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Formation ClassClass is in session: LLC paperwork, state by state.

Class 3 · Maine

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

Pop quiz answer for Maine in 2026: Maine Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and ME Registered Agent.org ($199) are the services to use for registering an LLC from another state, best grade first. Maine charges $250 to register a foreign LLC, and 5 assignments explain how.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

Read this first

State filing fee$250maine.gov, last read in October 2026
Certificate from your home state90 daysNo older than
Recurring report$150Annual report for a foreign LLC
Three-year state cost$550Service fees not included
Assignments in this class5Listed below

Class goals

  • Whether Maine registration applies to your LLC
  • The form and the fee
  • What staying registered costs
  • Who we would hire to file

Who we would hire in Maine

The teacher's five criteria are on how we grade, and they decide the order.
Highest grade

1. Maine Registered Agent.co: best for adding just Maine

$199 and the $250 state fee, then $99 yearly

We start with Maine Registered Agent.co; a service fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $99 a year.

Since Mainstay Filing costs more across three years, this service ends up on top.

Covered by the tuition

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • A $199 service charge
  • A year of agent service is included
  • Then $99 per year

Weak spots

  • No help in other states
All fifty states

2. Mainstay Filing: best for one provider for both states

$199 and the $250 state fee, then $149 yearly

Grade number 2 belongs to Mainstay Filing, where $199 over the state fee, the registered agent free in year one and $149 a year after that.

Add up three years: it comes to $100 more than Maine Registered Agent.co.

The agent renews at $149 a year in every state.

Covered by the tuition

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • The registered agent costs nothing in year one
  • Any state, one price

Strengths

  • The same fee in every state
  • $199 above the state fee
  • Year-one agent is covered

Weak spots

  • Maine Registered Agent.co charges $50 less for the agent
Local choice

3. ME Registered Agent.org: best for a local filer

$199 and the $250 state fee, then $99 yearly

ME Registered Agent.org lands in third place: a service fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $99 a year.

It lists the same prices as Maine Registered Agent.co.

Covered by the tuition

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • A year of agent service is included
  • A $199 service charge
  • Then $99 per year

Weak spots

  • No help in other states

The Maine grades compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Maine Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Maine Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner 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.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. Each row still needs Maine's $250 registration fee.

The class, assignment by assignment

  1. Assignment
    1

    Does the rule apply to you?

    When an LLC from elsewhere starts operating in Maine, foreign registration is the way in. The cost of not registering: Its own lawsuits have to wait until it registers (31 MRSA 1629(1)).

    Textbook page: legislature.maine.gov, last read in October 2026

  2. Assignment
    2

    Order the home-state certificate

    Your filing must include certificate of existence, from the last 90 days.

    Ask for the certificate shortly before filing day.

  3. Assignment
    3

    Name a registered agent for Maine

    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.

    The grade list covers this role.

    Textbook page: legislature.maine.gov, last read in October 2026

  4. Assignment
    4

    Put together and mail the Statement of Foreign Qualification to Conduct Activities

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

    Textbook page: maine.gov, last read in October 2026

  5. Assignment
    5

    Keep the registration alive

    The repeat assignment is the Annual report for a foreign LLC, $150, June 1.

The bill

EntryPayeeAmount
The registration assignmentThe state$250
Annual report for a foreign LLCThe state$150
Paid helpThe service company$199 in the first year
Three-year state totalThe state$550
Here is how the three-year state row works: filing fee, plus the report in each of years two and three, plus any yearly minimum tax. Service fees get their own rows.

The reasoning behind the grades

pulled ahead of on tuition across three years, which counts for 30%.

Maine Registered Agent.co costs $397 for years one to three, while Mainstay Filing costs $100 more.

Maine questions

What does an LLC from elsewhere pay to register in Maine?

$250 for the filing. The graded services add $199.

Which form do I file to register?

Look for the Statement of Foreign Qualification to Conduct Activities (Form MLLC-12); it goes 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 have to wait until it registers (31 MRSA 1629(1)).

What is due after registering?

Look ahead to the Annual report for a foreign LLC, which costs $150.

Which service should handle the registration?

Maine Registered Agent.co, because $199 above the state fee to register, then $99 a year. Behind it come Mainstay Filing and ME Registered Agent.org.

See also

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. The Maine Secretary of State lesson rests on maine.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  2. The Maine Secretary of State lesson rests on maine.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  3. The Maine report due date lesson rests on maine.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  4. The 31 M.R.S. sec. 1531 lesson rests on legislature.maine.gov, read again in August 2026; check our work against it.
  5. The Maine formation fee: Filing fee, official source lesson rests on legislature.maine.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  6. The Maine registered agent statute lesson rests on legislature.maine.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  7. The Maine Secretary of State, foreign entities lesson rests on maine.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  8. The Form MLLC-12 lesson rests on maine.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  9. The 31 MRSA § 1622, foreign qualification lesson rests on legislature.maine.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  10. The 31 MRSA § 1623, activities that do not lesson rests on legislature.maine.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  11. The 31 MRSA § 1629, consequences of not qualifying lesson rests on legislature.maine.gov, read again in October 2026; check our work against it.
  12. Pulled November 13, 2026: pricing page from Maine Registered Agent.co
  13. Pulled November 13, 2026: Maine service page from Mainstay Filing
  14. Pulled November 13, 2026: pricing page from ME Registered Agent.org