North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form 326

North Carolina Corporation Foreign Registration in Louisiana

To do business in Louisiana, a corporation formed in North Carolina registers there on Form 326, with $160 in state fees. Louisiana may ask for North Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10). We file it with the Secretary of State, Commercial Division from your North Carolina records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

North Carolina vs Louisiana: the paperwork

	North Carolina formed here	Louisiana registering here
Document	North Carolina Certificate of Existence	Form 326, Application of Foreign Corporation for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$10	$160 at order
How it is handled	North Carolina: online as a downloadable electronic certified document, or on paper	Filed with Louisiana
Paid expedite		24-hour $35, 2 to 4 hour $60
Office	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division	Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division
Official page	sosnc.gov	sos.la.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $25, every year	Annual Report, $30, every year
Due	15th day of the 4th month following the close of the fiscal year	On or before the anniversary of the date authority to do business was issued
Agent	Your North Carolina registered agent	Our Louisiana registered agent

From North Carolina to Louisiana, step by step

We prepare and file Form 326
It names us as your Louisiana registered agent, with your North Carolina name and formation date. If Louisiana wants the North Carolina certificate, it is ordered first. After approval, your North Carolina corporation is registered with Louisiana.

Your North Carolina name and Louisiana's rules

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

Your Louisiana agent and the North Carolina one

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

Staying in good standing in North Carolina and Louisiana

Each year your corporation files North Carolina's Annual Report ($25) and Louisiana's Annual Report ($30). With our $149 registered agent renewal, North Carolina plus Louisiana comes to $204 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, North Carolina to Louisiana

An LLC formed in North Carolina files Form 972 with Louisiana ($190 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10)). After that come North Carolina's Annual Report ($203) and Louisiana's Annual Report ($35). See the LLC filing.

The other way: Louisiana into North Carolina

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

Questions North Carolina owners ask about Louisiana

Does my North Carolina company need to register in Louisiana?

Yes, once a North Carolina business operates there; Louisiana law lists 10 activities that do not count on their own.

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

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

$359 at checkout; Louisiana may also want North Carolina's Certificate of Existence, at extra cost.

What are the yearly costs for North Carolina and Louisiana?

$204 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $25 to North Carolina and $30 to Louisiana for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Louisiana?

A North Carolina company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does Louisiana require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Louisiana corporation instead?

Yes, but North Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Louisiana's Annual Report ($30), and the original keeps North Carolina's Annual Report.

What does a Louisiana company file to register in North Carolina?

It files Form B-09 with $253 in state fees.

Official sources

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