Foreign registration · Form MLLC-12

Kentucky LLC Foreign Registration in Maine

An LLC formed in Kentucky that wants to do business in Maine files Form MLLC-12, with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maine also asks for Kentucky's Certificate of Existence ($10), no older than 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions from your Kentucky records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

What Kentucky and Maine each ask for

	Kentucky formed here	Maine registering here
Document	Kentucky Certificate of Existence	Form MLLC-12, Statement of Foreign Qualification to Conduct Activities
State fee	$10	$250 at order
How it is handled	Kentucky: online as a printable certificate, or by mail or fax	Filed with Maine
Required expedite		$50 at order (24 hours)
Faster options		same-day $100
Office	Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
Official page	web.sos.ky.gov	maine.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $15, every year	Annual Report, $150, every year
Due	On or before June 30	June 1
Agent	Your Kentucky registered agent	Our Maine registered agent

How Kentucky companies register with Maine

Order the Kentucky certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from Kentucky separately; it is not part of our Maine order. Maine counts 90 days from the day Kentucky issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form MLLC-12
It names us as your Maine registered agent, with your Kentucky name and formation date and the certificate attached. The Kentucky certificate comes first; then the Maine filing goes in. Once Maine approves it, the Kentucky company can do business there.

Maine costs for Kentucky companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$250
Required expedite (24 hours), paid at order	$50
Certificate of Existence, paid to Kentucky	$10
Our service, with a year of Maine registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Kentucky certificate included	$509

Faster state options are not in the total.

Your Kentucky name and Maine's rules

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

Agents: Maine and Kentucky

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

Yearly filings: Maine and Kentucky

Each year your LLC files Kentucky's Annual Report ($15) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Kentucky plus Maine comes to $314 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Kentucky to Maine

A corporation formed in Kentucky files Form MBCA-12 with Maine ($250 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same). After that come Kentucky's Annual Report ($15) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Maine into Kentucky

An LLC formed in Maine that registers with Kentucky files Form FBE with $90 in state fees; no Maine certificate is needed. See that filing.

Questions Kentucky owners ask about Maine

Does my Kentucky company need to register in Maine?

Yes, once a Kentucky 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 $10 to Kentucky for the Certificate of Existence, $509 in all (checkout is $250 in state fees, the $50 required expedite and our $199).

Do I need Kentucky's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Maine wants Kentucky's Certificate of Existence ($10), no more than 90 days old at filing.

How long does the Maine registration take?

24 hours with Maine's required expedite, once Kentucky's certificate is in hand. Faster state options: same-day $100.

What are the yearly costs for Kentucky and Maine?

$314 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $15 to Kentucky and $150 to Maine for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Maine?

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

Can I form a new Maine LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Maine later?

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

Official sources

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