North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form L-09

Maine LLC Foreign Registration in North Carolina

To do business in North Carolina, an LLC formed in Maine registers there on Form L-09, with $253 in state fees. North Carolina also asks for Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30), no older than 180 days. We file it with the Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division using your Maine records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Maine and North Carolina side by side

	Maine formed here	North Carolina registering here
Document	Maine Certificate of Existence	Form L-09
State fee	$30	$253 at order (filing fee $250 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Maine: online, downloaded from the company's information summary page	Filed with North Carolina
Paid expedite		24-hour $100, same-day $200
Office	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
Official page	apps3.web.maine.gov	sosnc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $85, every year	Annual Report, $200, every year
Due	June 1	April 15
Agent	Your Maine registered agent	Our North Carolina registered agent

From Maine to North Carolina, step by step

Order the Maine certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($30) is ordered from Maine separately; it is not part of our North Carolina order. North Carolina counts 180 days from the day Maine issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form L-09
It lists us as your North Carolina registered agent, next to your Maine name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once Maine's certificate is in hand, North Carolina's filing goes in. Once North Carolina approves it, the Maine company can do business there.

First-year cost, Maine to North Carolina

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$253
Certificate of Existence, paid to Maine	$30
Our service, with a year of North Carolina registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Maine certificate included	$482

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

Will your Maine name work for North Carolina?

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

Agents: North Carolina and Maine

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

Staying in good standing in Maine and North Carolina

Each year your LLC files Maine's Annual Report ($85) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($200). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Maine plus North Carolina comes to $434 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Maine to North Carolina

A corporation formed in Maine files Form B-09 with North Carolina ($253 in state fees, the same). After that come Maine's Annual Report ($85) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

The other way: North Carolina into Maine

An LLC formed in North Carolina that registers with Maine files Form MLLC-12 with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Maine to North Carolina

Does my Maine company need to register in North Carolina?

Yes, once a Maine 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 $30 to Maine for the Certificate of Existence, $482 in all (checkout is $253 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Maine's certificate of good standing?

Yes: North Carolina wants Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30), 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 Maine's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: 24-hour $100, same-day $200.

What are the yearly costs for Maine and North Carolina?

$434 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $85 to Maine and $200 to North Carolina for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with North Carolina?

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

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

How do I withdraw from North Carolina later?

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

Official sources

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