Maine Incorporation: Everything You Need to Know

For Maine incorporation, the first step you should take is filing your business's articles of incorporation.3 min read

For Maine incorporation, the first step you should take is filing your business's articles of incorporation. This document will reserve your business name and make your corporation an official legal entity.

The Maine secretary of state must approve your articles of incorporation before you can get licenses for your business, sign business contracts, apply for tax IDs, or conduct business.

Incorporation in Maine

Incorporation has numerous benefits. It:

  • Offers limited liability for directors, officers, and shareholders.
  • Allows you to register your business's name.
  • Gives your business or organization greater credibility.

In Maine, the process of incorporation is overseen by the Maine Bureau of Corporations, which has forms and instructions available to help businesses with incorporating.

Article of Incorporation

When preparing to file your articles of incorporation, be sure to take time to understand what information is required for each document. Articles of incorporation templates provide a good example of the minimum information you'll need to give the state for approval.

The state of Maine is transparent about what specific information needs to be filed. You can easily file articles of incorporation for your business through the Maine secretary of state by filing Form MBCA-6.

Basic information required to file includes:

  • The corporation name.
  • The corporation clerk's name and contact information.
  • The type of stock and number of authorized shares.
  • Who will manage the corporation (board of directors or otherwise).
  • Each incorporator's name and signature.

Your corporation's name should not imply that your corporation is organized for a purpose other than what you have stated in the articles of incorporation.

Before filing, you should check to be sure that your desired name is available. Available Maine corporation names can be reserved for up to 120 days.