Rhode Island

Foreign registration · Form MLLC-12

Rhode Island LLC Foreign Registration in Maine

Maine registers an LLC from Rhode Island as a foreign LLC on Form MLLC-12, with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maine also wants Rhode Island's Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22), dated within 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions using your Rhode Island records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Rhode Island vs Maine: the paperwork

	Rhode Island formed here	Maine registering here
Document	Rhode Island Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing	Form MLLC-12, Statement of Foreign Qualification to Conduct Activities
State fee	$22	$250 at order
How it is handled	Rhode Island: online in about two business days, the same day in person, or in 5 to 7 business days by mail	Filed with Maine
Required expedite		$50 at order (24 hours)
Faster options		same-day $100
Office	Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
Official page	sos.ri.gov	maine.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632), $50, every year	Annual Report, $150, every year
Due	May 1	June 1
Late yearly filing	$25 late fee	$50 late fee
Turnaround	Certificate takes a few days	Required expedite processing: 24 hours
Agent	Your Rhode Island resident agent	Our Maine registered agent

From Rhode Island to Maine, step by step

Order the Rhode Island certificate
The Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22) is ordered from Rhode Island separately; it is not part of our Maine order. It comes as a short form ($22) or a long form ($30). Rhode Island takes days to issue it and Maine wants it within 90 days, so the order is timed for both.
We prepare and file Form MLLC-12
It lists us as your Maine registered agent, next to your Rhode Island name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Allow for the days Rhode Island takes to send the certificate before the Maine filing goes in. Once Maine approves it, the Rhode Island company can do business there.

Maine costs for Rhode Island companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$250
Required expedite (24 hours), paid at order	$50
Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Rhode Island	$22
Our service, with a year of Maine registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Rhode Island certificate included	$521

Faster state options are not in the total.

Will your Rhode Island name work for Maine?

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

Your Maine agent and the Rhode Island one

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

Yearly filings: Maine and Rhode Island

Each year your LLC files Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632) ($50) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Rhode Island plus Maine comes to $349 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Rhode Island to Maine

A corporation formed in Rhode Island files Form MBCA-12 with Maine ($250 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same). After that come Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Corporation (Form 630) ($50) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Maine company in Rhode Island

An LLC formed in Maine that registers with Rhode Island files Form 450 with $156 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($30) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Questions Rhode Island owners ask about Maine

Does my Rhode Island company need to register in Maine?

Yes, once a Rhode Island 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 $22 to Rhode Island for the Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing, $521 in all (checkout is $250 in state fees, the $50 required expedite and our $199).

Do I need Rhode Island's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Maine wants it ($22), no more than 90 days old at filing.

How long does the Maine registration take?

24 hours with Maine's required expedite, plus a few days for Rhode Island's certificate before filing. Faster state options: same-day $100.

What are the yearly costs for Rhode Island and Maine?

$349 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $50 to Rhode Island and $150 to Maine for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Maine?

A Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island resident agent stays, and ours covers Maine for year one.

Can I form a new Maine LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Maine later?

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

Official sources

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