DBA means "Doing Business As".  If you are an Individual Sole Proprietor and want to do business under a name which is different from your legal name then you have to Register a DBA Name with the county clerks in the Maine counties where you want to conduct business under the DBA Name.

If you are a Corporation or LLC and want to do business under a name which is different from the name which is registered with the Maine Secretary of State then you have to Register a DBA Name with the county clerks in the Maine counties where you want to conduct business under the DBA Name.

Other names for a Maine DBA Name include:

• Maine Alternate Name
• Maine Assumed Business Name
• Maine Assumed Name
• Maine Business Name
• Maine Fictitious Name
• Maine Trade Name

No.  You CANNOT Register a DBA Name with the Maine Secretary of State.  In Maine you are required to register a DBA Name with the Maine cities or town in which you want to conduct business under your DBA Name.

Yes. You can register a Maine DBA Name with the ME Secretary of State for a Maine Corporation or a Maine LLC.

Before a Maine Corporation or LLC can register a DBA Name, the ME Corporation or ME LLC must be in good standing with the Maine Secretary of State.

Yes. You can register a Maine DBA Name even if you have not formed a Maine Corporation or LLC. In fact that's what most skilled craftsman and professionals do when they want to use a business name other their own name.

You Register a DBA Name with the Maine Secretary of State for an existing Maine business.

You Reserve a Company Name with the Maine Secretary of State for use with a Maine business that will be formed and legally registered with the ME Secretary of State sometime in the future.


When you Register a Corporation or LLC with the Maine Secretary of State there are certain tax and administrative obligations which must be met to keep the company in Good Standing.  Failing to keep up with those obligations can result in the administrative dissolution of your Maine company by the Maine Secretary of State.

The Maine state fees for Registering a DBA Name are less than the fees for Registering a Corporation in Maine or Forming a LLC in Maine and there are no tax or reporting obligation for a Registered Maine DBA Name.

No. The Maine Secretary of State will not issue a good standing certificate (Certificate of Existence) for a registered Maine DBA Name. Maine good standing certificates are issued only for companies which have registered with the Maine Secretary of State as a Corporation, LLC or LP.

You can renew the Maine DBA Name before the expiration date if you want to retain ownership of the Maine DBA Name.