North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form L-09

Connecticut LLC Foreign Registration in North Carolina

To do business in North Carolina, an LLC formed in Connecticut registers there on Form L-09, with $253 in state fees. North Carolina also asks for Connecticut's Certificate of Legal Existence ($50), no older than 180 days. We file it with the Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division from your Connecticut records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

What Connecticut and North Carolina each ask for

	Connecticut formed here	North Carolina registering here
Document	Connecticut Certificate of Legal Existence	Form L-09
State fee	$50	$253 at order (filing fee $250 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Connecticut: online, with an express version, or by mail	Filed with North Carolina
Paid expedite		24-hour $100, same-day $200
Office	Connecticut Secretary of the State, Business Services Division	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
Official page	business.ct.gov	sosnc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $80, every year	Annual Report, $200, every year
Due	On or before March 31	April 15
Agent	Your Connecticut registered agent	Our North Carolina registered agent

From Connecticut to North Carolina, step by step

Order the Connecticut certificate
The Certificate of Legal Existence ($50) is ordered from Connecticut separately; it is not part of our North Carolina order. It comes as a short form ($50) or a long form ($100). North Carolina counts 180 days from the day Connecticut issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form L-09
It names us as your North Carolina registered agent, with your Connecticut name and formation date and the certificate attached. The Connecticut certificate comes first; then the North Carolina filing goes in. After approval, your Connecticut LLC is registered with North Carolina.

First-year cost, Connecticut to North Carolina

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$253
Certificate of Legal Existence, paid to Connecticut	$50
Our service, with a year of North Carolina registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Connecticut certificate included	$502

North Carolina's paid expedite is optional and not in the total.

Your Connecticut name and North Carolina's rules

North Carolina accepts your Connecticut name if it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC. If the Connecticut name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. North Carolina can hold a name for $10 before you file.

Your North Carolina agent and the Connecticut one

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

Staying in good standing in Connecticut and North Carolina

Each year your LLC files Connecticut's Annual Report ($80) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($200). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Connecticut plus North Carolina comes to $429 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Connecticut to North Carolina

A corporation formed in Connecticut files Form B-09 with North Carolina ($253 in state fees, the same). After that come Connecticut's Annual Report ($150) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

Registering a North Carolina company in Connecticut

An LLC formed in North Carolina that registers with Connecticut files Connecticut's registration (no form number) with $120 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Connecticut owners ask about North Carolina

Does my Connecticut company need to register in North Carolina?

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

How much does the North Carolina registration cost?

$452 at checkout plus $50 to Connecticut for the Certificate of Legal Existence, $502 in all (checkout is $253 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Connecticut's certificate of good standing?

Yes: North Carolina wants Connecticut's Certificate of Legal Existence ($50), no more than 180 days old at filing.

How long does the North Carolina registration take?

North Carolina's standard processing takes 5 to 10 business days, once Connecticut's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: 24-hour $100, same-day $200.

What are the yearly costs for Connecticut and North Carolina?

$429 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $80 to Connecticut and $200 to North Carolina for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with North Carolina?

A Connecticut company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and North Carolina can add a penalty of $10 a day, up to $1,000 a year.

Does North Carolina require a registered agent?

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

Will North Carolina accept my Connecticut name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC.

Can I form a new North Carolina LLC instead?

Yes, but Connecticut keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Carolina's Annual Report ($203), and the original keeps Connecticut's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from North Carolina later?

Connecticut companies leave by filing Form L-14, Application for Certificate of Withdrawal ($10); until then, North Carolina's report stays due alongside Connecticut's filings.

Official sources

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