Foreign registration · Form MLLC-12

Massachusetts LLC Foreign Registration in Maine

To do business in Maine, an LLC formed in Massachusetts registers there on Form MLLC-12, with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maine also asks for Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($25), no older than 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions using your Massachusetts records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Massachusetts and Maine side by side

	Massachusetts formed here	Maine registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Form MLLC-12, Statement of Foreign Qualification to Conduct Activities
State fee	$25	$250 at order
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed with Maine
Required expedite		$50 at order (24 hours)
Faster options		same-day $100
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	maine.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $520, every year	Annual Report, $150, every year
Due	On or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization	June 1
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our Maine registered agent

How Massachusetts companies register with Maine

Order the Massachusetts certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($25) is ordered from Massachusetts separately; it is not part of our Maine order. It comes as a short form ($12) or a long form ($25). Maine counts 90 days from the day Massachusetts issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form MLLC-12
It names us as your Maine registered agent, with your Massachusetts name and formation date and the certificate attached. The Massachusetts certificate comes first; then the Maine filing goes in. Once Maine approves it, the Massachusetts company can do business there.

First-year cost, Massachusetts to Maine

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$250
Required expedite (24 hours), paid at order	$50
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Massachusetts	$25
Our service, with a year of Maine registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Massachusetts certificate included	$524

Faster state options are not in the total.

Will your Massachusetts name work for Maine?

We check your exact Massachusetts name against Maine's records before filing.

Your Maine agent and the Massachusetts one

Maine calls it a registered agent; Massachusetts says resident agent. Your current resident agent stays for Massachusetts; ours takes Maine's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in Massachusetts and Maine

Each year your LLC files Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Massachusetts plus Maine comes to $819 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to Maine

A corporation formed in Massachusetts files Form MBCA-12 with Maine ($250 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same). After that come Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Maine into Massachusetts

An LLC formed in Maine that registers with Massachusetts files Massachusetts's registration (no form number) with $520 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($30) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Massachusetts owners ask about Maine

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in Maine?

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

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

$499 at checkout plus $25 to Massachusetts for the Certificate of Good Standing, $524 in all (checkout is $250 in state fees, the $50 required expedite and our $199).

Do I need Massachusetts's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Maine wants it ($25), no more than 90 days old at filing.

How long does the Maine registration take?

24 hours with Maine's required expedite, once Massachusetts's certificate is in hand. Faster state options: same-day $100.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and Maine?

$819 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $520 to Massachusetts and $150 to Maine for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Maine?

A Massachusetts company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Maine can add up to $500 for each year or part of a year.

Does Maine require a registered agent?

Yes: the Massachusetts resident agent stays, and ours covers Maine for year one.

Can I form a new Maine LLC instead?

Yes, but Massachusetts keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Maine's Annual Report ($85), and the original keeps Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Maine later?

Massachusetts companies leave by filing a Statement of Cancellation of Foreign Qualification; until then, Maine's report stays due alongside Massachusetts's filings.

Official sources

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