North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form L-09

Kentucky LLC Foreign Registration in North Carolina

To do business in North Carolina, an LLC formed in Kentucky registers there on Form L-09, with $253 in state fees. North Carolina also wants Kentucky's Certificate of Existence ($10), dated within 180 days. We file it with the Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division from your Kentucky records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Kentucky and North Carolina side by side

	Kentucky formed here	North Carolina registering here
Document	Kentucky Certificate of Existence	Form L-09
State fee	$10	$253 at order (filing fee $250 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Kentucky: online as a printable certificate, or by mail or fax	Filed with North Carolina
Paid expedite		24-hour $100, same-day $200
Office	Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
Official page	web.sos.ky.gov	sosnc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $15, every year	Annual Report, $200, every year
Due	On or before June 30	April 15
Agent	Your Kentucky registered agent	Our North Carolina registered agent

From Kentucky to North Carolina, step by step

Order the Kentucky certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from Kentucky separately; it is not part of our North Carolina order. North Carolina accepts it within 180 days of Kentucky's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form L-09
It lists us as your North Carolina registered agent, next to your Kentucky name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once Kentucky's certificate is in hand, North Carolina's filing goes in. Once North Carolina approves it, the Kentucky company can do business there.

North Carolina costs for Kentucky companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$253
Certificate of Existence, paid to Kentucky	$10
Our service, with a year of North Carolina registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Kentucky certificate included	$462

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

Your Kentucky name and North Carolina's rules

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

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

Staying in good standing in Kentucky and North Carolina

Each year your LLC files Kentucky's Annual Report ($15) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($200). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Kentucky plus North Carolina comes to $364 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Kentucky to North Carolina

A corporation formed in Kentucky files Form B-09 with North Carolina ($253 in state fees, the same). After that come Kentucky's Annual Report ($15) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

Registering a North Carolina company in Kentucky

An LLC formed in North Carolina that registers with Kentucky files Form FBE with $90 in state fees; no North Carolina certificate is needed. See that filing.

Common questions: Kentucky to North Carolina

Does my Kentucky company need to register in North Carolina?

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

How much does it cost to register a Kentucky LLC in North Carolina?

$452 at checkout plus $10 to Kentucky for the Certificate of Existence, $462 in all (checkout is $253 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Kentucky's certificate of good standing?

Yes: North Carolina wants Kentucky's Certificate of Existence ($10), 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 Kentucky's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: 24-hour $100, same-day $200.

What are the yearly costs for Kentucky and North Carolina?

$364 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $15 to Kentucky and $200 to North Carolina for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with North Carolina?

A Kentucky 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 Kentucky registered agent stays, and ours covers North Carolina for year one.

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

How do I withdraw from North Carolina later?

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

Official sources

People also search

LLC into North Carolina, by home state (48)

Kentucky into other states (47)

The same move for a corporation