A Maine Registered Agent or Maine Registered Agent Service is required by law for every business entity in the state of Maine A registered agent is an individual or business entity that will accept legal papers (documents) on your behalf if it is sued. The registered agent or registered agent service must have a physical street address in Maine and be available during regular business hours.
In my Maine Registered Agent guide, I’ll walk you through the detailed process of when you should get a registered agent or registered agent service for your Maine business, how to pick one, if they are required and how to change one if needed. Typically you’re getting a registered agent when you setup your Maine LLC. Check out my guide on how to setup a Maine LLC so you can make sure you’re following all the right steps in the process. If you are just looking for the professional service to help you – use Northwest Registered Agent or ZenBusiness.
Best Maine Registered Agent Service
ZenBusiness will be the best option for setting up a registered agent service in Maine. They can also help you with getting your LLC formed so if you’re looking for the best option, check them out today!
The best registered agent service is ZenBusiness or Northwest Registered Agent. They will include the first year of the service you need with the formation of your LLC business. Typically I recommend going with one of these services because of that and they help 1000s of business owners every month do the same. They have the teams built up to help you and make sure you are going to be able to focus on your business vs. worrying about whether you’ve setup the right legal structure to accept service of process (legal paperwork) on your business’s behalf.
Both of these services are national providers that help business owners all over the country and make it incredibly easy to get your business formed and have the support you need for the registered agent service.
It is possible to find a law firm in Maine who’s added registered agent services to their legal services but keep in mind they will most likely not have the team to support what you need here.
You could also be your own registered agent but we’ll get into why that’s not a good idea a little later here. Do yourself a favor and just use ZenBusiness for your business formation and registered agent service.
What is a Maine Registered Agent?
A Maine registered agent is no different than that of another US state’s registered agent. All states are required (with the exception of New York) to have a registered agent associated to their business entity.
The three things they are responsible for doing are:
- Having a physical location in Maine where someone is available during normal business hours
- Accept service of process (legal paperwork) on your business’s behalf
- Forward legal correspondence from the Maine Secretary of State’s office to make sure you’re in annual compliance and submitting any required legal documentation annually
This is not something you can solve with going to a UPS Store in Maine and/or setting up a PO Box to accept mail in a virtual mailbox setting. This is something that is a legal requirement for your business. If you do something like that and go try and use a UPS Store address the Maine Secretary of State’s office will know and your business will most likely be dissolved.
Why do I need a Maine Registered Agent?
The biggest reason you need a Maine registered agent is because it’s legally required for you to have a registered agent associated to any business entity in Maine. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Limited Liability Company, S-Corp, C-Corp, foreign LLC, domestic LLC, nonprofit or whatever else you could think of. It’s just required by law in Maine to have a registered agent associated to your business.
One of the main things in Maine that is possible for someone to do is find your registered agent and registered agent’s address because it’s public information.
If you were to go to the Maine Secretary of State’s business name search portal and type in your business name, you’d be able to find the registered agent’s name and registered agent’s address.
Think about what this means for you as a business owner if you decided to be your own registered agent. This would mean that in Maine you’d have someone looking up your business name and trying to find you as the registered agent and your home address if you decided to use this. That’ is not a good idea and it’s really not worth the pain of what can be caused vs. just using a registered agent service who can act as your legal coverage. That’s the whole point of why it’s a law and it makes it incredibly easy for you to have legal protection.
This is the reason why I always tell people NOT to be their own registered agent. It’s just not worth the cost to you personally to do this in Maine.
When should I obtain a Maine Registered Agent?
The best time to obtain a registered agent in Maine is when you’re forming your business entity. If you do don’t do this while you’re forming your business, you may violate the Maine Secretary of State’s laws of what a business entity is. From there, you’re going to just have a Maine dissolved business because you didn’t follow the guidelines laid out and it’s just going to become an issue where you’ll have to start all over again.
If you just use a national provider like ZenBusiness to help you with the registered agent service and ask for their help in forming your LLC in Maine – you’re going to succeed. By doing this, you’ll be able to focus on building your business and not worry about the legal coverage or whether you’re doing something correctly – they will just be able to help you.
If you wanted to be your own registered agent, you’re also going to need to keep track of the annual deadlines as a business owner in Maine vs. just focusing on building your business.
I always recommend to everyone in Maine who is looking to start a business that they need to just use a registered agent service – it’s easier and more effective than trying to handle it on your own.
Can I Be My Own Registered Agent In Maine?
Yes. Because we’ve been talking about this for a while I don’t think it’s a question anymore but it’s important to realize that legally it is possible. The better question to think about is not if you can or not but if you should be your own registered agent and that answer (in my opinion) is no.
Do you really want someone showing up to your Maine home address because you used it when electing your registered agent at time of business formation?
No of course not – who wants random people showing up with legal paperwork at their home.
If you do decide to be your own registered agent, you’re going to be responsible for three main things:
- Have a physical address in Maine where you’re available during normal business hours
- Accept service of process (legal paperwork) on behalf of your business
- Forward all legal correspondence from the Maine Secretary of State’s office including making sure your business follows all legal and annual compliance deadlines
The stress of having to do this and finding a physical location that is not your home is a challenge and more costly than just using a national provider like ZenBusiness to help you make sure you’re doing the right thing in Maine.
How Much Does a Registered Agent in Maine Cost?
The cost of a Maine registered agent is going to vary depending on how you go about doing this. The cost can range from $0 to $300 per year depending on what you want to do. If you decide to be your own registered agent (which I do NOT recommend) it can be close to $0 but all other hidden costs we’ve talked about are going to make it something you should NOT consider.
The other two options in Maine are:
- Find a law firm in Maine who has registered agent services associated (not recommended)
- Use a national provider like ZenBusiness or Northwest Registered Agent
I recommend #2 because they help 1000s of business owners every month and are able to make it cost effective for new business owners by typically including the first year of the registered agent service when you’re forming your business.
How Do I Elect A Registered Agent In Maine?
In order to elect a registered agent in Maine, you’re going to need to follow the traditional path that all other businesses in Maine have done. In Maine, this means that you’ll need to complete your LLC’s Certificate of Formation which you’ll find at maine.gov on the link here.
How Do I Elect A Registered Agent by Mail, Fax or In Person in Maine?
If you’d like to do this by mail you can fill out the link above and make sure you’re including the $175 required fee. If you want to expedite the process you can do that too with an additional fee you’ll see on the form.
Once you’ve filled this out you can fail it to the following address:
Mailing Address if using US Postal Service
Department of the Secretary of State Corporations, UCC and Commissions
101 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0101
Mailing Address if using FedEx/UPS
Department of the Secretary of State
Corporations, UCC and Commissions
111 Sewall Street, 4th Floor
Augusta, ME 04330
How Do I Change My Registered Agent In Maine?
To make a change to your registered agent you can do so but it’s going to depend on what type of Maine business you’ve formed to make sure you’re following the right form.
Maine has different options for you depending on what that looks like.
The primary document that most of the Maine businesses use is the LLC Commercial Resident Agent – Statement of Appointment or Change (for a Maine or Foreign LLC)
If you are looking for another form for a different type of business entity, go to the Business Corporations primary page and you’ll find it.
Maine Registered Agent FAQ
Does Maine require a registered agent?
Yes. Every state in the US does except for New York. They may be called something different than what Maine calls it like a resident agent, statutory agent or agent for service of process but it’s required.
Does registered agent mean owner?
No a Maine owner of a business doesn’t necessarily mean a registered agent.
What is a registered agent service?
A registered agent service is a company that agrees to accept service of process for a business entity in Maine.
Best Registered Agent
The best option for your registered agent service