Foreign registration · Form MBCA-12

Virginia Corporation Foreign Registration in Maine

To do business in Maine, a corporation formed in Virginia registers there on Form MBCA-12, with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maine may ask for Virginia's Certificate of Good Standing ($6). We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions from your Virginia records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Virginia and Maine side by side

	Virginia formed here	Maine registering here
Document	Virginia Certificate of Good Standing	Form MBCA-12, Application for Authority to do Business
State fee	$6	$250 at order
How it is handled	Virginia: online as an instant PDF from the Clerk's Information System	Filed with Maine
Required expedite		$50 at order (24 hours)
Faster options		same-day $100
Office	Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
Official page	scc.virginia.gov	maine.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report + Annual Registration Fee, $50, every year	Annual Report, $150, every year
Due		June 1
Late yearly filing	$10 late fee	$50 late fee
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Required expedite processing: 24 hours
Agent	Your Virginia registered agent	Our Maine registered agent

From Virginia to Maine, step by step

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

Will your Virginia name work for Maine?

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

Agents: Maine and Virginia

Virginia and Maine both call it a registered agent. Maine papers come to us; Virginia's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: Maine and Virginia

Each year your corporation files Virginia's Annual Report + Annual Registration Fee ($50) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Virginia plus Maine comes to $349 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Virginia to Maine

An LLC formed in Virginia files Form MLLC-12 with Maine ($250 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same, plus the Certificate of Fact of Existence/Registration ($6)). After that come Virginia's Annual Registration Fee ($50) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). See the LLC filing.

Common questions: Virginia to Maine

Does my Virginia company need to register in Maine?

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

What are the yearly costs for Virginia and Maine?

$349 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $50 to Virginia and $150 to Maine for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Maine?

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

Can I form a new Maine corporation instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Maine later?

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

Official sources

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