Foreign registration · no form number

Maine LLC Foreign Registration in Delaware

An LLC formed in Maine that wants to do business in Delaware files a registration (no form number), with $200 in state fees. Delaware also asks for Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30), no older than 180 days. We file it with the Department of State, Division of Corporations using your Maine records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Maine vs Delaware: the paperwork

	Maine formed here	Delaware registering here
Document	Maine Certificate of Existence	Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (no form number)
State fee	$30	$200 at order
How it is handled	Maine: online, downloaded from the company's information summary page	Filed with Delaware
Paid expedite		24-hour $50, same-day $100, 2-hour $500, 1-hour $1,000
Office	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions	Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations
Official page	apps3.web.maine.gov	corp.delaware.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $85, every year	Annual LLC Tax, $300, every year
Due	June 1
Agent	Your Maine registered agent	Our Delaware registered agent

How Maine companies register with Delaware

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

Delaware costs for Maine companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$200
Certificate of Existence, paid to Maine	$30
Our service, with a year of Delaware registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Maine certificate included	$429

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

Your Maine name and Delaware's rules

Delaware can hold a name for 120 days for $75 before you file.

Agents: Delaware and Maine

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

Staying in good standing in Maine and Delaware

Each year your LLC files Maine's Annual Report ($85) and Delaware's Annual LLC Tax ($300). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Maine plus Delaware comes to $534 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Maine to Delaware

A corporation formed in Maine files its own registration with Delaware ($245 in state fees). After that come Maine's Annual Report ($85) and Delaware's Foreign Corporation Annual Report ($125). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Delaware into Maine

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

Questions Maine owners ask about Delaware

Does my Maine company need to register in Delaware?

Yes, once a Maine business operates there; Delaware registers it as a foreign LLC.

How much does the Delaware registration cost?

$399 at checkout plus $30 to Maine for the Certificate of Existence, $429 in all (checkout is $200 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Maine's certificate of good standing?

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

What are the yearly costs for Maine and Delaware?

$534 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $85 to Maine and $300 to Delaware for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Delaware?

A Maine company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Delaware can add up to $200 for each year or part of a year.

Does Delaware require a registered agent?

Yes: the Maine registered agent stays, and ours covers Delaware for year one, with a street address there.

Can I form a new Delaware LLC instead?

Yes, but Maine keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Delaware's Annual LLC Tax ($400), and the original keeps Maine's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Delaware later?

Maine companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company; until then, Delaware's report stays due alongside Maine's filings.

Official sources

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