Maine Certificate of Authority

If your company was not incorporated in Maine, but you wish to do business there, you often need to apply for a Maine Certificate of Authority.

Acquiring Maine Foreign Qualification allows a company formed in Delaware or any other state to legally transact business in Maine.

Please note: information on this page is accurate to the best of our knowledge. However, requirements and costs can be changed by states at any time and Harvard Business Services cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

How to Get a Maine Certificate of Authority:

Existing LLCs and Corporations have the same document requirements when applying for Maine Foreign Qualification:

• In Maine, a Certificate of Good Standing is required from the company's home state, dated within 90 days.
  Note: this document is also referred to as a Certificate of Existence in some states.

In addition, a Maine Certificate of Authority application is to be submitted along with a fee of $250. This fee is the same for LLCs and corporations, although the specific application form is different.

Lastly, you must appoint and maintain a Maine Registered Agent at all times. We can provide this service for just $99 per year.

Harvard Business Services can assist with your application so you don’t have to deal with the Maine Secretary of State directly. We do charge our own fee for this service, in addition to state fees. The exact fee can vary based upon whether your company is already filed and whether you need us to obtain additional documents to meet the state’s requirements. Contact us for an exact quote.

How Do I Know If I Need a Maine Certificate of Authority?

If you plan to do business in the State of Maine, but your company was not formed in Maine, you will often need to obtain Foreign Qualification. Typically, “doing business” is defined by activities such as maintaining a physical office or having employees in the state.

Maine identifies some specific items that are excluded from their definition of transacting business:

• Foreign LLC acts not considered transacting business
• Foreign Corporation acts not considered transacting business

Keep in mind that even if a Maine Certificate of Authority is not required for a specific activity, a bank, vendor or another party can still require one in order to establish a relationship.

Maine Annual Requirements

Once you've acquired Maine Foreign Qualification, you will be required to pay an annual fee of $150 to the state to stay in compliance.

Please note that this annual requirement is independent from requirements you may have in Delaware or other states.