Virginia Corporation Foreign Registration in North Carolina

A corporation formed in Virginia that wants to do business in North Carolina files Form B-09, with $253 in state fees. North Carolina may ask for Virginia's Certificate of Good Standing ($6). We file it with the Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division using your Virginia records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Virginia and North Carolina each ask for

	Virginia formed here	North Carolina registering here
Document	Virginia Certificate of Good Standing	Form B-09, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$6	$253 at order (filing fee $250 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Virginia: online as an instant PDF from the Clerk's Information System	Filed with North Carolina
Paid expedite		24-hour $100, same-day $200
Office	Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
Official page	scc.virginia.gov	sosnc.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report + Annual Registration Fee, $50, every year	Annual Report, $25, every year
Due		15th day of the 4th month following the close of the fiscal year
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Standard processing: 5 to 10 business days
Agent	Your Virginia registered agent	Our North Carolina registered agent

How Virginia companies register with North Carolina

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

Your Virginia name and North Carolina's rules

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

Agents: North Carolina and Virginia

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

Staying in good standing in Virginia and North Carolina

Each year your corporation files Virginia's Annual Report + Annual Registration Fee ($50) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($25). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Virginia plus North Carolina comes to $224 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Virginia to North Carolina

An LLC formed in Virginia files Form L-09 with North Carolina ($253 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Fact of Existence/Registration ($6)). After that come Virginia's Annual Registration Fee ($50) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($200). See the LLC filing.

Questions Virginia owners ask about North Carolina

Does my Virginia company need to register in North Carolina?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does the North Carolina registration cost?

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

What are the yearly costs for Virginia and North Carolina?

$224 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $50 to Virginia and $25 to North Carolina for the yearly reports.

Does North Carolina require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new North Carolina corporation instead?

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

How do I withdraw from North Carolina later?

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

Official sources

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