California Corporation Foreign Registration in North Carolina

To do business in North Carolina, a corporation formed in California registers there on Form B-09, with $253 in state fees. North Carolina may ask for California's Certificate of Status ($5). We file it with the Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division from your California records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

California and North Carolina side by side

	California formed here	North Carolina registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status	Form B-09, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$5	$253 at order (filing fee $250 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	California: online as a PDF within minutes, or on paper by mail or drop-off in Sacramento	Filed with North Carolina
Paid expedite		24-hour $100, same-day $200
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	sosnc.gov
Yearly filing	Statement of Information (Form SI-550), $25, every year	Annual Report, $25, every year
Due	Last day of the corporation's registration-anniversary month, annually	15th day of the 4th month following the close of the fiscal year
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Standard processing: 5 to 10 business days
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our North Carolina registered agent

How California companies register with North Carolina

We prepare and file Form B-09
It lists us as your North Carolina registered agent, next to your California name and formation date. If North Carolina wants the California certificate, it is ordered first. Once North Carolina approves it, the California company can do business there.

Your California name and North Carolina's rules

North Carolina can hold a name for $10 before you file.

Your North Carolina agent and the California one

North Carolina calls it a registered agent; California says agent for service of process. Your current agent for service of process stays for California; ours takes North Carolina's papers and notices.

Yearly filings: North Carolina and California

Each year your corporation files California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($25). With our $149 registered agent renewal, California plus North Carolina comes to $199 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, California to North Carolina

An LLC formed in California files Form L-09 with North Carolina ($253 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Status ($5)). After that come California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) ($20) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($200). See the LLC filing.

The other way: North Carolina into California

A corporation formed in North Carolina that registers with California files Form S&DC-S/N with $100 in state fees. See that filing.

Questions California owners ask about North Carolina

Does my California company need to register in North Carolina?

Yes, once a California business operates there; North Carolina registers it as a foreign corporation.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: North Carolina issues one to California corporations once the form is approved.

How much does it cost to register a California corporation in North Carolina?

$452 at checkout; North Carolina may also want California's Certificate of Status, at extra cost.

How long does the North Carolina registration take?

North Carolina's standard processing takes 5 to 10 business days, plus time for California's certificate if North Carolina asks for it. Paid expedite: 24-hour $100, same-day $200.

What are the yearly costs for California and North Carolina?

$199 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $25 to California and $25 to North Carolina for the yearly reports.

Does North Carolina require a registered agent?

Yes: the California agent for service of process stays, and ours covers North Carolina for year one.

Can I form a new North Carolina corporation instead?

Yes, but California keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Carolina's Annual Report ($25), and the original keeps California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550).

How do I withdraw from North Carolina later?

California companies leave by filing Form L-14 ($25); until then, North Carolina's report stays due alongside California's filings.

Official sources

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