North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form L-09

New Hampshire LLC Foreign Registration in North Carolina

An LLC formed in New Hampshire that wants to do business in North Carolina files Form L-09, with $253 in state fees. North Carolina also asks for New Hampshire's Certificate of Good Standing ($5), no older than 180 days. We file it with the Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division using your New Hampshire records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

New Hampshire and North Carolina side by side

	New Hampshire formed here	North Carolina registering here
Document	New Hampshire Certificate of Good Standing	Form L-09
State fee	$5	$253 at order (filing fee $250 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	New Hampshire: online	Filed with North Carolina
Paid expedite		24-hour $100, same-day $200
Office	New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
Official page	quickstart.sos.nh.gov	sosnc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $102, every year	Annual Report, $200, every year
Due	April 1	April 15
Agent	Your New Hampshire registered agent	Our North Carolina registered agent

From New Hampshire to North Carolina, step by step

Order the New Hampshire certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($5) is ordered from New Hampshire separately; it is not part of our North Carolina order. It comes as a short form ($5) or a long form ($10). North Carolina counts 180 days from the day New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire name and formation date and the certificate attached. The New Hampshire certificate comes first; then the North Carolina filing goes in. Once North Carolina approves it, the New Hampshire company can do business there.

First-year cost, New Hampshire to North Carolina

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$253
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to New Hampshire	$5
Our service, with a year of North Carolina registered agent service	$199
First-year total, New Hampshire certificate included	$457

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

Your New Hampshire name and North Carolina's rules

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

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

Yearly filings: North Carolina and New Hampshire

Each year your LLC files New Hampshire's Annual Report ($102) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($200). With our $149 registered agent renewal, New Hampshire plus North Carolina comes to $451 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, New Hampshire to North Carolina

A corporation formed in New Hampshire files Form B-09 with North Carolina ($253 in state fees, the same). After that come New Hampshire's Annual Report ($100) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

The other way: North Carolina into New Hampshire

An LLC formed in North Carolina that registers with New Hampshire files Form FLLC-1 with $102 in state fees; no North Carolina certificate is needed. See that filing.

Common questions: New Hampshire to North Carolina

Does my New Hampshire company need to register in North Carolina?

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

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

$452 at checkout plus $5 to New Hampshire for the Certificate of Good Standing, $457 in all (checkout is $253 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need New Hampshire's certificate of good standing?

Yes: North Carolina wants it ($5), 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 New Hampshire's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: 24-hour $100, same-day $200.

What are the yearly costs for New Hampshire and North Carolina?

$451 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $102 to New Hampshire and $200 to North Carolina for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with North Carolina?

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

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

How do I withdraw from North Carolina later?

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

Official sources

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