Maine Registered Agent

Maine registered agents, at minimum, accept documents on behalf of your business at a specified location in the state (known as a registered office) and get them to you. In other words, your registered agent’s address acts as the official place where any service of process and official mail for your Maine LLC, Maine corporation or Maine nonprofit will be sent.

However, the right registered agent service can do much more. At Northwest, we go above and beyond the minimum to ensure top speed, security, privacy and support.

Under Maine statute (Title 5: Chapter 6-A: Model Registered Agents Act, §114), a registered agent (aka clerk) is responsible for the following duties:

• Receiving documents on behalf of your business.
• Providing notices to your business when it receives service of process or official mail.
• Being available during normal business hours at a physical address (no P.O. boxes) in-state where they can accept legal documents (service of process) and official mail.
• Keeping its registered office and contact information updated so your business can be reliably contacted.

Note: Maine uses the term commercial clerk for the person or business that accepts service of process for a domestic corporation and uses the term registered agent for other business entities. Commercial clerks in Maine serve the same function as a registered agent.

You can be the registered agent for your Maine business. As the registered agent, you are responsible for accepting official notices and service of process for your business. The registered agent system in Maine is more complicated than most states. Maine distinguishes between commercial and non-commercial registered agents/clerks. The difference between commercial and non-commercial is that some businesses have chosen to be listed as “commercial” by the Secretary of State. Individuals can provide registered agent services in a non-commercial capacity. The registered office must be a street address where process may be personally served on the registered agent.

How do I become my own registered agent?

It is easy to designate yourself as a Maine registered agent when you form your corporation or LLC. Just list your own name and address on the Articles of Incorporation or Certificate of Formation that you file with the Maine Secretary of State. You can download the Articles of Incorporation or Certificate of Formation from the Maine Secretary of State’s website. Write in your name as the name of the registered agent or clerk. Then write in your street address as the registered office. You may write in your mailing address if you have one that is different from your street address.  You need to send the signed original to the Secretary of State.

What if I already have a registered agent?

The state has a ton of forms to choose from when changing your Maine registered agent. There are forms for domestic corporations, foreign corporations, and LLCs. Make sure you choose the right form for your entity to switch to a non-commercial registered agent or clerk. When filling in the form, first check a box at the top of the form to indicate that you are changing the registered agent and address. Then just type your information, print, and sign the form. Send the signed original change of agent/clerk form, the attached Filer Contact Cover Letter, and $35 fee to the Maine SOS by mail or in person.

Once your documents are filed by the state, you are your Maine LLC or Maine corporation’s registered agent. All service of process and official mail will be sent to the registered office listed. It is very important that you comply with the requirements for a registered agent and registered office.

There are two ways to change your registered agent in Maine.

1. Hire us and we’ll complete the change of agent form for you for free.
2. Do it yourself and file a Statement of Change form that is specific to your entity type. Then, you’ll submit the signed original change of agent/clerk form and the attached Filer Contact Cover Letter to the Maine SOS.

At Northwest, we do business the right way. We’re dedicated to getting you your docs fast, protecting your privacy and offering you support. Here’s how:

• Same-Day Scans, Instant Notifications: We accept and scan your docs at our local Kennebunk office the same day. We notify you instantly and reach out to you if your essential mail goes unread.
• Privacy by Default®: We automatically minimize the exposure of and access to your personal data. If we can put our address on a public doc instead of yours, we do. If we don’t have to list your personal info, we don’t. We have tough privacy policies to keep your data safe and private. And we never sell your data.
• Free Limited Mail Forwarding: Of course we’ll get you your state and legal mail. That’s our job. But what if we get some of your regular business mail? It happens a lot—clients and businesses trying to connect with you via your registered agent. We scan 5 documents per year for FREE. We can also scan additional mail at a per document rate of $15.
• Corporate Guides®: Have questions? We have answers. Our guides are business experts whose sole job is to provide phone and email support for all your toughest business questions.