North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form FBE

North Carolina Corporation Foreign Registration in Kentucky

Kentucky registers a corporation from North Carolina as a foreign corporation on Form FBE, with $90 in state fees. Kentucky asks nothing of North Carolina here, not even the Certificate of Existence. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings from your North Carolina records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

What North Carolina and Kentucky each ask for

	North Carolina formed here	Kentucky registering here
Document	North Carolina Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Form FBE, Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Entity)
State fee	$10	$90 at order
How it is handled	North Carolina: online as a downloadable electronic certified document, or on paper	Filed with Kentucky
Office	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division	Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings
Official page	sosnc.gov	web.sos.ky.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $25, every year	Annual Report, $15, every year
Due	15th day of the 4th month following the close of the fiscal year	On or before June 30
Agent	Your North Carolina registered agent	Our Kentucky registered agent

From North Carolina to Kentucky, step by step

We prepare and file Form FBE
It names us as your Kentucky registered agent, with your North Carolina name and formation date. No North Carolina paperwork holds up the Kentucky filing. After approval, your North Carolina corporation is registered with Kentucky.

Will your North Carolina name work for Kentucky?

We search Kentucky's records for North Carolina's name on file before anything is filed.

Your Kentucky agent and the North Carolina one

North Carolina and Kentucky both call it a registered agent. Kentucky papers come to us; North Carolina's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in North Carolina and Kentucky

Each year your corporation files North Carolina's Annual Report ($25) and Kentucky's Annual Report ($15). With our $149 registered agent renewal, North Carolina plus Kentucky comes to $189 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, North Carolina to Kentucky

An LLC formed in North Carolina files Form FBE with Kentucky ($90 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come North Carolina's Annual Report ($203) and Kentucky's Annual Report ($15). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Kentucky company in North Carolina

A corporation formed in Kentucky that registers with North Carolina files Form B-09 with $253 in state fees. See that filing.

Common questions: North Carolina to Kentucky

Does my North Carolina company need to register in Kentucky?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

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

$289 at checkout, with nothing to pay North Carolina.

Do I need North Carolina's certificate of good standing?

No, Kentucky takes Form FBE without it.

How long does the Kentucky registration take?

Kentucky's standard processing takes up to 3 business days; nothing comes from North Carolina first.

What are the yearly costs for North Carolina and Kentucky?

$189 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $25 to North Carolina and $15 to Kentucky for the yearly reports.

Does Kentucky require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Kentucky corporation instead?

Yes, but North Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Kentucky's Annual Report ($15), and the original keeps North Carolina's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Kentucky later?

North Carolina companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal (Foreign Business Entity); until then, Kentucky's report stays due alongside North Carolina's filings.

Official sources

People also search

Corporation into Kentucky, by home state (48)

North Carolina into other states (41)

The same move for an LLC