South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form MLLC-12

South Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in Maine

An LLC formed in South Carolina that wants to do business in Maine files Form MLLC-12, with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maine also asks for South Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), no older than 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions using your South Carolina records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What South Carolina and Maine each ask for

	South Carolina formed here	Maine registering here
Document	South Carolina Certificate of Existence	Form MLLC-12, Statement of Foreign Qualification to Conduct Activities
State fee	$10	$250 at order
How it is handled	South Carolina: online	Filed with Maine
Required expedite		$50 at order (24 hours)
Faster options		same-day $100
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	maine.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	No annual report	Annual Report, $150, every year
Due		June 1
Agent	Your South Carolina agent for service of process	Our Maine registered agent

How South Carolina companies register with Maine

Order the South Carolina certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from South Carolina separately; it is not part of our Maine order. Maine accepts it within 90 days of South 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 South Carolina name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The South Carolina certificate comes first; then the Maine filing goes in. Once Maine approves it, the South Carolina company can do business there.

Maine costs for South Carolina companies

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

Faster state options are not in the total.

Will your South Carolina name work for Maine?

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

Your Maine agent and the South Carolina one

Maine calls it a registered agent; South Carolina says agent for service of process. Maine papers come to us; South Carolina's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: Maine and South Carolina

South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs; Maine wants the Annual Report every year ($150). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, South Carolina to Maine

A corporation formed in South Carolina files Form MBCA-12 with Maine ($250 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same). After that come South Carolina's Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Maine company in South Carolina

An LLC formed in Maine that registers with South Carolina files Form F0008 with $110 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($30) dated within 30 days. See that filing.

Questions South Carolina owners ask about Maine

Does my South Carolina company need to register in Maine?

Yes, once a South 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 South 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 South Carolina's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Maine wants South 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 South Carolina's certificate is in hand. Faster state options: same-day $100.

What are the yearly costs for South Carolina and Maine?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), no South Carolina yearly report and Maine's report ($150).

What if I don't register with Maine?

A South 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 South Carolina agent for service of process stays, and ours covers Maine for year one.

Can I form a new Maine LLC instead?

Yes, but South Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Maine's Annual Report ($85), and South Carolina has no yearly report for the original.

How do I withdraw from Maine later?

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

Official sources

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