Foreign registration · Form CR2E027

Maine LLC Foreign Registration in Florida

To do business in Florida, an LLC formed in Maine registers there on Form CR2E027, with $125 in state fees. Florida also asks for Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30), no older than 90 days. We file it with the Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), Registration Section using your Maine records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Maine and Florida side by side

	Maine formed here	Florida registering here
Document	Maine Certificate of Existence	Form CR2E027
State fee	$30	$125 at order
How it is handled	Maine: online, downloaded from the company's information summary page	Filed with Florida
Office	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions	Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), Registration Section
Official page	apps3.web.maine.gov	form.sunbiz.org
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $85, every year	Annual Report, $138.75, every year
Due	June 1	May 1
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$400 late fee
Agent	Your Maine registered agent	Our Florida registered agent

From Maine to Florida, step by step

Order the Maine certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($30) is ordered from Maine separately; it is not part of our Florida order. Florida accepts it within 90 days of Maine's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form CR2E027
It names us as your Florida registered agent, with your Maine name and formation date and the certificate attached. The Maine certificate comes first; then the Florida filing goes in. After approval, your Maine LLC is registered with Florida.

First-year cost, Maine to Florida

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$125
Certificate of Existence, paid to Maine	$30
Our service, with a year of Florida registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Maine certificate included	$354

Your Maine name and Florida's rules

Florida 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 Florida's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Maine company. Florida can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Agents: Florida and Maine

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

Yearly filings: Florida and Maine

Each year your LLC files Maine's Annual Report ($85) and Florida's Annual Report ($138.75). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Maine plus Florida comes to $372.75 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Maine to Florida

A corporation formed in Maine files Form CR2E007 with Florida ($70 in state fees). After that come Maine's Annual Report ($85) and Florida's Annual Report ($150). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Florida into Maine

An LLC formed in Florida 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 Florida

Does my Maine company need to register in Florida?

Yes, once a Maine business operates there; Florida law lists 13 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the Florida registration cost?

$324 at checkout plus $30 to Maine for the Certificate of Existence, $354 in all (checkout is $125 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Maine's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Florida wants Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30), no more than 90 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Maine and Florida?

$372.75 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $85 to Maine and $138.75 to Florida for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Florida?

A Maine company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Florida can add a civil penalty of up to $1,000 and a fine of at least $500.

Does Florida require a registered agent?

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

Will Florida 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. Florida names must include Limited Liability Company, L.L.C. or LLC.

Can I form a new Florida LLC instead?

Yes, but Maine keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Florida's Annual Report ($138.75), and the original keeps Maine's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Florida later?

Maine companies leave by filing a Notice of Withdrawal of Certificate of Authority ($25); until then, Florida's report stays due alongside Maine's filings.

Official sources

People also search

LLC into Florida, by home state (48)

Maine into other states (47)

The same move for a corporation