Florida Corporation Foreign Registration in North Carolina

To do business in North Carolina, a corporation formed in Florida registers there on Form B-09, with $253 in state fees. North Carolina may ask for Florida's Certificate of Status ($8.75). We file it with the Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division from your Florida records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Florida vs North Carolina: the paperwork

	Florida formed here	North Carolina registering here
Document	Florida Certificate of Status	Form B-09, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$8.75	$253 at order (filing fee $250 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Florida: online, emailed as a PDF once payment goes through	Filed with North Carolina
Paid expedite		24-hour $100, same-day $200
Office	Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), Registration Section	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
Official page	dos.fl.gov	sosnc.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $150, every year	Annual Report, $25, every year
Due	May 1	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 Florida registered agent	Our North Carolina registered agent

How Florida companies register with North Carolina

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

Your Florida name and North Carolina's rules

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

Your North Carolina agent and the Florida one

Florida and North Carolina both call it a registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for Florida; ours takes North Carolina's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in Florida and North Carolina

Each year your corporation files Florida's Annual Report ($150) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($25). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Florida plus North Carolina comes to $324 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Florida to North Carolina

An LLC formed in Florida files Form L-09 with North Carolina ($253 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Status ($5)). After that come Florida's Annual Report ($138.75) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($200). See the LLC filing.

The other way: North Carolina into Florida

A corporation formed in North Carolina that registers with Florida files Form CR2E007 with $70 in state fees. See that filing.

Questions Florida owners ask about North Carolina

Does my Florida company need to register in North Carolina?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does the North Carolina registration cost?

$452 at checkout; North Carolina may also want Florida'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 Florida's certificate if North Carolina asks for it. Paid expedite: 24-hour $100, same-day $200.

What are the yearly costs for Florida and North Carolina?

$324 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $150 to Florida and $25 to North Carolina for the yearly reports.

Does North Carolina require a registered agent?

Yes: the Florida registered agent stays, and ours covers North Carolina for year one.

Can I form a new North Carolina corporation instead?

Yes, but Florida keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Carolina's Annual Report ($25), and the original keeps Florida's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from North Carolina later?

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

Official sources

People also search

Corporation into North Carolina, by home state (48)

Florida into other states (41)

The same move for an LLC