Maine Corporation Foreign Registration in North Carolina

To do business in North Carolina, a corporation formed in Maine registers there on Form B-09, with $253 in state fees. North Carolina may ask for Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30). We file it with the Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division from your Maine records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Maine and North Carolina side by side

	Maine formed here	North Carolina registering here
Document	Maine Certificate of Existence	Form B-09, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$30	$253 at order (filing fee $250 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Maine: online, downloaded from the company's information summary page	Filed with North Carolina
Paid expedite		24-hour $100, same-day $200
Office	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
Official page	apps3.web.maine.gov	sosnc.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $85, every year	Annual Report, $25, every year
Due	June 1	15th day of the 4th month following the close of the fiscal year
Agent	Your Maine registered agent	Our North Carolina registered agent

How Maine companies register with North Carolina

We prepare and file Form B-09
It lists us as your North Carolina registered agent, next to your Maine name and formation date. If North Carolina wants the Maine certificate, it is ordered first. After approval, your Maine corporation is registered with North Carolina.

Your Maine name and North Carolina's rules

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

Your North Carolina agent and the Maine one

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

Yearly filings: North Carolina and Maine

Each year your corporation files Maine's Annual Report ($85) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($25). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Maine plus North Carolina comes to $259 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Maine to North Carolina

An LLC formed in Maine files Form L-09 with North Carolina ($253 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($30)). After that come Maine's Annual Report ($85) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($200). See the LLC filing.

The other way: North Carolina into Maine

A corporation formed in North Carolina that registers with Maine files Form MBCA-12 with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. See that filing.

Questions Maine owners ask about North Carolina

Does my Maine company need to register in North Carolina?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does the North Carolina registration cost?

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

What are the yearly costs for Maine and North Carolina?

$259 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $85 to Maine and $25 to North Carolina for the yearly reports.

Does North Carolina require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new North Carolina corporation instead?

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

How do I withdraw from North Carolina later?

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

Official sources

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