How to Register an LLC in Maine (2026): Fee, Steps, Portal

Ready to file in Maine?

The certificate of formation prepared and filed for you, the state fee shown on its own line before you pay, and the approved copy emailed.

File your Maine LLC

at america-llc-filing.com, or start on Standard Filings

What registering an LLC in Maine means

Maine keeps the register of companies formed under its law. Your LLC is on it the moment the Maine Secretary of State files a Certificate of Formation. From that day the company can open a bank account, sign contracts and be sued in its own name rather than yours. The registration does not include a federal tax number, a Maine tax account or a local business license; those come after and are separate registrations with other offices.

People use "register", "form" and "file" for the same act. In Maine the act is one document, a Certificate of Formation, and one fee, $175. The step-by-step for everything around it, from the operating agreement to the bank account, is in how to start an LLC in Maine; this page is about the registration itself.

Registration document

Maine: Certificate of Formation

Filed with

Maine: The Maine Secretary of State (maine.gov)

State fee

Maine: $175

Registered agent

Maine: Required; Maine street address

Published processing time

Maine: 10-15 business days.

State expedite

Maine: +$50 for 24-hour; +$100 same business day.

Recurring state report

Maine: $85/year, due june 1

Maine LLC registration at a glance
Item	Maine
Registration document	Certificate of Formation
Filed with	The Maine Secretary of State (maine.gov)
State fee	$175
Registered agent	Required; Maine street address
Published processing time	10-15 business days.
State expedite	+$50 for 24-hour; +$100 same business day.
Recurring state report	$85/year, due june 1

What it costs to register an LLC in Maine

The filing fee is set by Maine and is the same whether you file it yourself or a service files it for you. Maine charges $175 for the Certificate of Formation.

Certificate of Formation filing fee

Amount: $175
Notes: Paid once, to the state

Expedited review

Amount: +$50 for 24-hour; +$100 same business day.
Notes: Optional, set by the state

Recurring annual report

Amount: $85/year
Notes: Due june 1

Late penalty on the report

Amount: $50, added by the state to a late report.

Maine LLC registration fees, 2026
Fee	Amount	Notes
Certificate of Formation filing fee	$175	Paid once, to the state
Expedited review	+$50 for 24-hour; +$100 same business day.	Optional, set by the state
Recurring annual report	$85/year	Due june 1
Late penalty on the report	$50, added by the state to a late report.

State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us. Online filing prices. Yearly costs, the five-year total and how Maine compares are in Maine LLC cost.

Step 1: Confirm Maine is the state to register in

Register where the company will actually operate. An LLC that does business in Maine but registers elsewhere has to register in Maine anyway, as a foreign LLC, and pay two states.

Wyoming, Delaware and Nevada come up because of privacy, case law or taxes. They make sense for a holding company or a business with no fixed location. A company that operates in Maine and registers somewhere else ends up registered in both. The comparison is in cheapest states to form an LLC.

Step 2: Clear the name with Maine

Maine requires a name distinguishable from every company on its records, with an LLC designator. Search the state's business records at maine.gov before you file.

Rules on designators, restricted words and the distinguishability test are in LLC name rules. A rejection for a name conflict costs days and, in some states, a second fee.

Step 3: Name a Maine registered agent

Maine requires a registered agent with a Maine street address, available in business hours. On the filing: Certificate states (Article SIXTH) that the agent has consented; filing is the entity's affirmation of consent (5 MRSA 105.2). No agent signature.

Who may serve, whether the agent signs, and what becomes public: Maine registered agent requirements.

Step 4: Prepare a Certificate of Formation

The Maine form asks for the company name with its LLC designator, the registered agent and its Maine street address, the principal or mailing address, and the organizer who signs. Must be signed (original written signature) by at least one authorized person under oath (31 MRSA 1676.1.A). A filing service can sign as authorized person. Everything on it becomes a public record; what Maine shows is listed below.

The document itself, and what every state's version asks for, is explained in articles of organization.

Step 5: File a Certificate of Formation and pay the $175 fee

Filed with the Maine Secretary of State (maine.gov). The state fee is $175, paid once. Maine publishes this guidance on processing: 10-15 business days.

Faster review: +$50 for 24-hour; +$100 same business day.

Maine takes the filing from the public at maine.gov. Ready to file? The Certificate of Formation prepared and filed for you, with the state fee on its own line: form your Maine LLC at america-llc-filing.com.

Step 6: Complete the Maine registrations that follow

One registration follows in Maine: (1) Annual report (MLLC-13). Then the federal tax number and the operating agreement.

The order and the deadlines are in what to do after forming an LLC. The recurring state report is the one owners forget.

What becomes public when you register in Maine

Everything on a Certificate of Formation is a public record once Maine files it; anyone can pull it from the state's business search. On the Maine filing: Only the authorized person who signs (name and title); no members, managers or principal office on the certificate.

Must be signed (original written signature) by at least one authorized person under oath (31 MRSA 1676.1.A). A filing service can sign as authorized person. The operating agreement, the ownership split and the tax election are not filed with Maine and stay private. Do you need an operating agreement?

How long Maine takes to register an LLC

Maine publishes this guidance on processing: 10-15 business days. Paid faster review is offered: +$50 for 24-hour; +$100 same business day. The figures are the state's own and move with its workload; a rejection for a name conflict or a missing agent consent restarts the clock. Every state's published time is in how long it takes to form an LLC.

Ready to register your Maine LLC?

Name checked, Certificate of Formation prepared and filed with Maine, the $175 state fee on its own line, approved copy emailed.

File your Maine LLC →

After registration in Maine

The state registration is the first of several. These are the ones Maine owners run into, in the order they usually come up.

Annual report (MLLC-13) Due june 1 of the year after formation, then yearly; non-waivable late penalty. Cost: $85.
Federal tax number (EIN). Issued by the IRS after the state registration, at no charge; the bank asks for it. How to get one: Maine EIN number.
Operating agreement. Not filed with Maine, but the document that says who owns the company and who can sign for it.

The recurring report is where most companies lose good standing. When it is due, file the Maine report at america-llc-filing.com, or the Maine LLC annual report page has the due date, fee, late penalty and portal.

Before you file in Maine

From Maine's published forms and filing instructions:

Commercial agents must be identified by CRA public number, noncommercial by Maine physical address (+ mailing)

Sources

The Maine facts on this page come from the state's own forms, fee schedules and statutes, read for the October 2026 fee audit. Fees change; the state's page is the final word.

Standard Filings is a filing service, not a law firm. This page is general information from Maine's published filing rules and fee schedules, not legal or tax advice.

Maine LLC registration FAQ

How much does it cost to register an LLC in Maine?+

Maine charges $175 to file the Certificate of Formation, paid once to the state and the same whether you file yourself or use a service. After that, the recurring requirement is $85/year, due June 1. State fees verified October 2026; the full picture is in Maine LLC cost.

Where do I register an LLC in Maine?+

With the Maine Secretary of State (maine.gov). That is the only office that creates the company. Tax accounts, the registrations listed above and local licenses are registered separately afterwards.

How long does Maine take to register an LLC?+

Maine publishes this guidance on processing: 10-15 business days. Paid faster review is offered: +$50 for 24-hour; +$100 same business day.

Do I need a Maine registered agent?+

Yes. Maine requires a registered agent with a Maine street address, available in business hours. On the filing: Certificate states (Article SIXTH) that the agent has consented; filing is the entity's affirmation of consent (5 MRSA 105.2). No agent signature. Who may serve and what becomes public is in Maine registered agent requirements.

Can I register a Maine LLC from out of state?+

Yes. Maine takes filings from anyone, but the registered agent must have a Maine street address, so an out-of-state owner names a Maine resident or a registered agent company. If the company does business where you live, it registers there too, as a foreign LLC.

What do I file in Maine every year?+

Maine's recurring requirement: $85/year, due June 1. Late: $50, added by the state to a late report.