Everything you need to register a foreign LLC in Maine.
State filing fee$250one-time
Registered agent$125/yearbased on Northwest RA
Total, all in$1,075
Maine data last reviewed Aug 22, 2026 · maine.govTotals include the $250 filing fee once, Northwest RA at $125/year, and Maine recurring state costs over the selected period.
Foreign Qualification
Filing fee
$250
Form
Statement of Foreign Qualification to Conduct Activities (Form MLLC-12)
Annual obligation
$150/year
Processing time
Maine posts a live figure rather than a standing one, and on 17 August 2026 it read "Corporate filing processing time is currently 40-55 business days", printed at the head of the same page that lists form MLLC-12. Check the Bureau page rather than relying on a stored number. Expedited filing is $50 for next business day or $100 for same business day, and Maine warns that the volume of expedited requests may itself delay processing
Expedite
$50 for 24 hour expedited filing, worded as next business day, or $100 for immediate expedited filing, worded as same business day. Only one expedite fee is needed when filing several documents for the same entity at once. Maine warns that the high volume of expedited requests may itself delay processing, and standard processing was posted at 40 to 55 business days
Income tax up to 7.15%, plus a new 2% surcharge on income above $1,000,000 (2026 tax year)
Privacy
Conditional
Whether your name reaches the public record depends on how you set the LLC up. Maine requires no member or manager name on the certificate of formation. The annual report asks for one person who is a member, a manager or an "other authorized person", so it can be satisfied without naming an owner.
What triggers foreign qualification in Maine?
Physical office or place of business
Employees working in the state
Important to know
Foreign LLCs pay $150 for the annual report against $85 for domestic.
Activities that do NOT require registration in Maine
The following activities are explicitly carved out by statute. On their own, they do not require a foreign LLC to register in Maine.
Maintaining, defending, or settling any proceeding or dispute on its own behalf
Holding meetings or carrying on internal company affairs
Maintaining accounts in financial institutions
Maintaining offices or agencies for transfer, exchange, and registration of the company's own securities or interests, or maintaining trustees or depositories for them
Selling through independent contractors
Soliciting or obtaining orders, by mail, electronic means, employees, or agents, if the orders require acceptance outside the state
Creating, as borrower or lender, or acquiring indebtedness, mortgages, or security interests in real or personal property
Securing or collecting its own debts, enforcing mortgages or security interests, and holding, protecting, and maintaining property so acquired
Owning real or personal property, and nothing more
Conducting an isolated transaction completed within 30 days that is not one of similar or repeated transactions of a like nature
Conducting activities in interstate commerce
Owning a controlling interest in an organization that is conducting activities in the state
Being a limited partner of a partnership that is conducting activities in the state
Being a member of an LLC that is conducting activities in the state
Under 31 M.R.S. Section 1623. NOT non-exhaustive: Maine has no "among others" language and no separate non-exhaustiveness subsection, so the list is textually closed. Subsection 2 adds three status-based safe harbors.
This page provides general information based on publicly available state requirements. It is not legal advice. Verify with the Maine SOS before filing.