Foreign registration · Form MLLC-12

Illinois LLC Foreign Registration in Maine

Maine registers an LLC from Illinois as a foreign LLC on Form MLLC-12, with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maine also wants Illinois's Certificate of Good Standing ($25), dated within 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions using your Illinois records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Illinois and Maine side by side

	Illinois formed here	Maine registering here
Document	Illinois Certificate of Good Standing	Form MLLC-12, Statement of Foreign Qualification to Conduct Activities
State fee	$25	$250 at order
How it is handled	Illinois: online as an instant PDF, printed from the receipt page or sent by email link	Filed with Maine
Required expedite		$50 at order (24 hours)
Faster options		same-day $100
Office	Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, Limited Liability Division	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
Official page	ilsos.gov	maine.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Limited Liability Company Annual Report (Form LLC-50.1), $75, every year	Annual Report, $150, every year
Due	Before the first day of the entity's anniversary month each year	June 1
Late yearly filing	$100 late fee	$50 late fee
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Required expedite processing: 24 hours
Agent	Your Illinois registered agent	Our Maine registered agent

How Illinois companies register with Maine

Order the Illinois certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($25) is ordered from Illinois separately; it is not part of our Maine order. Ordered from Illinois on filing day, it easily meets Maine's limit of 90 days.
We prepare and file Form MLLC-12
It lists us as your Maine registered agent, next to your Illinois name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Illinois issues the certificate instantly, so the Maine filing can go in the same day. After approval, your Illinois LLC is registered with Maine.

Maine costs for Illinois companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$250
Required expedite (24 hours), paid at order	$50
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Illinois	$25
Our service, with a year of Maine registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Illinois certificate included	$524

Faster state options are not in the total.

Will your Illinois name work for Maine?

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

Your Maine agent and the Illinois one

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

Staying in good standing in Illinois and Maine

Each year your LLC files Illinois's Limited Liability Company Annual Report (Form LLC-50.1) ($75) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Illinois plus Maine comes to $374 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Illinois to Maine

A corporation formed in Illinois files Form MBCA-12 with Maine ($250 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same). After that come Illinois's Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05) ($75) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). See the corporation filing.

Common questions: Illinois to Maine

Does my Illinois company need to register in Maine?

Yes, once an Illinois 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 $25 to Illinois for the Certificate of Good Standing, $524 in all (checkout is $250 in state fees, the $50 required expedite and our $199).

Do I need Illinois's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Maine wants it ($25), no more than 90 days old at filing.

How long does the Maine registration take?

24 hours with Maine's required expedite; Illinois'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 Illinois and Maine?

$374 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $75 to Illinois and $150 to Maine for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Maine?

An Illinois 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 Illinois registered agent stays, and ours covers Maine for year one.

Can I form a new Maine LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Maine later?

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

Official sources

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