Rhode Island

Foreign registration · Form 450

Maine LLC Foreign Registration in Rhode Island

Rhode Island registers an LLC from Maine as a foreign LLC on Form 450, with $156 in state fees. Rhode Island also asks for Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30), no older than 60 days. We file it with the Department of State, Business Services Division from your Maine records, then serve as your resident agent there for year one.

Maine vs Rhode Island: the paperwork

	Maine formed here	Rhode Island registering here
Document	Maine Certificate of Existence	Form 450, Application for Registration for a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$30	$156 at order (filing fee $150 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Maine: online, downloaded from the company's information summary page	Filed with Rhode Island
Office	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions	Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division
Official page	apps3.web.maine.gov	docs.sos.ri.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $85, every year	Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632), $50, every year
Due	June 1	May 1
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$25 late fee
Agent	Your Maine registered agent	Our Rhode Island resident agent

From Maine to Rhode Island, step by step

Order the Maine certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($30) is ordered from Maine separately; it is not part of our Rhode Island order. Rhode Island accepts it within 60 days of Maine's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form 450
It lists us as your Rhode Island resident agent, next to your Maine name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The Maine certificate comes first; then the Rhode Island filing goes in. After approval, your Maine LLC is registered with Rhode Island.

Rhode Island costs for Maine companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$156
Certificate of Existence, paid to Maine	$30
Our service, with a year of Rhode Island resident agent service	$199
First-year total, Maine certificate included	$385

Will your Maine name work for Rhode Island?

If Rhode Island's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Maine company. Rhode Island can hold a name for 120 days for $50 before you file.

Agents: Rhode Island and Maine

Rhode Island calls it a resident agent; Maine says registered agent. Rhode Island papers come to us; Maine's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in Maine and Rhode Island

Each year your LLC files Maine's Annual Report ($85) and Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632) ($50). With our $149 resident agent renewal, Maine plus Rhode Island comes to $284 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Maine to Rhode Island

A corporation formed in Maine files Form 150 with Rhode Island ($319 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($30)). After that come Maine's Annual Report ($85) and Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Corporation (Form 630) ($50). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Rhode Island company in Maine

An LLC formed in Rhode Island that registers with Maine files Form MLLC-12 with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite, plus the Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Maine to Rhode Island

Does my Maine company need to register in Rhode Island?

Yes, once a Maine business operates there; Rhode Island law lists 12 activities that do not count on their own.

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

$355 at checkout plus $30 to Maine for the Certificate of Existence, $385 in all (checkout is $156 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Maine's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Rhode Island wants Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Maine and Rhode Island?

$284 a year: our $149 resident agent renewal, $85 to Maine and $50 to Rhode Island for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Rhode Island?

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

Does Rhode Island require a registered agent?

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

Will Rhode Island 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.

Can I form a new Rhode Island LLC instead?

Yes, but Maine keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632) ($50), and the original keeps Maine's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Rhode Island later?

Maine companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation; until then, Rhode Island's report stays due alongside Maine's filings.

Official sources

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