Foreign registration · Form MBCA-12

North Dakota Corporation Foreign Registration in Maine

A corporation formed in North Dakota that wants to do business in Maine files Form MBCA-12, with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maine may ask for North Dakota's Certificate of Good Standing ($20). We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions using your North Dakota records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What North Dakota and Maine each ask for

	North Dakota formed here	Maine registering here
Document	North Dakota Certificate of Good Standing	Form MBCA-12, Application for Authority to do Business
State fee	$20	$250 at order
How it is handled	North Dakota: online	Filed with Maine
Required expedite		$50 at order (24 hours)
Faster options		same-day $100
Office	North Dakota Secretary of State	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
Official page	firststop.sos.nd.gov	maine.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $25, every year	Annual Report, $150, every year
Due	August 1	June 1
Late yearly filing	$20 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your North Dakota registered agent	Our Maine registered agent

From North Dakota to Maine, step by step

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

Your North Dakota name and Maine's rules

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

Your Maine agent and the North Dakota one

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

Staying in good standing in North Dakota and Maine

Each year your corporation files North Dakota's Annual Report ($25) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). With our $149 registered agent renewal, North Dakota plus Maine comes to $324 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, North Dakota to Maine

An LLC formed in North Dakota files Form MLLC-12 with Maine ($250 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($20)). After that come North Dakota's Annual Report ($50) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Maine company in North Dakota

A corporation formed in Maine that registers with North Dakota files North Dakota's registration (no form number) with $145 in state fees. See that filing.

Common questions: North Dakota to Maine

Does my North Dakota company need to register in Maine?

Yes, once a North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota'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 North Dakota's certificate if Maine asks for it. Faster state options: same-day $100.

What are the yearly costs for North Dakota and Maine?

$324 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $25 to North Dakota and $150 to Maine for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Maine?

A North Dakota 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 North Dakota registered agent stays, and ours covers Maine for year one.

Can I form a new Maine corporation instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Maine later?

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

Official sources

People also search

Corporation into Maine, by home state (48)

North Dakota into other states (41)

The same move for an LLC