Maryland Foreign Corporation Formation

If a non-Maryland corporation wishes to expand and conduct business in Maryland, with few exceptions, they need to file as a Foreign Corporation with the Maryland Secretary of State. If a company does business in Maryland without adhering to these requirements, they may be fined or penalized.

Steps to Form a Maryland Foreign Corporation

In order to file as a Foreign Corporation in Maryland, you must complete and submit a Foreign Corporation Qualification application. The application will ask you for the following information:

  • Name: You will provide the name of your corporation as it is registered with your original state. This name must be available for use in Maryland. (If it is not, you will need to file an additional form adopting a new name that you will use exclusively in Maryland.) ClickAndInc.com can perform a preliminary business name search to determine availability.
  • Jurisdiction: You will provide the state in which you originally incorporated.
  • Address: You should provide your business’s address.
  • Registered Agent: Your registered agent must have a physical address in Maryland. If you don’t have one, let ClickAndInc.com obtain a registered agent in Maryland for you.
  • You must indicate whether you have begun to do business in Maryland before your Foreign Corporation filing.
  • Authorized Signature: The President or Vice President should sign the application.

You are required to submit proof of status with your original state, typically called a Certificate of Status or Certificate of Good Standing. ClickAndInc can obtain your Certificate of Good Standing on your behalf.

Additional Requirements for a Maryland Foreign Corporation

If any of the above information changes after you have filed, you will need to file an amendment to your Foreign Corporation documents.

ClickAndInc can file your Maryland Foreign Corporation for you—the fee to obtain a Certificate of Good Standing is included in our Foreign Corporation package!

Maryland Startup Quicklinks

For information on other types of businesses in Maryland, please explore the links below: