Foreign registration · no form number

Maine LLC Foreign Registration in North Dakota

An LLC formed in Maine that wants to do business in North Dakota files an online registration (no form number), with $135 in state fees. North Dakota also wants Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30). We file it with the Secretary of State from your Maine records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Maine vs North Dakota: the paperwork

	Maine formed here	North Dakota registering here
Document	Maine Certificate of Existence	Foreign Business Limited Liability Company Certificate of Authority Application (no form number)
State fee	$30	$135 at order
How it is handled	Maine: online, downloaded from the company's information summary page	Filed online with North Dakota
Office	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions	North Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	apps3.web.maine.gov	sos.nd.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $85, every year	Annual Report, $50, every year
Due	June 1	November 15
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your Maine registered agent	Our North Dakota registered agent

From Maine to North Dakota, step by step

Order the Maine certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($30) is ordered from Maine separately; it is not part of our North Dakota order. North Dakota wants the Maine certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your North Dakota registered agent, with your Maine name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once Maine's certificate is in hand, North Dakota's filing goes in. Once North Dakota approves it, the Maine company can do business there.

First-year cost, Maine to North Dakota

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$135
Certificate of Existence, paid to Maine	$30
Our service, with a year of North Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Maine certificate included	$364

Your Maine name and North Dakota's rules

North Dakota accepts your Maine name if it includes the words limited liability company, or LLC or L.L.C.. If the Maine name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. We check your exact Maine name against North Dakota's records before filing.

Agents: North Dakota and Maine

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

Yearly filings: North Dakota and Maine

Each year your LLC files Maine's Annual Report ($85) and North Dakota's Annual Report ($50). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Maine plus North Dakota comes to $284 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Maine to North Dakota

A corporation formed in Maine files its own registration with North Dakota ($145 in state fees). After that come Maine's Annual Report ($85) and North Dakota's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

The other way: North Dakota into Maine

An LLC formed in North Dakota that registers with Maine files Form MLLC-12 with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($20) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Maine owners ask about North Dakota

Does my Maine company need to register in North Dakota?

Yes, once a Maine business operates there; North Dakota does not count a one-off deal finished within 30 days.

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

$334 at checkout plus $30 to Maine for the Certificate of Existence, $364 in all (checkout is $135 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Maine's certificate of good standing?

Yes: North Dakota wants Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Maine and North Dakota?

$284 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $85 to Maine and $50 to North Dakota for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with North Dakota?

North Dakota can charge a Maine company a civil penalty of up to $5,000.

Does North Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will North Dakota accept my Maine name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes the words limited liability company, or LLC or L.L.C..

Can I form a new North Dakota LLC instead?

Yes, but Maine keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Dakota's Annual Report ($50), and the original keeps Maine's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from North Dakota later?

Maine companies leave by filing an Application for withdrawal of a foreign limited liability company; until then, North Dakota's report stays due alongside Maine's filings.

Official sources

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