North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form L-09

New Jersey LLC Foreign Registration in North Carolina

North Carolina registers an LLC from New Jersey as a foreign LLC on Form L-09, with $253 in state fees. North Carolina also wants New Jersey's Standing Certificate ($50), dated within 180 days. We file it with the Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division using your New Jersey records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

New Jersey vs North Carolina: the paperwork

	New Jersey formed here	North Carolina registering here
Document	New Jersey Standing Certificate	Form L-09
State fee	$50	$253 at order (filing fee $250 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	New Jersey: online as an electronic certificate, or by mail, fax or in person	Filed with North Carolina
Paid expedite		24-hour $100, same-day $200
Office	New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services (DORES), Department of the Treasury	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
Official page	nj.gov	sosnc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Name endings	LTD Liability Co., LTD Liability Company, Limited Liability Co., Limited Liability Company or L.L.C.	limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $75, every year	Annual Report, $200, every year
Due	Last day of the LLC's anniversary month each year	April 15
Agent	Your New Jersey registered agent	Our North Carolina registered agent

From New Jersey to North Carolina, step by step

Order the New Jersey certificate
The Standing Certificate ($50) is ordered from New Jersey separately; it is not part of our North Carolina order. It comes as a short form ($50) or a long form ($100). North Carolina counts 180 days from the day New Jersey 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 Jersey name and formation date and the certificate attached. The New Jersey certificate comes first; then the North Carolina filing goes in. After approval, your New Jersey LLC is registered with North Carolina.

North Carolina costs for New Jersey companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$253
Standing Certificate, paid to New Jersey	$50
Our service, with a year of North Carolina registered agent service	$199
First-year total, New Jersey certificate included	$502

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

Will your New Jersey name work for North Carolina?

North Carolina accepts your New Jersey name if it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC. New Jersey's list (LTD Liability Co., LTD Liability Company, Limited Liability Co., Limited Liability Company or L.L.C.) is not the same, but an ending such as “limited liability company” works in both states. North Carolina can hold a name for $10 before you file.

Agents: North Carolina and New Jersey

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

Staying in good standing in New Jersey and North Carolina

Each year your LLC files New Jersey's Annual Report ($75) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($200). With our $149 registered agent renewal, New Jersey plus North Carolina comes to $424 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, New Jersey to North Carolina

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

Registering a North Carolina company in New Jersey

An LLC formed in North Carolina that registers with New Jersey files New Jersey's registration (no form number) with $100 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10). See that filing.

Common questions: New Jersey to North Carolina

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

Yes, once a New Jersey 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 Jersey LLC in North Carolina?

$452 at checkout plus $50 to New Jersey for the Standing Certificate, $502 in all (checkout is $253 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: North Carolina wants New Jersey's Standing Certificate ($50), 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 Jersey's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: 24-hour $100, same-day $200.

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

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

What if I don't register with North Carolina?

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

Will North Carolina accept my New Jersey name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC; “limited liability company” works in both states.

Can I form a new North Carolina LLC instead?

Yes, but New Jersey keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Carolina's Annual Report ($203), and the original keeps New Jersey's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from North Carolina later?

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

Official sources

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