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Business Basics LabLLC paperwork, measured state by state.

Lab sheet 3 · Maine

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

For registering an LLC formed elsewhere in Maine in 2026, the lab recommends ME Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Maine Registered Agent.co ($199), highest reading first. 5 procedures cover the filing, the $250 fee and the obligations that follow.

Recorded by the Business Basics Lab staff ·

Key facts for this sheet

State fee to register
$250maine.gov (observed October 2026)
Certificate from the home state
90 daysMust be issued within
Upkeep filing
$150Annual report for a foreign LLC
State fees, three years
$550Registration, reports and any minimum tax
Procedure count
5One at a time

After reading you will know

  • When an LLC formed elsewhere must register in Maine
  • What to file and its cost
  • Remaining in good standing
  • The readings and their reasoning

Best reading

Services that measured best in Maine

The order follows five published criteria, set out in how we measure.
Highest result

1. ME Registered Agent.org: best for an economical Maine filing

$199 plus state fee, then $99/yr

Top of the Maine readings is ME Registered Agent.org: the Maine registration reads $199 with a year of agent service, renewing at $99.

Cost decides it: across three years it totals less than Mainstay Filing.

What the price performs

  • Registration prepared and filed
  • Agent service for one year

Measured strengths

  • A free first agent year
  • $199 plus the state fee
  • A low $99 renewal

Measured limits

  • The home state needs a separate agent
Visit ME Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Any state

2. Mainstay Filing: best for companies adding a state

$199 plus state fee, then $149/yr

Mainstay Filing is an acceptable second choice: registration measures $199 plus state fees, with year one of the registered agent at no cost.

Over three years it reads $100 behind ME Registered Agent.org.

From year two the agent reads $149 a year, whichever state is used.

What the price performs

  • Registration filing
  • No fee for the registered agent in year one
  • All fifty states

Measured strengths

  • Prepared for a further state
  • No agent fee in year one
  • $199 above Maine's fee

Measured limits

  • The agent renews at $149, $50 more than ME Registered Agent.org
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Maine specialist

3. Maine Registered Agent.co: best for registering in Maine alone

$199 plus state fee, then $99/yr

Maine Registered Agent.co follows in third place: the Maine registration reads $199 with a year of agent service, renewing at $99.

Its prices equal ME Registered Agent.org's, so either is acceptable.

What the price performs

  • Registration prepared and filed
  • Agent service for one year

Measured strengths

  • A low $99 renewal
  • $199 plus the state fee
  • A free first agent year

Measured limits

  • The home state needs a separate agent
Visit Maine Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Readings and prices at a glance

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1ME Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit ME Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Maine Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Maine Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Prices are recorded from each company's own site on November 13, 2026. Every row needs the $250 state fee added.

How registration works with Maine

  1. Procedure 1: Determine whether registration applies

    Business transacted here through an LLC formed in another state calls for foreign registration. What follows from operating unregistered: Its own lawsuits wait in Maine until registration (31 MRSA 1629(1)).

    Specimen: legislature.maine.gov (observed October 2026)

  2. Procedure 2: Obtain the home-state certificate

    Maine requires certificate of existence, issued within 90 days.

    TipOrder it last so that it is current at filing.

  3. Procedure 3: Select the 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.

    TipAny of the ranked services fills the role.

    Specimen: legislature.maine.gov (observed October 2026)

  4. Procedure 4: Prepare the Statement of Foreign Qualification to Conduct Activities

    the Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions accepts the form together with the $250 fee.

    Specimen: maine.gov (observed October 2026)

  5. Procedure 5: Plan for the recurring filing

    After registration, a foreign LLC files the Annual report for a foreign LLC ($150), June 1.

What will be paid

LinePaid toAmount
Registering the LLCTo the state$250
Annual report for a foreign LLCTo the state$150
Help from a serviceThe engaged service$199 in year one
State total over three yearsTo the state$550
Every state amount here can be verified against the specimens below. The three-year row combines formation, two later reports and a minimum tax where one exists, and it never includes service prices.

The reasoning behind the ranking

Measured cost over three years decided first place in Maine. It carries 36% of the reading, and the remainder comes from procedures the price performs, reading at year two, fit with the state protocol and price legibility.

Years one to three cost $397 with ME Registered Agent.org, while Mainstay Filing costs $100 more.

Review questions on Maine

How large is Maine's fee for a foreign LLC?

$250 for the filing. Service fees: $199.

Which form do I file to register?

Complete the form named in procedure 4 and send it to the Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions.

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 wait in Maine until registration (31 MRSA 1629(1)).

What is due after registering?

The filing that follows is the Annual report for a foreign LLC at $150.

Which service should handle the registration?

ME Registered Agent.org, Mainstay Filing and Maine Registered Agent.co, in descending order of reading.

More sheets

Specimens and records

  1. Maine Secretary of State readings were recorded from maine.gov; the last repeat observation was in August 2026.
  2. Maine Secretary of State readings were recorded from maine.gov; the last repeat observation was in August 2026.
  3. Maine report due date readings were recorded from maine.gov; the last repeat observation was in August 2026.
  4. 31 M.R.S. sec. 1531 readings were recorded from legislature.maine.gov; the last repeat observation was in August 2026.
  5. Maine formation fee: Filing fee, official source readings were recorded from legislature.maine.gov; the last repeat observation was in October 2026.
  6. Maine registered agent statute readings were recorded from legislature.maine.gov; the last repeat observation was in October 2026.
  7. Maine Secretary of State, foreign entities readings were recorded from maine.gov; the last repeat observation was in October 2026.
  8. Form MLLC-12 readings were recorded from maine.gov; the last repeat observation was in October 2026.
  9. 31 MRSA § 1622, foreign qualification readings were recorded from legislature.maine.gov; the last repeat observation was in October 2026.
  10. 31 MRSA § 1623, activities that do not readings were recorded from legislature.maine.gov; the last repeat observation was in October 2026.
  11. 31 MRSA § 1629, consequences of not qualifying readings were recorded from legislature.maine.gov; the last repeat observation was in October 2026.
  12. Observation of ME Registered Agent.org's pricing page, November 13, 2026
  13. Observation of Mainstay Filing's Maine service page, November 13, 2026
  14. Observation of Maine Registered Agent.co's pricing page, November 13, 2026