Foreign registration · Form MBCA-12

Massachusetts Corporation Foreign Registration in Maine

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

Massachusetts and Maine side by side

	Massachusetts formed here	Maine registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Form MBCA-12, Application for Authority to do Business
State fee	$12	$250 at order
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed with Maine
Required expedite		$50 at order (24 hours)
Faster options		same-day $100
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	maine.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $125, every year	Annual Report, $150, every year
Due	Within 2.5 months after the close of the corporation's fiscal year	June 1
Late yearly filing	$25 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our Maine registered agent

From Massachusetts to Maine, step by step

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

Your Massachusetts name and Maine's rules

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

Your Maine agent and the Massachusetts one

Maine calls it a registered agent; Massachusetts says resident agent. Maine papers come to us; Massachusetts's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: Maine and Massachusetts

Each year your corporation files Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Massachusetts plus Maine comes to $424 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to Maine

An LLC formed in Massachusetts files Form MLLC-12 with Maine ($250 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25)). After that come Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). See the LLC filing.

Common questions: Massachusetts to Maine

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in Maine?

Yes, once a Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing, at extra cost.

How long does the Maine registration take?

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

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and Maine?

$424 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $125 to Massachusetts and $150 to Maine for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Maine?

A Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts resident agent stays, and ours covers Maine for year one.

Can I form a new Maine corporation instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Maine later?

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

Official sources

People also search

Corporation into Maine, by home state (48)

Massachusetts into other states (42)

The same move for an LLC