Maine Certificate of Existence: $30, ordered online
Maine issues it as a Certificate of Existence, ordered online from the Maine Secretary of State. The state fee is $30; the state does not publish a turnaround. It proves the LLC is current with the state on the day it is printed, so banks want one under 30 days old.
Maine’s $30 fee next to every other state
At $30, the fourth-highest fee of the 51 jurisdictions. The median jurisdiction charges $12.
Tap or hover a dot to see which state it is.
- Maine
- Other states and DC
- Median
What it proves, and who will ask for it
A certificate of good standing is a one-page statement from the Maine Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions that your LLC exists on the state’s records and is current on what the state requires of it. In Maine the official name is Certificate of Existence. It does not say anything about taxes owed elsewhere, licences or lawsuits; it says the entity is in good standing with the filing office on the date printed.
Four people ask for it: the bank opening the business account, a lender underwriting a loan, another state’s filing office when you register the LLC there as a foreign entity, and a buyer or investor doing diligence. All of them want a recent one, because the certificate is a snapshot and a company’s status can change the day after it is printed.
How to order it in Maine
Find the LLC on the state record
Open the official page and look the company up by name or file number. Check the status shown on the record: the certificate reports what the record says, so fix anything shown as delinquent before you order.
Order and pay online
Select the certificate of existence, pay the $30 state fee on the state system, and download or wait for delivery.
Use it inside 30 days
Time the order for the week of the bank appointment or the loan closing. A certificate from two months ago is usually sent back for a fresh one, and you pay the fee twice.
Order it inside the bank’s 30-day window
The certificate speaks for the day it is printed. Most banks and lenders want it issued within the last 30 days; a few accept 60. Order it the week of the appointment, not the month before.
Next Maine annual report due
June 1
0 days from today
State fee $85. Miss it and the LLC can fall out of good standing on the state record, which the next certificate would show. Maine annual report.
The certificate is one of four documents the bank will ask for
Banks want the Maine certificate of existence dated inside the last 30 days, next to certified articles, the signed operating agreement and the IRS EIN letter. The Bank-Ready Pack orders the certificate from the state the day you pay, so it lands inside the window, and assembles the rest from one form. Why banks ask for it, and what it does not prove.
- Certificate ordered from the state when you pay; state fee invoiced at cost
- Operating agreement and banking resolution generated from your answers
- One dated pack, ready for the account-opening appointment
If the Maine record shows the LLC is not in good standing
Catch up the state filing
The Maine annual report is due June 1 every year, state fee $85. Miss it and the LLC can fall out of good standing on the state record, which the next certificate would show. Maine annual report page, with free reminders at 60, 30 and 7 days.
Reinstate if it was dissolved
Miss enough cycles and the state can administratively dissolve the LLC. Reinstatement means the back filings, the state’s reinstatement fee and a registered agent on file; order the certificate after it posts. How reinstatement works.
Keep an agent on file
Every Maine LLC must keep a registered agent at a Maine street address. A lapsed agent is one of the quickest ways out of good standing. Maine registered agent, $74.25 a year, through our partner Registered Agents Inc. Switching agents? How to change your Maine registered agent.
Watch every entity at once
Own more than one company? The free portfolio board shows each state’s deadline and standing side by side, so no certificate order turns into a surprise.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a Maine certificate of good standing (certificate of existence)?
Maine calls it a Certificate of Existence. The Secretary of State's fee page lists $30.00 for LLCs. Download it from the ICRS corporate search under Certificates of Existence - Good Standing, paying by credit card or InforME subscription. Maine publishes no turnaround, and the search page does not print the online amount, so confirm at checkout.
How much does a Maine certificate of good standing cost?
The Maine Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions charges $30 for a certificate of existence, verified Sep 12, 2026 on the official fee page linked on this page. Expedited service or a certified copy of the formation documents, where offered, is priced separately by the state.
How do I get a certificate of good standing in Maine?
Order it from the Maine Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions online at apps3.web.maine.gov. The state does not publish a turnaround; delivery at last check: mail: expedited within 24 hours $50, immediate $100. Check the LLC's status on the state record first; the certificate reports what the record shows.
What is a certificate of good standing called in Maine?
Maine issues it as a Certificate of Existence, from the Maine Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions. Ask for it by that name on apps3.web.maine.gov. Banks, lenders and other states accept it as the good-standing document whatever the local name, as long as it is recent and issued by the state.
Why does a bank want the Maine certificate of existence dated within 30 days?
The certificate is a snapshot of the Maine Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions record on the day it is printed. Banks and lenders treat it as proof the company is current now, so most ask for one issued within the last 30 days, a few accept 60. The Maine agency does not publish a turnaround, so leave a few business days before the appointment.
What keeps a Maine LLC in good standing?
Filing the Maine annual report on time, due June 1 every year, state fee $85, and keeping a registered agent on file. Miss the report and the company can fall out of good standing on the state record, which the next certificate would show; catch it up, and reinstate if needed, before you order.
Is this Maine page legal advice?
No. Vermilion Vitez is a filing-services company, not a law firm. This page is educational reference information, verified Sep 12, 2026 against the Maine Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions's own site (apps3.web.maine.gov); that site is the final word.
Nearby states
A foreign registration needs a certificate from the home state, and each state prices and names the document differently. Jump to a bordering state, or see all 50 states + DC.
Done for you, or do it yourself
Need the Maine certificate? We order it from the state the day you pay.
$82.50 plus the Maine state fee and card processing, or order it yourself on the official site. Banks want it dated within the last 30 days, so place the order the week of the meeting.
Need the articles, operating agreement and EIN letter too? Build the Bank-Ready Pack · or call (954) 470-8356 — we pick up.