Foreign registration · Form MLLC-12

Florida LLC Foreign Registration in Maine

To do business in Maine, an LLC formed in Florida registers there on Form MLLC-12, with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maine also asks for Florida's Certificate of Status ($5), no older than 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions from your Florida records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Florida and Maine side by side

	Florida formed here	Maine registering here
Document	Florida Certificate of Status	Form MLLC-12, Statement of Foreign Qualification to Conduct Activities
State fee	$5	$250 at order
How it is handled	Florida: online, emailed as a PDF once payment goes through	Filed with Maine
Required expedite		$50 at order (24 hours)
Faster options		same-day $100
Office	Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), Registration Section	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
Official page	dos.fl.gov	maine.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $138.75, every year	Annual Report, $150, every year
Due	May 1	June 1
Late yearly filing	$400 late fee	$50 late fee
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Required expedite processing: 24 hours
Agent	Your Florida registered agent	Our Maine registered agent

From Florida to Maine, step by step

Order the Florida certificate
The Certificate of Status ($5) is ordered from Florida separately; it is not part of our Maine order. An instant Florida certificate reaches Maine only hours old, well inside the limit of 90 days.
We prepare and file Form MLLC-12
It names us as your Maine registered agent, with your Florida name and formation date and the certificate attached. Florida issues the certificate instantly, so the Maine filing can go in the same day. Once Maine approves it, the Florida company can do business there.

First-year cost, Florida to Maine

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

Faster state options are not in the total.

Your Florida name and Maine's rules

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

Agents: Maine and Florida

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

Yearly filings: Maine and Florida

Each year your LLC files Florida's Annual Report ($138.75) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Florida plus Maine comes to $437.75 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Florida to Maine

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

Registering a Maine company in Florida

An LLC formed in Maine that registers with Florida files Form CR2E027 with $125 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($30) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Florida to Maine

Does my Florida company need to register in Maine?

Yes, once a Florida 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 Florida for the Certificate of Status, $504 in all (checkout is $250 in state fees, the $50 required expedite and our $199).

Do I need Florida's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Maine wants Florida'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; Florida'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 Florida and Maine?

$437.75 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $138.75 to Florida and $150 to Maine for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Maine?

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

Can I form a new Maine LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Maine later?

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

Official sources

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