Tennessee

Foreign registration · Form MLLC-12

Tennessee LLC Foreign Registration in Maine

Maine registers an LLC from Tennessee as a foreign LLC on Form MLLC-12, with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maine also wants Tennessee's Certificate of Existence ($20), dated within 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions using your Tennessee records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Tennessee and Maine side by side

	Tennessee formed here	Maine registering here
Document	Tennessee Certificate of Existence	Form MLLC-12, Statement of Foreign Qualification to Conduct Activities
State fee	$20	$250 at order
How it is handled	Tennessee: online or by mail	Filed with Maine
Required expedite		$50 at order (24 hours)
Faster options		same-day $100
Office	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
Official page	sos.tn.gov	maine.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $300, every year	Annual Report, $150, every year
Due		June 1
Agent	Your Tennessee registered agent	Our Maine registered agent

How Tennessee companies register with Maine

Order the Tennessee certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($20) is ordered from Tennessee separately; it is not part of our Maine order. Maine counts 90 days from the day Tennessee issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form MLLC-12
It lists us as your Maine registered agent, next to your Tennessee name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once Tennessee's certificate is in hand, Maine's filing goes in. Once Maine approves it, the Tennessee company can do business there.

Maine costs for Tennessee companies

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

Faster state options are not in the total.

Your Tennessee name and Maine's rules

We search Maine's records for Tennessee's name on file before anything is filed.

Your Maine agent and the Tennessee one

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

Yearly filings: Maine and Tennessee

Each year your LLC files Tennessee's Annual Report ($300) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Tennessee plus Maine comes to $599 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Tennessee to Maine

A corporation formed in Tennessee files Form MBCA-12 with Maine ($250 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same). After that come Tennessee's Annual Report ($20) and Maine's Annual Report ($150). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Maine into Tennessee

An LLC formed in Maine that registers with Tennessee files Form SS-4233 with $300 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($30) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Questions Tennessee owners ask about Maine

Does my Tennessee company need to register in Maine?

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

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

$499 at checkout plus $20 to Tennessee for the Certificate of Existence, $519 in all (checkout is $250 in state fees, the $50 required expedite and our $199).

Do I need Tennessee's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Maine wants Tennessee's Certificate of Existence ($20), no more than 90 days old at filing.

How long does the Maine registration take?

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

What are the yearly costs for Tennessee and Maine?

$599 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $300 to Tennessee and $150 to Maine for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Maine?

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

Can I form a new Maine LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Maine later?

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

Official sources

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