Maine Registered Agent

A registered agent, known as a clerk for Maine corporations, primarily acts as your business’s main point of contact with the Secretary of State. Your registered agent will be responsible for receiving important tax notifications and compliance information.

A registered agent’s most important role is to accept service of process. Service of process is the action of informing an individual or entity that there's a pending lawsuit against him or her, or in this case, against one's company.

Business owners must appoint a registered agent when they form an LLC or corporation.

Before you decide to hire a Maine registered agent service — also called a commercial registered agent — it’s important to consider the advantages and disadvantages.

• Privacy: Your registered agent’s address will be listed on the public record — not your personal or office address. This is especially important if your business operates out of your home.

• Focus on Growth: A professional registered agent service will send you regular compliance reminders and notify you of any requirements needed to keep your organization in good standing. You, on the other hand, will be focusing on growing your business.

• Discretion: When a business owner acts as their own registered agent, service of process could be delivered to your home or in front of employees or customers at your office.

• Convenience: Hiring a registered agent service allows you to keep a flexible schedule. A registered agent is required to be available at their given address during normal business hours.

• National Support: If you think you may want to grow your organization nationally, a national registered agent service will be able to continue service there.

We aren’t sure there are any real disadvantages to hiring a registered agent service. The only downside is that hiring a commercial registered agent service costs money, but the time you will save can outweigh that cost. And after all, time is money.

Northwest Registered Agent’s competitive prices and great customer service are also a solid choice for Maine businesses. 

Northwest’s online form system only requires customers to provide information once, which then auto-populates in every form that asks for that info. They also scan every document locally — not just certain documents — to make sure that you never miss a filing. Their discount on multiple-state service is also a nice perk.

On top of all that, Northwest’s customer service is praised for being personable, knowledgeable, and timely in their responses.

You can be your own registered agent. Your friend can be your registered agent, too. Really, anyone can be a registered agent as long as they meet these three requirements: 

• They’re at least 18 years old.
• They have a physical address in Maine.
• They’re always available during regular business hours at the address you provide.

Being your own registered agent will work for a handful of business owners. A registered agent needs to be organized, available, and aware. Most importantly, they need to have the time to be all of these things too.

If you miss a filing deadline or lose a document, you could put your compliance status at risk and the state could revoke your LLC or corporate status. 

Many business owners choose to hire a professional registered agent service so they can focus on growing their business without the fear of missing a notice or deadline.

A registered agent is ONLY liable for any losses incurred by failing to notify the business of service of process documents in a timely manner. The registered agent may have to pay damages to the court in this situation.

In Maine, LLCs, corporations, and nonprofit organizations elect their registered agents on the formation document for each type of business entity.

Complete Form MLLC-6 - Certificate of Formation. Your registered agent information will go into Section 5. 

The cost to file the Certificate of Formation is $175.

File by Mail

Submit your Certificate of Formation to the address below:

Secretary of State
Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
101 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0101

Complete Form MBCA-6 - Articles of Incorporation. A registered agent in Maine is called a “clerk.” Your registered agent information will go into Article 4. 

The cost to file the Domestic Business Corporation Articles of Incorporation is $145.

File by Mail

Submit your Domestic Business Corporation Articles of Incorporation to the address below:

Secretary of State
Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
101 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0101

Complete Form MNPCA-6 (D) - Nonprofit Articles of Incorporation. Your registered agent information will go into Article 3. 

The cost to file the Domestic Nonprofit Corporation Articles of Incorporation is $40.

File by Mail

Submit your Domestic Nonprofit Corporation Articles of Incorporation to the address below:

Secretary of State
Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
101 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0101

To legally change your Maine registered agent, simply fill out the appropriate Statement of Appointment or Change form and submit it to the Secretary of State along with the filing fee. 

• LLC - Commercial Registered Agent
• LLC - Noncommercial Registered Agent
• Corporation - Commercial Clerk
• Corporation - Noncommercial Clerk
• Nonprofit - Commercial Registered Agent
• Nonprofit - Noncommercial Registered Agent

You can file by submitting the applicable form to the address below:

Secretary of State
Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
101 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0101

The filing cost is $15 for nonprofits and $35 for both LLCs and corporations.