North Carolina

Foreign registration · no form number

North Carolina Corporation Foreign Registration in South Dakota

South Dakota registers a corporation from North Carolina as a foreign corporation on an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South Dakota also wants North Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10). We file it with the Secretary of State from your North Carolina records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

North Carolina and South Dakota side by side

	North Carolina formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	North Carolina Certificate of Existence	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Corporation) (no form number)
State fee	$10	$750 at order
How it is handled	North Carolina: online as a downloadable electronic certified document, or on paper	Filed online with South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	sosnc.gov	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $25, every year	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	15th day of the 4th month following the close of the fiscal year	By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year
Agent	Your North Carolina registered agent	Our South Dakota registered agent

From North Carolina to South Dakota, step by step

Order the North Carolina certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from North Carolina separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. South Dakota wants the North Carolina certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your South Dakota registered agent, next to your North Carolina name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once North Carolina's certificate is in hand, South Dakota's filing goes in. Once South Dakota approves it, the North Carolina company can do business there.

South Dakota costs for North Carolina companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Certificate of Existence, paid to North Carolina	$10
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, North Carolina certificate included	$959

South Dakota's paid expedite is optional and not in the total.

Your North Carolina name and South Dakota's rules

If South Dakota's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the North Carolina company. South Dakota can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Your South Dakota agent and the North Carolina one

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

Staying in good standing in North Carolina and South Dakota

North Carolina wants the Annual Report every year ($25); South Dakota wants the Annual Report every year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, North Carolina to South Dakota

An LLC formed in North Carolina files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10)). After that come North Carolina's Annual Report ($203) and South Dakota's Annual Report ($55). See the LLC filing.

Registering a South Dakota company in North Carolina

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

Questions North Carolina owners ask about South Dakota

Does my North Carolina company need to register in South Dakota?

Yes, once a North Carolina business operates there; South Dakota law lists 11 activities that do not count on their own.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: South Dakota issues one to North Carolina corporations once the filing is approved.

How much does the South Dakota registration cost?

$949 at checkout plus $10 to North Carolina for the Certificate of Existence, $959 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: South Dakota wants North Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), current at filing.

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

South Dakota approves online filings immediately, once North Carolina's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: $50.

What are the yearly costs for North Carolina and South Dakota?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), North Carolina's report ($25) and South Dakota's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Dakota?

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

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will South Dakota accept my North Carolina name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its North Carolina name at home.

Can I form a new South Dakota corporation instead?

Yes, but North Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files South Dakota's Annual Report, and the original keeps North Carolina's Annual Report.

Official sources

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