Foreign registration · Form MBCA-12

Pennsylvania Corporation Foreign Registration in Maine

Maine registers a corporation from Pennsylvania as a foreign corporation on Form MBCA-12, with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maine may ask for Pennsylvania's Subsistence Certificate ($40). We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions from your Pennsylvania records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Pennsylvania vs Maine: the paperwork

	Pennsylvania formed here	Maine registering here
Document	Pennsylvania Subsistence Certificate	Form MBCA-12, Application for Authority to do Business
State fee	$40	$250 at order
How it is handled	Pennsylvania: online through Business Filing Services, or by mail on the copy and certificate request form	Filed with Maine
Required expedite		$50 at order (24 hours)
Faster options		same-day $100
Office	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
Official page	file.dos.pa.gov	maine.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $7, every year	Annual Report, $150, every year
Due	June 30	June 1
Agent	Your Pennsylvania registered office	Our Maine registered agent

How Pennsylvania companies register with Maine

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

Your Pennsylvania name and Maine's rules

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

Your Maine agent and the Pennsylvania one

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

Yearly filings: Maine and Pennsylvania

Each year your corporation files Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Pennsylvania plus Maine comes to $306 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Pennsylvania to Maine

An LLC formed in Pennsylvania files Form MLLC-12 with Maine ($250 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same, plus the Subsistence Certificate ($40)). After that come Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). See the LLC filing.

The other way: Maine into Pennsylvania

A corporation formed in Maine that registers with Pennsylvania files Form DSCB:15-412 with $250 in state fees; no Maine certificate is needed. See that filing.

Common questions: Pennsylvania to Maine

Does my Pennsylvania company need to register in Maine?

Yes, once a Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania's Subsistence Certificate, at extra cost.

How long does the Maine registration take?

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

What are the yearly costs for Pennsylvania and Maine?

$306 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $7 to Pennsylvania and $150 to Maine for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Maine?

A Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania registered office stays, and ours covers Maine for year one.

Can I form a new Maine corporation instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Maine later?

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

Official sources

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