Foreign registration · Form MBCA-12

New Hampshire Corporation Foreign Registration in Maine

To do business in Maine, a corporation formed in New Hampshire registers there on Form MBCA-12, with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maine may ask for New Hampshire's Certificate of Good Standing ($5). We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions using your New Hampshire records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What New Hampshire and Maine each ask for

	New Hampshire formed here	Maine registering here
Document	New Hampshire Certificate of Good Standing	Form MBCA-12, Application for Authority to do Business
State fee	$5	$250 at order
How it is handled	New Hampshire: online	Filed with Maine
Required expedite		$50 at order (24 hours)
Faster options		same-day $100
Office	New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
Official page	quickstart.sos.nh.gov	maine.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $100, every year	Annual Report, $150, every year
Due	April 1	June 1
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your New Hampshire registered agent	Our Maine registered agent

From New Hampshire to Maine, step by step

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

Will your New Hampshire name work for Maine?

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

Your Maine agent and the New Hampshire one

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

Staying in good standing in New Hampshire and Maine

Each year your corporation files New Hampshire's Annual Report ($100) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). With our $149 registered agent renewal, New Hampshire plus Maine comes to $399 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, New Hampshire to Maine

An LLC formed in New Hampshire files Form MLLC-12 with Maine ($250 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($5)). After that come New Hampshire's Annual Report ($102) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Maine company in New Hampshire

A corporation formed in Maine that registers with New Hampshire files Form 40 with $102 in state fees. See that filing.

Common questions: New Hampshire to Maine

Does my New Hampshire company need to register in Maine?

Yes, once a New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire corporations once the form is approved.

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

$499 at checkout, including the $50 required expedite; Maine may also want New Hampshire'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 New Hampshire's certificate if Maine asks for it. Faster state options: same-day $100.

What are the yearly costs for New Hampshire and Maine?

$399 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $100 to New Hampshire and $150 to Maine for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Maine?

A New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire registered agent stays, and ours covers Maine for year one.

Can I form a new Maine corporation instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Maine later?

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

Official sources

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