Tennessee

North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form B-09

Tennessee Corporation Foreign Registration in North Carolina

To do business in North Carolina, a corporation formed in Tennessee registers there on Form B-09, with $253 in state fees. North Carolina may ask for Tennessee's Certificate of Existence ($20). We file it with the Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division using your Tennessee records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Tennessee and North Carolina each ask for

	Tennessee formed here	North Carolina registering here
Document	Tennessee Certificate of 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	Tennessee: online or by mail	Filed with North Carolina
Paid expedite		24-hour $100, same-day $200
Office	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
Official page	sos.tn.gov	sosnc.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $20, every year	Annual Report, $25, every year
Due		15th day of the 4th month following the close of the fiscal year
Agent	Your Tennessee registered agent	Our North Carolina registered agent

How Tennessee companies register with North Carolina

We prepare and file Form B-09
It names us as your North Carolina registered agent, with your Tennessee name and formation date. If North Carolina wants the Tennessee certificate, it is ordered first. Once North Carolina approves it, the Tennessee company can do business there.

Your Tennessee name and North Carolina's rules

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

Your North Carolina agent and the Tennessee one

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

Yearly filings: North Carolina and Tennessee

Each year your corporation files Tennessee's Annual Report ($20) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($25). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Tennessee plus North Carolina comes to $194 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Tennessee to North Carolina

An LLC formed in Tennessee files Form L-09 with North Carolina ($253 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($20)). After that come Tennessee's Annual Report ($300) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($200). See the LLC filing.

The other way: North Carolina into Tennessee

A corporation formed in North Carolina that registers with Tennessee files Form SS-4431 with $600 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10). See that filing.

Common questions: Tennessee to North Carolina

Does my Tennessee company need to register in North Carolina?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does the North Carolina registration cost?

$452 at checkout; North Carolina may also want Tennessee's Certificate of 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 Tennessee's certificate if North Carolina asks for it. Paid expedite: 24-hour $100, same-day $200.

What are the yearly costs for Tennessee and North Carolina?

$194 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $20 to Tennessee and $25 to North Carolina for the yearly reports.

Does North Carolina require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new North Carolina corporation instead?

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

How do I withdraw from North Carolina later?

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

Official sources

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