Foreign registration · Form MLLC-12

California LLC Foreign Registration in Maine

An LLC formed in California that wants to do business in Maine files Form MLLC-12, with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maine also wants California's Certificate of Status ($5), dated within 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions using your California records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

California and Maine side by side

	California formed here	Maine registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status	Form MLLC-12, Statement of Foreign Qualification to Conduct Activities
State fee	$5	$250 at order
How it is handled	California: online as a PDF within minutes, or on paper by mail or drop-off in Sacramento	Filed with Maine
Required expedite		$50 at order (24 hours)
Faster options		same-day $100
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	maine.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Statement of Information (Form LLC-12), $20, every two years	Annual Report, $150, every year
Due	Last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially	June 1
Late yearly filing	$250 late fee	$50 late fee
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Required expedite processing: 24 hours
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our Maine registered agent

How California companies register with Maine

Order the California certificate
The Certificate of Status ($5) is ordered from California separately; it is not part of our Maine order. An instant California certificate reaches Maine only hours old, well inside the limit of 90 days.
We prepare and file Form MLLC-12
It lists us as your Maine registered agent, next to your California name and formation date, with the certificate attached. With the certificate issued on the spot, nothing from California delays the Maine filing. Once Maine approves it, the California company can do business there.

First-year cost, California to Maine

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$250
Required expedite (24 hours), paid at order	$50
Certificate of Status, paid to California	$5
Our service, with a year of Maine registered agent service	$199
First-year total, California certificate included	$504

Faster state options are not in the total.

Will your California name work for Maine?

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

Your Maine agent and the California one

Maine calls it a registered agent; California says agent for service of process. Your current agent for service of process stays for California; ours takes Maine's papers and notices.

Yearly filings: Maine and California

California wants the Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) every two years ($20); Maine wants the Annual Report every year ($150). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, California to Maine

A corporation formed in California files Form MBCA-12 with Maine ($250 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same). After that come California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Maine into California

An LLC formed in Maine that registers with California files Form LLC-5 with $70 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($30) dated within 180 days. See that filing.

Questions California owners ask about Maine

Does my California company need to register in Maine?

Yes, once a California business operates there; Maine law lists 11 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the Maine registration cost?

$499 at checkout plus $5 to California for the Certificate of Status, $504 in all (checkout is $250 in state fees, the $50 required expedite and our $199).

Do I need California's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Maine wants California's Certificate of Status ($5), no more than 90 days old at filing.

How long does the Maine registration take?

24 hours with Maine's required expedite; California's certificate is an instant download, so there is no wait before filing. Faster state options: same-day $100.

What are the yearly costs for California and Maine?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), California's report ($20, every two years) and Maine's report ($150).

What if I don't register with Maine?

A California 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 California agent for service of process stays, and ours covers Maine for year one.

Can I form a new Maine LLC instead?

Yes, but California keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Maine's Annual Report ($85), and the original keeps California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12).

How do I withdraw from Maine later?

California companies leave by filing a Statement of Cancellation of Foreign Qualification; until then, Maine's report stays due alongside California's filings.

Official sources

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