North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form DSCB:15-412

North Carolina Corporation Foreign Registration in Pennsylvania

To do business in Pennsylvania, a corporation formed in North Carolina registers there on Form DSCB:15-412, with $250 in state fees. Pennsylvania asks nothing of North Carolina here, not even the Certificate of Existence. We file it with the Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations using your North Carolina records and act as your registered office there for the first year.

North Carolina vs Pennsylvania: the paperwork

	North Carolina formed here	Pennsylvania registering here
Document	North Carolina Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Form DSCB:15-412, Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$10	$250 at order
How it is handled	North Carolina: online as a downloadable electronic certified document, or on paper	Filed online with Pennsylvania
Paid expedite		same-day $100, 3-hour $300, 1-hour $1,000
Office	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations
Official page	sosnc.gov	pa.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $25, every year	Annual Report, $7, every year
Due	15th day of the 4th month following the close of the fiscal year	June 30
Agent	Your North Carolina registered agent	Our Pennsylvania registered office

How North Carolina companies register with Pennsylvania

We prepare and file Form DSCB:15-412
It names us as your Pennsylvania registered office, with your North Carolina name and formation date. No North Carolina paperwork holds up the Pennsylvania filing. Once Pennsylvania approves it, the North Carolina company can do business there.

Will your North Carolina name work for Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania accepts your North Carolina name if it includes the word corporation, company, incorporated or limited, an abbreviation, the word association, fund or syndicate, or words of like import used in the home state. We check your exact North Carolina name against Pennsylvania's records before filing.

Agents: Pennsylvania and North Carolina

Pennsylvania calls it a registered office; North Carolina says registered agent. Pennsylvania papers come to us; North Carolina's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in North Carolina and Pennsylvania

Each year your corporation files North Carolina's Annual Report ($25) and Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7). With our $149 registered office renewal, North Carolina plus Pennsylvania comes to $181 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, North Carolina to Pennsylvania

An LLC formed in North Carolina files Form DSCB:15-412 with Pennsylvania ($250 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come North Carolina's Annual Report ($203) and Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7). See the LLC filing.

The other way: Pennsylvania into North Carolina

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

Questions North Carolina owners ask about Pennsylvania

Does my North Carolina company need to register in Pennsylvania?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

Pennsylvania calls it registration for North Carolina corporations; other states say certificate of authority.

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

$449 at checkout, with nothing to pay North Carolina.

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

No, Pennsylvania takes Form DSCB:15-412 without it.

What are the yearly costs for North Carolina and Pennsylvania?

$181 a year: our $149 registered office renewal, $25 to North Carolina and $7 to Pennsylvania for the yearly reports.

Does Pennsylvania require a registered agent?

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

Will Pennsylvania accept my North Carolina name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes the word corporation, company, incorporated or limited, an abbreviation, the word association, fund or syndicate, or words of like import used in the home state.

Can I form a new Pennsylvania corporation instead?

Yes, but North Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7), and the original keeps North Carolina's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Pennsylvania later?

North Carolina companies leave by filing a Statement of Withdrawal of Foreign Registration; until then, Pennsylvania's report stays due alongside North Carolina's filings.

Official sources

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