine registered agent

How Maryland companies register with Maine

We prepare and file Form MBCA-12
It names us as your Maine registered agent, with your Maryland name and formation date. If Maine wants the Maryland certificate, it is ordered first. Once Maine approves it, the Maryland company can do business there.

Your Maryland name and Maine's rules

We check your exact Maryland name against Maine's records before filing.

Your Maine agent and the Maryland one

Maine calls it a registered agent; Maryland says resident agent. Your current resident agent stays for Maryland; ours takes Maine's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in Maryland and Maine

Each year your corporation files Maryland's periodic report ($300) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Maryland plus Maine comes to $599 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Maryland to Maine

An LLC formed in Maryland files Form MLLC-12 with Maine ($250 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same, plus the Certificate of Status ($20)). After that come Maryland's Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1) ($300) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Maine company in Maryland

A corporation formed in Maine that registers with Maryland files Maryland's registration (no form number) with $104.50 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. See that filing.

Questions Maryland owners ask about Maine

Does my Maryland company need to register in Maine?

Yes, once a Maryland business operates there; Maine law lists 13 activities that do not count on their own.

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does the Maine registration cost?

$499 at checkout, including the $50 required expedite; Maine may also want Maryland's Certificate of Status, at extra cost.

How long does the Maine registration take?

24 hours with Maine's required expedite, plus time for Maryland's certificate if Maine asks for it. Faster state options: same-day $100.

What are the yearly costs for Maryland and Maine?

$599 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $300 to Maryland and $150 to Maine for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Maine?

A Maryland company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Maine can add up to $500 for each year or part of a year.

Does Maine require a registered agent?

Yes: the Maryland resident agent stays, and ours covers Maine for year one.

Can I form a new Maine corporation instead?

Yes, but Maryland keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Maine's Annual Report ($85), and the original keeps Maryland's periodic report.

How do I withdraw from Maine later?

Maryland companies leave by filing an Application of Withdrawal; until then, Maine's report stays due alongside Maryland's filings.

Official sources

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