Foreign registration · Form MLLC-12

South Dakota LLC Foreign Registration in Maine

An LLC formed in South Dakota 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 Dakota's Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20), no older than 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions using your South Dakota records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What South Dakota and Maine each ask for

	South Dakota formed here	Maine registering here
Document	South Dakota Certificate of Good Standing/Existence	Form MLLC-12, Statement of Foreign Qualification to Conduct Activities
State fee	$20	$250 at order
How it is handled	South Dakota: online	Filed with Maine
Required expedite		$50 at order (24 hours)
Faster options		same-day $100
Office	South Dakota Secretary of State	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
Official page	sosenterprise.sd.gov	maine.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $55, every year	Annual Report, $150, every year
Due	During the entity's anniversary month each year	June 1
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your South Dakota registered agent	Our Maine registered agent

From South Dakota to Maine, step by step

Order the South Dakota certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20) is ordered from South Dakota separately; it is not part of our Maine order. Maine accepts it within 90 days of South Dakota'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 Dakota name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The South Dakota certificate comes first; then the Maine filing goes in. Once Maine approves it, the South Dakota company can do business there.

First-year cost, South Dakota to Maine

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$250
Required expedite (24 hours), paid at order	$50
Certificate of Good Standing/Existence, paid to South Dakota	$20
Our service, with a year of Maine registered agent service	$199
First-year total, South Dakota certificate included	$519

Faster state options are not in the total.

Will your South Dakota name work for Maine?

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

Your Maine agent and the South Dakota one

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

Staying in good standing in South Dakota and Maine

Each year your LLC files South Dakota's Annual Report ($55) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). With our $149 registered agent renewal, South Dakota plus Maine comes to $354 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, South Dakota to Maine

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

Registering a Maine company in South Dakota

An LLC formed in Maine that registers with South Dakota files South Dakota's registration (no form number) with $750 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($30). See that filing.

Common questions: South Dakota to Maine

Does my South Dakota company need to register in Maine?

Yes, once a South Dakota 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 $20 to South Dakota for the Certificate of Good Standing/Existence, $519 in all (checkout is $250 in state fees, the $50 required expedite and our $199).

Do I need South Dakota's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Maine wants it ($20), no more than 90 days old at filing.

How long does the Maine registration take?

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

What are the yearly costs for South Dakota and Maine?

$354 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $55 to South Dakota and $150 to Maine for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Maine?

A South Dakota 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 Dakota registered agent stays, and ours covers Maine for year one.

Can I form a new Maine LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Maine later?

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

Official sources

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