Foreign registration · Form LLC-5

Maine LLC Foreign Registration in California

To do business in California, an LLC formed in Maine registers there on Form LLC-5, with $70 in state fees. California also wants Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30), dated within 180 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Entities from your Maine records, then serve as your agent for service of process there for year one.

What Maine and California each ask for

	Maine formed here	California registering here
Document	Maine Certificate of Existence	Form LLC-5
State fee	$30	$70 at order
How it is handled	Maine: online, downloaded from the company's information summary page	Filed with California
Paid expedite		24-hour $350, same-day $750
Office	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions	California Secretary of State, Business Entities
Official page	apps3.web.maine.gov	sos.ca.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $85, every year	Statement of Information (Form LLC-12), $20, every two years
Due	June 1	Last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$250 late fee
Agent	Your Maine registered agent	Our California agent for service of process

How Maine companies register with California

Order the Maine certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($30) is ordered from Maine separately; it is not part of our California order. California accepts it within 180 days of Maine's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form LLC-5
It lists us as your California agent for service of process, next to your Maine name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once Maine's certificate is in hand, California's filing goes in. Once California approves it, the Maine company can do business there.

First-year cost, Maine to California

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$70
Certificate of Existence, paid to Maine	$30
Our service, with a year of California agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, Maine certificate included	$299

California's paid expedite is optional and not in the total.

Will your Maine name work for California?

California accepts your Maine name if it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC. If the Maine name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. If California's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Maine company. California can hold a name for 60 days for $10 before you file.

Your California agent and the Maine one

California calls it an agent for service of process; Maine says registered agent. California papers come to us; Maine's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: California and Maine

Maine wants the Annual Report every year ($85); California wants the Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) every two years ($20). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Maine to California

A corporation formed in Maine files Form S&DC-S/N with California ($100 in state fees). After that come Maine's Annual Report ($85) and California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25). See the corporation filing.

Registering a California company in Maine

An LLC formed in California that registers with Maine files Form MLLC-12 with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite, plus the Certificate of Status ($5) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Maine owners ask about California

Does my Maine company need to register in California?

Yes, once a Maine business operates there; California law lists 10 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does it cost to register a Maine LLC in California?

$269 at checkout plus $30 to Maine for the Certificate of Existence, $299 in all (checkout is $70 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Maine's certificate of good standing?

Yes: California wants Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30), no more than 180 days old at filing.

How long does the California registration take?

California's online processing takes 5 days or less, once Maine's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: 24-hour $350, same-day $750.

What are the yearly costs for Maine and California?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Maine's report ($85) and California's report ($20, every two years).

What if I don't register with California?

A Maine company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does California require a registered agent?

Yes: the Maine registered agent stays, and ours covers California for year one.

Will California accept my Maine name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Maine name at home. California names must include limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC.

Can I form a new California LLC instead?

Yes, but Maine keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) ($20), and the original keeps Maine's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from California later?

Maine companies leave by filing Form LLC-4/7 (no state fee); until then, California's report stays due alongside Maine's filings.

Official sources

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