The Maine Secretary of State requires all businesses to conduct a Maine Business Name Search before registering to start operations. You should follow the business naming guidelines laid down by the SOS. If you want to run a Sole Proprietorship, you are allowed to either use your own given name or an assumed name. You are free to start the business without filing any legal papers with the SOS if you choose to use your own given name.
If you choose to use an assumed or trade name, you are required to make sure it is distinguishable from any other name registered in the Maine SOS database. Furthermore, you are required to make sure the name is filed in the Maine SOS business records. The filing fee is $10, although it may be different in some cities.
The fee for name reservation for registration at a later date is $20. The Maine SOS allows the reservation of names for up to 120 days. After the time lapses, someone else can be allowed to register or reserve the name unless you request an extension before the 120 days lapses. Be certain that the name is not taken by conducting a name search at the Maine Informe.org site. To conduct an LLC or Corporation search in Maine, visit the Maine Secretary of State Website. The types of organizations that you can search include:
- Business Corporations
- Non-Profit Corporations
- Limited Partnerships
- Limited Liability Companies
- Limited Liability Partnerships
- General Partnerships
- Cooperatives
Maine Secretary of State Business Lookup Contact Details
| Website | https://www.maine.gov/sos/ |
| Phone | (207) 624-7736 (Voice) (207)-287-5428 (Fax) |
| Address | OFFICE ADDRESS: Burton Cross Building, 111 Sewall St., 4th Floor Augusta, ME 4330 MAILING ADDRESS: Bureau of Corporations, 101 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333-0101 |
| Hours | Monday — Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST) |
| Business: [email protected] |
Maine Business Entity & Corporation Search
Lookup Maine Corporation Search
Step 1 – Visit the Maine Secretary of State Website
Information for Maine corporation search is available at the official website of the Maine Secretary of State. The business entities you can search for include Business Corporations, Non-Profit Corporations, Limited Partnerships, and Limited Liability Companies.
Criteria for Business Name search in Maine is done using: Entity Name and Entity Charter Number. After searching, the SOS allows you to verify the authenticity of documents retrieved from the database. If you want a more detailed report, contact the Maine Secretary of State through email or telephone.
Step 2: Select Your Entity
After keying your options, click the search icon to generate your search results. If the name is registered, a list of names will be displayed, as shown below.
Go through the matching results one by one and sort them out. To make your lookup easier, the table issued by the Maine Secretary of State displays both the active, inactive, dissolved, and merged entities from the database. It consists of the Entity Name, Name Type, and Information Summary. Once you have located the listing you are looking for, check the Information Summary column and click the link. You will be redirected to the Maine Corporation Search/Information Page, showing the details of the specific entity.
Step 3: Download information
This is the last step of the lookup LLC Maine. You now have all the registration details, including:
- Legal Name
- Charter Number
- Filing Type
- Status
- Filing Date
- Expiration Date
- Jurisdiction
- Other names
- Clerk/Registered Agent
The Maine Secretary of State allows the inspection and downloading of copies of entity search results documents. Certified copies are available in PDF. Follow the relevant links to access Authentication Service and Document Copy Retrieval Service.
References
Small Business Development Centers