North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form L-09

Illinois LLC Foreign Registration in North Carolina

To do business in North Carolina, an LLC formed in Illinois registers there on Form L-09, with $253 in state fees. North Carolina also asks for Illinois's Certificate of Good Standing ($25), no older than 180 days. We file it with the Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division using your Illinois records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Illinois and North Carolina side by side

	Illinois formed here	North Carolina registering here
Document	Illinois Certificate of Good Standing	Form L-09
State fee	$25	$253 at order (filing fee $250 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Illinois: online as an instant PDF, printed from the receipt page or sent by email link	Filed with North Carolina
Paid expedite		24-hour $100, same-day $200
Office	Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, Limited Liability Division	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
Official page	ilsos.gov	sosnc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Yearly filing	Limited Liability Company Annual Report (Form LLC-50.1), $75, every year	Annual Report, $200, every year
Due	Before the first day of the entity's anniversary month each year	April 15
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Standard processing: 5 to 10 business days
Agent	Your Illinois registered agent	Our North Carolina registered agent

How Illinois companies register with North Carolina

Order the Illinois certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($25) is ordered from Illinois separately; it is not part of our North Carolina order. Ordered from Illinois on filing day, it easily meets North Carolina's limit of 180 days.
We prepare and file Form L-09
It names us as your North Carolina registered agent, with your Illinois name and formation date and the certificate attached. With the certificate issued on the spot, nothing from Illinois delays the North Carolina filing. Once North Carolina approves it, the Illinois company can do business there.

First-year cost, Illinois to North Carolina

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$253
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Illinois	$25
Our service, with a year of North Carolina registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Illinois certificate included	$477

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

Your Illinois name and North Carolina's rules

North Carolina accepts your Illinois name if it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC. If the Illinois 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 Illinois one

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

Yearly filings: North Carolina and Illinois

Each year your LLC files Illinois's Limited Liability Company Annual Report (Form LLC-50.1) ($75) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($200). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Illinois plus North Carolina comes to $424 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Illinois to North Carolina

A corporation formed in Illinois files Form B-09 with North Carolina ($253 in state fees, the same). After that come Illinois's Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05) ($75) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

Common questions: Illinois to North Carolina

Does my Illinois company need to register in North Carolina?

Yes, once an Illinois 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 $25 to Illinois for the Certificate of Good Standing, $477 in all (checkout is $253 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Illinois's certificate of good standing?

Yes: North Carolina wants it ($25), 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; Illinois's certificate is an instant download, so there is no wait before filing. Paid expedite: 24-hour $100, same-day $200.

What are the yearly costs for Illinois and North Carolina?

$424 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $75 to Illinois and $200 to North Carolina for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with North Carolina?

An Illinois 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 Illinois registered agent stays, and ours covers North Carolina for year one.

Will North Carolina accept my Illinois 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 Illinois keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Carolina's Annual Report ($203), and the original keeps Illinois's yearly report.

How do I withdraw from North Carolina later?

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

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