North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form MLLC-12

North Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in Maine

Maine registers an LLC from North Carolina as a foreign LLC on Form MLLC-12, with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maine also wants North Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), dated within 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions using your North Carolina records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

North Carolina vs Maine: the paperwork

	North Carolina formed here	Maine registering here
Document	North Carolina Certificate of Existence	Form MLLC-12, Statement of Foreign Qualification to Conduct Activities
State fee	$10	$250 at order
How it is handled	North Carolina: online as a downloadable electronic certified document, or on paper	Filed with Maine
Required expedite		$50 at order (24 hours)
Faster options		same-day $100
Office	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
Official page	sosnc.gov	maine.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $203, every year	Annual Report, $150, every year
Due	April 15	June 1
Agent	Your North Carolina registered agent	Our Maine registered agent

From North Carolina to Maine, step by step

Order the North Carolina certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from North Carolina separately; it is not part of our Maine order. Maine accepts it within 90 days of North Carolina's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form MLLC-12
It lists us as your Maine registered agent, next to your North Carolina name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once North Carolina's certificate is in hand, Maine's filing goes in. After approval, your North Carolina LLC is registered with Maine.

First-year cost, North Carolina to Maine

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$250
Required expedite (24 hours), paid at order	$50
Certificate of Existence, paid to North Carolina	$10
Our service, with a year of Maine registered agent service	$199
First-year total, North Carolina certificate included	$509

Faster state options are not in the total.

Your North Carolina name and Maine's rules

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

Your Maine agent and the North Carolina one

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

Yearly filings: Maine and North Carolina

Each year your LLC files North Carolina's Annual Report ($203) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). With our $149 registered agent renewal, North Carolina plus Maine comes to $502 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, North Carolina to Maine

A corporation formed in North Carolina files Form MBCA-12 with Maine ($250 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same). After that come North Carolina's Annual Report ($25) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Maine company in North Carolina

An LLC formed in Maine that registers with North Carolina files Form L-09 with $253 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($30) dated within 180 days. See that filing.

Questions North Carolina owners ask about Maine

Does my North Carolina company need to register in Maine?

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

How much does the Maine registration cost?

$499 at checkout plus $10 to North Carolina for the Certificate of Existence, $509 in all (checkout is $250 in state fees, the $50 required expedite and our $199).

Do I need North Carolina's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Maine wants North Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), no more than 90 days old at filing.

How long does the Maine registration take?

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

What are the yearly costs for North Carolina and Maine?

$502 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $203 to North Carolina and $150 to Maine for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Maine?

A North Carolina 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 North Carolina registered agent stays, and ours covers Maine for year one.

Can I form a new Maine LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Maine later?

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

Official sources

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