How To Change Registered Agent in Maine (Full Guide)

As an entrepreneur in Maine who wants to change their registered agent, you should understand the steps involved and the regulations you must follow to have your amendment request approved and to keep your limited liability company in compliance with Maine state requirements.

To help you take the necessary steps, we teamed up with our business experts with over fifteen years of experience in the LLC industry.

We spent three weeks researching the Secretary of State's website for the correct registered agent amendment documents and procedures.

Here's everything you need to know about changing your registered agent in Maine.

Quick Summary

Who Can Be A Maine Registered Agent?

Any business entity or individual can be a Maine registered agent if they meet the state's requirements for being one.

A Maine registered agent can also be a corporation, domestic LLC, or foreign entity authorized to conduct business in the state.

However, note that an LLC or an entity cannot be its own registered agent; you need to appoint a member or a third-party entity for that position.

A Maine registered agent handles legal correspondence with the Secretary of State and other documents like the service of process on behalf of a business entity.

To act as a registered agent in Maine, you should fulfill the following state requirements for being a registered agent:

• Must have a Maine registered office address
• Must be a resident of Maine
• Must be authorized to transact in the state
• Must be available throughout normal office hours to handle legal notices and service of process
• Must be authorized to receive and process legal papers
• Must be of legal age

Note that you can also act as your own Maine statutory agent, provided you meet all the above requirements.

How To Change Your Maine Registered Agent?

To change your Maine registered agent, you must fill out and submit a Statement of Change of Commercial Registered Agent with the Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC, and Commissions.

It costs $35 to file this document on non-expedited processing, but you can pay additional state fees for rush delivery.

Maine LLC owners can change their registered agents online, by mail, or through a professional service.

Here's how:

1. Changing Your Registered Agent Using a Professional Service

Using a professional service to perform a resident agent change is an excellent option if business entity owners don't want to file registered agent paperwork.

Once you hire a professional service, their staff will file the Statement of Change of Registered Agent with the Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC, and Commissions, on behalf of your LLC.

You'll only have to pay the filing fee and await a notification once your form is approved.

2. Changing Your Registered Agent Online

To change your Maine registered agent service online, you must visit the official SOS website [1].

Select the type of corporation you want to file, for example, a limited liability company.

Scroll down to the forms and fees section and select the Statement of Change of Commercial Registered Agent.

If you're working with a noncommercial registered agent, you will click on the Statement of Appointment or Change of Noncommercial Registered Agent form.

Click on the attached link to access the online document and proceed to fill out the details of your business.

Once you're done, complete the filing by submitting the filing fee payment using a credit card.

Online corporate filings take up to 15 business days to be approved, but you can pay an additional $100 for immediate processing.

3. Changing Your Registered Agent by Mail

Changing a registered agent by mail allows you to submit a physical paper form of the Statement of Change of Registered Agent and a Customer Contact Cover Letter [2].

You need to visit the official Maine SOS website to download the PDF documents and proceed to complete them.

When filling out the Statement of Change form, you must provide the following registered agent information:

• Name of the current registered agent service
• Physical address of the present LLC registered agent
• Name and address of the new registered agent service
• Public number of the new Maine commercial registered agent service
• Jurisdiction of the organization (this applies to foreign entities)
• Date of filing
• Authorized signature

Also, note that the Maine Secretary of State mandates the new registered agent to confirm that they've accepted the responsibility of representing your firm [3].

As for the cover letter, you'll provide the following details:

• Business entity name
• Name, phone number, and email address of the contact person (the SOS will automatically reject applications without this information)
• Name and address of the person to return the verified copy of the completed filing

Also, the cover letter has a field that you can check to specify the type of expedited service you'll need; $50 for 24 hours and $100 for immediate service.

If you want expedited processing, you must also attach the extra filing fees.

Once you verify all the details on both documents, please print them and attach the filing fees as a check or money order.

All payments are made payable to the Maine Secretary of State.

Direct your completed amendment forms to the following official address if you're using US Postal Service:

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

Alternatively, if you're using FedEx or UPS, direct your forms to the following:

Department of the Secretary of State
Corporations, UCC, and Commissions
111 Sewall Street, 4th Floor
Augusta, ME 04330

4. Changing Your Registered Agent In-person

The Maine Secretary of State allows business owners to visit the head offices and submit their Statement of Appointment or Change of Registered Agent and Cover Letter in person.

You need to download the forms online, fill them out then print them.

If you deliver your Statement of Change of Registered Agent document in person, you can pay using a money order, check, or credit card.

Note that credit cards like Visa, MasterCard, or Discover are only accepted if you attach a Credit Card Payment Voucher with your form.

While standard delivery takes up to 20 business days to process, you can pay an additional $100 and have your papers approved while you wait.

FAQs

Do You Want To Change Your Maine Registered Agent?

As a starting entrepreneur in the Department of Maine, changing your commercial registered agent service can be daunting if you don't know what legal steps to follow.

If you want an easier way to change your registered agent, here are the best registered agent services in Maine that you can hire to help you.

Apart from filing the complex registered agent paperwork for you, these Maine registered agents will also handle compliance and file your annual reports and taxes to keep your business in the right standing with the Maine Secretary of State.

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