South Dakota Corporation Foreign Registration in North Carolina

To do business in North Carolina, a corporation formed in South Dakota registers there on Form B-09, with $253 in state fees. North Carolina may ask for South Dakota's Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20). We file it with the Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division from your South Dakota records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

South Dakota vs North Carolina: the paperwork

	South Dakota formed here	North Carolina registering here
Document	South Dakota Certificate of Good Standing/Existence	Form B-09, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$20	$253 at order (filing fee $250 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	South Dakota: online	Filed with North Carolina
Paid expedite		24-hour $100, same-day $200
Office	South Dakota Secretary of State	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
Official page	sosenterprise.sd.gov	sosnc.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year	Annual Report, $25, every year
Due	By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year (form opens that day	15th day of the 4th month following the close of the fiscal year
Agent	Your South Dakota registered agent	Our North Carolina registered agent

From South Dakota to North Carolina, step by step

We prepare and file Form B-09
It lists us as your North Carolina registered agent, next to your South Dakota name and formation date. If North Carolina wants the South Dakota certificate, it is ordered first. After approval, your South Dakota corporation is registered with North Carolina.

Your South Dakota name and North Carolina's rules

North Carolina can hold a name for $10 before you file.

Your North Carolina agent and the South Dakota one

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

Yearly filings: North Carolina and South Dakota

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

LLC or corporation, South Dakota to North Carolina

An LLC formed in South Dakota files Form L-09 with North Carolina ($253 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20)). After that come South Dakota's Annual Report ($55) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($200). See the LLC filing.

The other way: North Carolina into South Dakota

A corporation formed in North Carolina that registers with South Dakota files South Dakota's registration (no form number) with $750 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10). See that filing.

Questions South Dakota owners ask about North Carolina

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

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does the North Carolina registration cost?

$452 at checkout; North Carolina may also want South Dakota's Certificate of Good Standing/Existence, at extra cost.

How long does the North Carolina registration take?

North Carolina's standard processing takes 5 to 10 business days, plus time for South Dakota's certificate if North Carolina asks for it. Paid expedite: 24-hour $100, same-day $200.

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

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

Does North Carolina require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new North Carolina corporation instead?

Yes, but South Dakota keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Carolina's Annual Report ($25), and the original keeps South Dakota's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from North Carolina later?

South Dakota companies leave by filing Form L-14 ($25); until then, North Carolina's report stays due alongside South Dakota's filings.

Official sources

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