Foreign registration · Form FBE

Maine LLC Foreign Registration in Kentucky

To do business in Kentucky, an LLC formed in Maine registers there on Form FBE, with $90 in state fees. Kentucky needs nothing from Maine: no Certificate of Existence. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings from your Maine records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Maine vs Kentucky: the paperwork

	Maine formed here	Kentucky registering here
Document	Maine Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Form FBE, Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Entity)
State fee	$30	$90 at order
How it is handled	Maine: online, downloaded from the company's information summary page	Filed with Kentucky
Office	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions	Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings
Official page	apps3.web.maine.gov	web.sos.ky.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $85, every year	Annual Report, $15, every year
Due	June 1	On or before June 30
Agent	Your Maine registered agent	Our Kentucky registered agent

From Maine to Kentucky, step by step

We prepare and file Form FBE
It lists us as your Kentucky registered agent, next to your Maine name and formation date. Nothing has to come from Maine first, so the Kentucky filing can go in right away. Once Kentucky approves it, the Maine company can do business there.

Your Maine name and Kentucky's rules

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

Your Kentucky agent and the Maine one

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

Staying in good standing in Maine and Kentucky

Each year your LLC files Maine's Annual Report ($85) and Kentucky's Annual Report ($15). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Maine plus Kentucky comes to $249 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Maine to Kentucky

A corporation formed in Maine files Form FBE with Kentucky ($90 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Maine's Annual Report ($85) and Kentucky's Annual Report ($15). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Kentucky company in Maine

An LLC formed in Kentucky that registers with Maine files Form MLLC-12 with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Maine to Kentucky

Does my Maine company need to register in Kentucky?

Yes, once a Maine business operates there; Kentucky law lists 11 activities that do not count on their own.

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

$289 at checkout, with nothing to pay Maine.

Do I need Maine's certificate of good standing?

No, Kentucky takes Form FBE without it.

How long does the Kentucky registration take?

Kentucky's standard processing takes up to 3 business days; nothing comes from Maine first.

What are the yearly costs for Maine and Kentucky?

$249 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $85 to Maine and $15 to Kentucky for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Kentucky?

A Maine company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Kentucky can add a penalty of $2 a day.

Does Kentucky require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Kentucky LLC instead?

Yes, but Maine keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Kentucky's Annual Report ($15), and the original keeps Maine's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Kentucky later?

Maine companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal (Foreign Business Entity) ($40); until then, Kentucky's report stays due alongside Maine's filings.

Official sources

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