Foreign corporation certificate of authority
North Carolina Certificate of Authority: Form B-09
A corporation formed in another state registers with North Carolina on Form B-09, Application for Certificate of Authority. The $250 filing fee ($253 with the charges North Carolina collects at filing) goes to North Carolina; our $199 covers preparing and filing it plus the first year of North Carolina registered agent service, for $452 at checkout. North Carolina sets its own proof rule for foreign corporations.
North Carolina corporation certificate of authority at a glance
- Filing
- Form B-09, Application for Certificate of Authority
- State fee
- $250 filing fee ($253 with the charges North Carolina collects at filing)
- Total with us
- $452, first year of North Carolina registered agent service included
- Standard processing
- 5 to 10 business days
- Home-state certificate
- Set by the state
- North Carolina yearly filing
- Annual Report, $25, every year
- Filed with
- North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
What Form B-09 asks for
For Form B-09, North Carolina needs:
- The exact name of your corporation as formed
- The state it was formed in and its date of formation
- A North Carolina registered agent with a street address there; we fill in ours
- A principal office address
North Carolina also lets the registration take effect on a later date, up to 90 days after filing.
Corporation into North Carolina, by home state
Every home state pays the same $452 at checkout for North Carolina.
| Formed in | Home-state certificate | First year |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $452 |
| Alaska | Certificate of Compliance, if asked | $452 |
| Arizona | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $452 |
| Arkansas | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $452 |
| California | Certificate of Status, if asked | $452 |
| Colorado | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $452 |
| Connecticut | Certificate of Legal Existence, if asked | $452 |
| Delaware | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $452 |
| Florida | Certificate of Status, if asked | $452 |
| Georgia | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $452 |
| Hawaii | Good Standing Certificate, if asked | $452 |
| Idaho | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $452 |
| Illinois | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $452 |
| Indiana | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $452 |
| Iowa | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $452 |
| Kansas | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $452 |
| Kentucky | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $452 |
| Louisiana | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $452 |
| Maine | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $452 |
| Maryland | Certificate of Status, if asked | $452 |
| Massachusetts | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $452 |
| Michigan | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $452 |
| Minnesota | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $452 |
| Mississippi | Certificate of Good Standing / Certificate of Existence, if asked | $452 |
| Missouri | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $452 |
| Montana | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $452 |
| Nebraska | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $452 |
| Nevada | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $452 |
| New Hampshire | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $452 |
| New Jersey | Standing Certificate, if asked | $452 |
| New Mexico | Certificate of Good Standing and Compliance, if asked | $452 |
| New York | Certificate of Status, if asked | $452 |
| North Dakota | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $452 |
| Ohio | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $452 |
| Oklahoma | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $452 |
| Oregon | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $452 |
| Pennsylvania | Subsistence Certificate, if asked | $452 |
| Rhode Island | Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $452 |
| South Carolina | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $452 |
| South Dakota | Certificate of Good Standing/Existence, if asked | $452 |
| Tennessee | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $452 |
| Texas | Certificate of Fact - Status, if asked | $452 |
| Utah | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $452 |
| Vermont | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $452 |
| Virginia | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $452 |
| Washington | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $452 |
| West Virginia | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $452 |
| Wisconsin | Certificate of Status, if asked | $452 |
| Wyoming | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $452 |
If you do business in North Carolina without registering
Its contracts stay valid, and it can still defend a case brought against it.
North Carolina registered agent rule
North Carolina requires every registered foreign corporation to keep a registered agent there (G.S. 57D-7-06). Switching agents later costs $5 on Form BE-06. Our $199 includes the first year of North Carolina registered agent service, then $149 a year.
North Carolina yearly filings
Once registered, your corporation files the North Carolina Annual Report every year, at $25, due 15th day of the 4th month following the close of the fiscal year. The North Carolina filing window opens first day after FY-end and closes 15th day of 4th month after FY-end. From year two, keeping the North Carolina registration costs $174 a year with our registered agent service.
How long North Carolina takes
We file Form B-09 with the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State. North Carolina standard processing: 5 to 10 business days. Paid speed-ups: 24-hour $100, same-day $200; they are optional and not in the total.
Leaving North Carolina later
If your corporation stops doing business there, it ends the registration by filing Form L-14 ($25). Until that is filed, North Carolina's yearly filing stays due.
North Carolina foreign corporation questions
Do I have to register my corporation in North Carolina?
Yes, if it was formed in another state and does business there. An office, staff or regular sales there usually mean registering.
How much does foreign corporation registration in North Carolina cost?
$452 at checkout: the $250 filing fee ($253 with the charges North Carolina collects at filing) plus our $199, which includes the first year of registered agent service.
How long does the North Carolina registration take?
North Carolina's standard processing takes 5 to 10 business days; a paid 24-hour option costs $100.
What does it cost each year to stay registered in North Carolina?
$174 a year: $25 for the Annual Report and $149 for our registered agent service. The home state's own yearly filing stays separate.
Do I need a registered agent in North Carolina?
Yes. North Carolina requires one for every corporation registered there from another state. Ours is included for the first year, then $149 a year.
How do I withdraw from North Carolina later?
File Form L-14 ($25) with the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State.
Can I form a new North Carolina corporation instead?
It is possible, but that is a separate company that files North Carolina's Annual Report ($25), while the original keeps its home-state filings. Registering keeps one company in both states.
Is the North Carolina filing the same for an LLC?
No: LLCs file Form L-09 ($253 in state fees, the same fee), and corporations file Form B-09.
Is this a certificate of authority?
Yes. North Carolina issues a certificate of authority once the filing is approved.
Official North Carolina sources
- North Carolina filing page (sosnc.gov)
- North Carolina Form B-09 (sosnc.gov)
- North Carolina Secretary of State, business corporation fee schedule
- North Carolina: Form L-09, Application for Certificate of Authority (LLC)
- North Carolina: ncleg.gov
- North Carolina: N.C. Gen. Stat. 57D-7-06 (registered office and agent of a foreign LLC)
- North Carolina Secretary of State, LLC fee schedule
- North Carolina: N.C. Gen. Stat. 57D-7-20 (withdrawal of a foreign LLC)