Texas

Foreign registration · Form 304

Maine LLC Foreign Registration in Texas

An LLC formed in Maine that wants to do business in Texas files Form 304, with $767.13 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Texas asks nothing of Maine here, not even the Certificate of Existence. We file it with the Texas Secretary of State using your Maine records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Maine and Texas side by side

	Maine formed here	Texas registering here
Document	Maine Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Form 304
State fee	$30	$767.13 at order (filing fee $750 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Maine: online, downloaded from the company's information summary page	Filed with Texas
Required expedite		$50 at order (Texas Express)
Faster options		next-day $500, same-day $750
Office	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions	Texas Secretary of State
Official page	apps3.web.maine.gov	sos.state.tx.us
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $85, every year	Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	June 1	May 15 each year
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your Maine registered agent	Our Texas registered agent

How Maine companies register with Texas

We prepare and file Form 304
It names us as your Texas registered agent, with your Maine name and formation date. Nothing has to come from Maine first, so the Texas filing can go in right away. Once Texas approves it, the Maine company can do business there.

Your Maine name and Texas's rules

Texas accepts your Maine name if it includes limited liability company, limited company or an abbreviation of either. If another Texas company uses the Maine name, an alternate name is allowed. We search Texas's records for Maine's name on file before anything is filed.

Your Texas agent and the Maine one

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

Staying in good standing in Maine and Texas

Maine wants the Annual Report every year ($85); Texas wants the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report every year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Maine to Texas

A corporation formed in Maine files Form 301 with Texas ($767.13 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same). After that come Maine's Annual Report ($85) and Texas's Franchise Tax Report + Public Information Report (no fee). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Texas into Maine

An LLC formed in Texas that registers with Maine files Form MLLC-12 with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite, plus the Certificate of Fact - Status ($15) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Maine owners ask about Texas

Does my Maine company need to register in Texas?

Yes, once a Maine business operates there; Texas law lists 16 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the Texas registration cost?

$1,016.13 at checkout, including the $50 required expedite, with nothing to pay Maine.

Do I need Maine's certificate of good standing?

No, Texas takes Form 304 without it.

How long does the Texas registration take?

Typically 2 to 3 business days with Texas's required expedite; nothing comes from Maine first. Faster state options: next-day $500, same-day $750.

What are the yearly costs for Maine and Texas?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Maine's report ($85) and Texas's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with Texas?

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

Does Texas require a registered agent?

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

Will Texas 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. Texas names must include limited liability company, limited company or an abbreviation of either.

Can I form a new Texas LLC instead?

Yes, but Maine keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Texas's Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report, and the original keeps Maine's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Texas later?

Maine companies leave by filing Form 608, Certificate of Withdrawal of Registration ($15); until then, Texas's report stays due alongside Maine's filings.

Official sources

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