An assumed name is a Maine DBA (doing business as). Obtaining a Maine DBA registration will not safeguard your personal assets. Forming a formal company structure, such as an LLC or corporation, can provide you with liability protection as well as a business name.
To begin with a Maine DBA, choose your company entity type:
Partnership or sole proprietorship (if your business is not a formal structure)
Corporation, LLC, or LLP (if your business has a formal structure such as LLC or corporation)
Fill up a Maine DBA application for a sole proprietorship or general partnership.
General partnerships and single proprietors must submit their Maine DBA with the City Clerk in the city where they do business.
A general partnership is a company created by two or more persons that does not have a formal corporate structure. A sole proprietorship is an unincorporated business held by a single person. In either scenario, the company name is the same as the proprietors’ names. In these circumstances, a DBA might be advantageous for altering the company name to a more marketable one.
A DBA is solely used for branding purposes. A DBA does not safeguard your personal assets in the event that your company is sued. As a result, we highly advise that a DBA be utilised exclusively by a formal company structure such as an LLC or corporation to add new brands to an existing firm.
If you operate an informal company (sole proprietorship or partnership), we highly advise you to create an LLC to keep your business and personal assets distinct. The name of the LLC might be chosen to serve as the business’s brand name.
Step 1: Conduct a Maine Assumed Name Search.
Maine assumed names must be distinct and comply with Maine’s company name standards.
To begin, go to the Maine Secretary of State’s website and look for your new DBA name to ensure it isn’t currently in use.
Review the Maine naming requirements next. In Maine, assumed names shall NOT contain the following words:
Words that may cause confusion between your company and a government agency (FBI, Treasury, State Department, etc.)
Words implying that the firm was formed for illegal purposes
vulgar language
Language that erroneously implies a connection with public institutions
Without the consent of the Maine Bureau of Financial Institutions, the terms savings, savings bank, bank, banker, banking, trust, trust company, trust & banking company, and credit union (or any plurals or variants) may be used.
We suggest that you check to see whether your name is accessible as a web domain (URL). You may not want to launch a company website right now, but you may wish to prevent others from gaining your URL.
Step 2: File a DBA with the City Clerk in Maine.
To operate under a DBA, sole proprietors and partnerships must register with the proper municipal clerk’s office(s).
Sole proprietors and general partnerships must register in each place where they conduct or transact business.
We will walk you through the process of obtaining a City of Portland DBA. Please contact your city clerk for instructions in other cities.
The Maine Secretary of State’s website has contact information for your cities.
How to File a DBA in Portland
It is a good idea to examine the Maine business name database as well as the local records at the municipal clerk’s office before beginning the DBA filing procedure.
The paperwork for registering assumed names must be notarized.
Manage Your Portland, Oregon DBA
DBA Concerns
Call the municipal clerk’s office in Portland at (207) 874-8677.
Renewal of Your DBA
It is not necessary to renew your assumed business name.
Remove Your DBA
Fill out the DBA withdrawal application and submit it to the City Clerk.
DBA Registration in Maine for LLCs, Corporations, and LLPs
Businesses that are incorporated must submit a Statement of Intention to Do Business Under an Assumed or Fictitious Name with the Maine Secretary of State.
The following sorts of businesses are considered incorporated:
Corporations, both for profit and non-profit
Professional Corporations and Associations
Limited Partnerships, often known as Limited Liability Partnerships,
Companies with Limited Liability
Entities Filing from Outside the U.S.
Step 1: Conduct a Maine Assumed Name Search.
Maine assumed names must be distinct and comply with Maine’s company name standards.
To begin, go to the Maine Secretary of State’s website and look for your new DBA name to ensure it isn’t currently in use.
Review the Maine naming requirements next. In Maine, assumed names shall NOT contain the following words:
Words that may cause confusion between your company and a government agency (FBI, Treasury, State Department, etc.)
Words implying that the firm was formed for illegal purposes
vulgar language
Language that erroneously implies a connection with governmental entities.
Without the consent of the Maine Bureau of Financial Institutions, the terms savings, savings bank, bank, banker, banking, trust, trust company, trust & banking company, and credit union (or any plurals or variants) may be used.
Step 2: Register Your Assumed or Fictitious Name in Maine
If your company is incorporated, you must register your DBA with the Maine Department of State. There are several forms available based on your company’s structure.
Maine distinguishes between assumed and fake names but utilises the same registration form for each. An assumed name is essentially a DBA, while a fictitious name is utilised for a “foreign” (i.e. non-Maine) firm whose genuine name is unavailable.
A DBA does not provide any protection for your personal assets if your company is sued. Visit our How to Form an LLC page and choose your state for additional information on forming a limited liability corporation (LLC).
Control Your Maine DBA
DBA Concerns
Call the Maine Secretary of State’s office at (207) 624-7752.
Renew Your Business Name with the State
Your assumed business name in Maine does not need to be renewed.
Modify Your DBA
(207) 624-7736 to reach the Maine Bureau of Corporations, Elections, and Commissions.
Remove Your DBA
Fill out one of the following termination forms to cancel your assumed name with the State of Maine:
LLC
Corporation
Limited Liability Company
Limited Liability Company
Send the completed form, together with the $20 cost, to the following address:
State Department
Division of Corporations, Uniform Commercial Code, and Commissions
Station 101, State House
04333-0101 Augusta, Maine