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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 3 · Maine

Foreign LLC Registration Walkthrough, Maine (2026): 5 Stages and the 3 Best Services

If you want help with bringing an LLC into a second state in Maine in 2026, phone Mainstay Filing ($199), Maine Registered Agent.co ($199) and ME Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. Budget 5 stages and a $250 filing fee.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Walkthrough snapshot

Fee at the state office
$250
maine.gov, last viewed October 2026
Certificate from your home state
90 days
How recent it has to be
Report fee
$150
Annual report for a foreign LLC
What the state collects in three years
$550
No service fee included
Stages
5
In order

What you will get from this walkthrough

  • Which LLCs must register
  • The official form and fee
  • The recurring filing
  • How the picks compare

The Maine call list

The mentors' five criteria are on how we score, and they decide the order.

Our call

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a string of registrations

Best overall$199 to register, $149 a year after

Mainstay Filing is our first call in Maine: $199 over the state fee in any state; year one of the registered agent is free, then $149 yearly.

You will pay $100 more than at Maine Registered Agent.co over three years, but this service does more of the legwork, and we count that.

Once the free agent year is over, it is $149 a year.

What you get

  • Filing made with the state
  • Your first year of registered agent is free
  • One fee wherever you register

What works

  • Registered agent is free in year one
  • All fifty states covered
  • $199 plus the state fee

What to watch

  • A pricier agent renewal ($149)
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. Maine Registered Agent.co: best for a low yearly agent fee

Focused on Maine$199 to register, $99 a year after

Maine Registered Agent.co comes in second: the registration runs $199 plus state fees, and your first agent year is already paid for.

What you get

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • Agent service for one year comes with the price

What works

  • $199 to register
  • The agent renews at $99
  • Agent service costs nothing extra in the first year

What to watch

  • Covers Maine only, so your home state needs its own agent
Visit Maine Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. ME Registered Agent.org: best for Maine-only registrations

Focused on Maine$199 to register, $99 a year after

ME Registered Agent.org comes in third: the registration runs $199 plus state fees, and your first agent year is already paid for.

On price it is a tie with Maine Registered Agent.co.

What you get

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • Agent service for one year comes with the price

What works

  • The agent renews at $99
  • $199 to register
  • Agent service costs nothing extra in the first year

What to watch

  • Covers Maine only, so your home state needs its own agent
Visit ME Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Every price in one table

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Maine Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Maine Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3ME Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit ME Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Listed prices, viewed November 13, 2026. These figures leave out Maine's $250 fee.

Registering with Maine, stage by stage

  1. Stage 1

    When registration is a must

    Foreign registration is how an LLC from another state gets permission to do business in Maine. Skipping registration can hurt: its own lawsuits are on hold until it registers (31 MRSA 1629(1))

    Check it yourself: legislature.maine.gov, last viewed October 2026

  2. Stage 2

    Request the document your home state issues

    Attach certificate of existence, issued within 90 days.

    A recent certificate is the safe choice, so order late.

  3. Stage 3

    Choose your Maine registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A noncommercial agent lists a physical street address in Maine, not a P.O. box. Commercial agents keep their address on file with the state.

    Our picks each fill the registered agent role.

    Check it yourself: legislature.maine.gov, last viewed October 2026

  4. Stage 4

    The paper to file is the Statement of Foreign Qualification to Conduct Activities

    The form and the $250 fee travel together to the Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions.

    Check it yourself: maine.gov, last viewed October 2026

  5. Stage 5

    What comes next

    Send the Annual report for a foreign LLC with $150, June 1 to keep the registration going.

The bill

EntryGoes toPrice
Filing to registerGoes to the state$250
Annual report for a foreign LLCGoes to the state$150
Paid helpService$199 for year one
State fees, years one to threeGoes to the state$550
Add the filing fee, two later reports and any minimum tax and you have the state's three-year total. The pages listed below show where each figure came from.

The thinking behind the order

On work taken off your desk (32% of the score) finished first, with right behind.

Registering involves two states, and a provider covering both finished ahead of Maine Registered Agent.co.

Short answers

What does Maine collect from a foreign LLC when it registers?

$250 for the filing. The services here charge $199 extra.

Which form do I file to register?

You want the Statement of Foreign Qualification to Conduct Activities (Form MLLC-12), and the Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions is the office that receives it.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certificate of existence, issued within 90 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

its own lawsuits are on hold until it registers (31 MRSA 1629(1))

What is due after registering?

Stage 5 has it: the Annual report for a foreign LLC for $150.

Which service should handle the registration?

Mainstay Filing ranks first and Maine Registered Agent.co and ME Registered Agent.org follow; Mainstay Filing wins on work taken off your desk.

Where we got the facts

  1. For Maine Secretary of State, open maine.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  2. For Maine Secretary of State, open maine.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  3. For Maine report due date, open maine.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  4. For 31 M.R.S. sec. 1531, open legislature.maine.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  5. For Maine formation fee: Filing fee, official source, open legislature.maine.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  6. For Maine registered agent statute, open legislature.maine.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  7. For Maine Secretary of State, foreign entities, open maine.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  8. For Form MLLC-12, open maine.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  9. For 31 MRSA § 1622, foreign qualification, open legislature.maine.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  10. For 31 MRSA § 1623, activities that do not, open legislature.maine.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  11. For 31 MRSA § 1629, consequences of not qualifying, open legislature.maine.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  12. We opened Mainstay Filing's Maine service page on November 13, 2026 for the prices
  13. We opened Maine Registered Agent.co's pricing page on November 13, 2026 for the prices
  14. We opened ME Registered Agent.org's pricing page on November 13, 2026 for the prices