Maine in brief
35th
of 50 on what a foreign LLC owes the state
Fee the state takes at registration
$250
Report you must file again
$150
Annual report for a foreign LLC
Paper from the home state
90 days
It must have been issued within
What the state collects in 3 years
$550
The registration fee, then reports in years 2 and 3
Maine: the services we would choose
We ordered the list with five criteria, and three-year fees and coverage count most (the
method page covers the rest).
Our #1
1. Mainstay Filing: best for adding a second state
Their fee $199; later years $149
Mainstay Filing earns the top spot because $199 plus state fees covers the registration, and the registered agent costs nothing in year 1.
Compare it with Maine Registered Agent.co and the three-year bill is $100 higher, with more of the filings handled.
From the second year, agent service costs you $149 a year.
What your money gets you
- Prepares your registration and files it
- Your registered agent for the first year is free
- The same price in any state
What works
- Its fee is $199
- One price everywhere
- The first agent year is paid for
What to weigh
- A higher agent renewal ($149)
Local option
2. Maine Registered Agent.co: best for adding only Maine
Their fee $199; later years $99
Maine Registered Agent.co is second for you since registering costs $199 plus state fees, and the agent is covered in year 1.
What your money gets you
- Prepares your registration filing
- A year of agent service
What works
- $199 plus the state fee
- A year of agent service is in the price
- The agent renews at $99
What to weigh
- Your home state needs a separate agent
Local option
3. ME Registered Agent.org: best for another option in Maine
Their fee $199; later years $99
ME Registered Agent.org is third for you since registering costs $199 plus state fees, and the agent is covered in year 1.
On price it is exactly level with Maine Registered Agent.co.
What your money gets you
- Prepares your registration filing
- A year of agent service
What works
- A year of agent service is in the price
- $199 plus the state fee
- The agent renews at $99
What to weigh
- Your home state needs a separate agent
3 services, one table
Prices as shown on November 13, 2026. The state's $250 is not counted in the figures above.
Work out your total
The registration fee is $250, with a $150 report from year 2, and provider fees are added on top.
How Maine compares with the states near it in the ranking
Maine foreign LLC registration fee and form (official)
If your LLC was formed elsewhere, you file the Statement of Foreign Qualification to Conduct Activities (Form MLLC-12) with the Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions and pay $250. Attach certificate of existence, issued in the past 90 days.
From year 2 you will file the Annual report for a foreign LLC ($150), June 1.
Pre-filing checklist
- Certificate of existence, at most 90 days.
- The legal name of your LLC and the day it was formed.
- A registered agent with an office here, which any ranked provider can give you.
- Payment for the $250 state charge.
What not registering can cost you
The state's courts will not hear a suit from an LLC that has not registered (31 MRSA 1629(1)).
Why the Maine list is in this order
What settled Maine was upkeep the price covers, at 26%.
One provider for your home state and Maine got the highest score.
Your Maine questions answered
How much will it cost to register my out-of-state LLC with Maine?
$250 in state fees. Provider fees are $199.
Which form do I use to register an out-of-state LLC with Maine?
Use the Statement of Foreign Qualification to Conduct Activities (Form MLLC-12) and send it to the Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions.
Does the state want a certificate from my home state?
Yes, you need certificate of existence, dated within 90 days of your filing.
Will my foreign LLC have to file anything every year?
Yes, you file the Annual report for a foreign LLC and pay $150.
What happens if my LLC does business there without registering?
The state's courts will not hear a suit from an LLC that has not registered (31 MRSA 1629(1)).
Must I appoint a registered agent when registering in Maine?
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Which service should I choose to register a foreign LLC?
Go with Mainstay Filing: you pay $199 on top of the state fee, your registered agent is free in year 1, and then it is $149 a year. After that: Maine Registered Agent.co and ME Registered Agent.org.
Where this briefing comes from
- Behind the Maine Secretary of State section is maine.gov, a page we reread in August 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the Maine Secretary of State section is maine.gov, a page we reread in August 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the Maine report due date section is maine.gov, a page we reread in August 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the 31 M.R.S. sec. 1531 section is legislature.maine.gov, a page we reread in August 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the Maine formation fee: Filing fee, official source section is legislature.maine.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the Maine registered agent statute section is legislature.maine.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the Maine Secretary of State, foreign entities section is maine.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the Form MLLC-12 section is maine.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the 31 MRSA § 1622, foreign qualification section is legislature.maine.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the 31 MRSA § 1623, activities that do not section is legislature.maine.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the 31 MRSA § 1629, consequences of not qualifying section is legislature.maine.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the Vermont Secretary of State, foreign registration section is sos.vermont.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the Vermont Secretary of State, fees and statutes section is sos.vermont.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the 11 V.S.A. § 4112, application for certificate of section is legislature.vermont.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the 11 V.S.A. § 4113, activities that are not section is legislature.vermont.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the 11 V.S.A. § 4033, annual report section is legislature.vermont.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the Form 08-0497, Certificate of Registration section is commerce.alaska.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the Alaska Statutes, AS 10.50.600 to 10.50.670 section is akleg.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the Alaska Statutes, AS 10.50.675 to 10.50.720 section is akleg.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the Alaska Statutes, AS 10.50.750 to 10.50.765 section is akleg.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the Alaska Statutes, AS 43.70.020 to 43.70.030 section is akleg.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the Arkansas Secretary of State, foreign LLC forms and section is sos.arkansas.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the Form FL-01 section is sos.arkansas.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the Act 1041 of 2021, Uniform LLC Act section is arkleg.state.ar.us, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the 2026 LLC franchise tax report and instructions section is sos.arkansas.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the Form FL-04, application for cancellation section is sos.arkansas.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the Kentucky Secretary of State, business filings section is sos.ky.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the Form FBE, Certificate of Authority section is web.sos.ky.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the KRS 14A.9-020, consequences of transacting business without authority section is apps.legislature.ky.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the KRS 14A.9-010, authority to transact business required section is apps.legislature.ky.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the KRS 14A.6-010, annual report section is apps.legislature.ky.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the Kentucky Secretary of State, fee schedule section is sos.ky.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- Behind the Kentucky other cost: Limited Liability Entity Tax, official section is revenue.ky.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
- You can see Maine service page for Mainstay Filing on its own website, which we looked at on November 13, 2026
- You can see pricing page for Maine Registered Agent.co on its own website, which we looked at on November 13, 2026
- You can see pricing page for ME Registered Agent.org on its own website, which we looked at on November 13, 2026