North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form L-09

Missouri LLC Foreign Registration in North Carolina

To do business in North Carolina, an LLC formed in Missouri registers there on Form L-09, with $253 in state fees. North Carolina also asks for Missouri's Certificate of Good Standing ($10), no older than 180 days. We file it with the Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division using your Missouri records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Missouri vs North Carolina: the paperwork

	Missouri formed here	North Carolina registering here
Document	Missouri Certificate of Good Standing	Form L-09
State fee	$10	$253 at order (filing fee $250 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Missouri: online with a verification number anyone can check, or by mail	Filed with North Carolina
Paid expedite		24-hour $100, same-day $200
Office	Missouri Secretary of State, Corporations Division	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
Official page	sos.mo.gov	sosnc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Yearly filing	No annual report	Annual Report, $200, every year
Due		April 15
Agent	Your Missouri registered agent	Our North Carolina registered agent

How Missouri companies register with North Carolina

Order the Missouri certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($10) is ordered from Missouri separately; it is not part of our North Carolina order. North Carolina counts 180 days from the day Missouri 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 Missouri name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The Missouri certificate comes first; then the North Carolina filing goes in. After approval, your Missouri LLC is registered with North Carolina.

First-year cost, Missouri to North Carolina

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

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

Your Missouri name and North Carolina's rules

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

Agents: North Carolina and Missouri

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

Staying in good standing in Missouri and North Carolina

Missouri has no annual report for LLCs; North Carolina wants the Annual Report every year ($200). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Missouri to North Carolina

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

The other way: North Carolina into Missouri

An LLC formed in North Carolina that registers with Missouri files Form LLC 4 with $105 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Questions Missouri owners ask about North Carolina

Does my Missouri company need to register in North Carolina?

Yes, once a Missouri 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 $10 to Missouri for the Certificate of Good Standing, $462 in all (checkout is $253 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Missouri's certificate of good standing?

Yes: North Carolina wants it ($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 Missouri's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: 24-hour $100, same-day $200.

What are the yearly costs for Missouri and North Carolina?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), no Missouri yearly report and North Carolina's report ($200).

What if I don't register with North Carolina?

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

Will North Carolina accept my Missouri 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 Missouri keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Carolina's Annual Report ($203), and Missouri has no yearly report for the original.

How do I withdraw from North Carolina later?

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

Official sources

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