North Carolina

Foreign registration · no form number

North Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in Delaware

An LLC formed in North Carolina that wants to do business in Delaware files a registration (no form number), with $200 in state fees. Delaware also wants North Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), dated within 180 days. We file it with the Department of State, Division of Corporations from your North Carolina records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

What North Carolina and Delaware each ask for

	North Carolina formed here	Delaware registering here
Document	North Carolina Certificate of Existence	Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (no form number)
State fee	$10	$200 at order
How it is handled	North Carolina: online as a downloadable electronic certified document, or on paper	Filed with Delaware
Paid expedite		24-hour $50, same-day $100, 2-hour $500, 1-hour $1,000
Office	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division	Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations
Official page	sosnc.gov	corp.delaware.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $203, every year	Annual LLC Tax, $300, every year
Due	April 15
Agent	Your North Carolina registered agent	Our Delaware registered agent

How North Carolina companies register with Delaware

Order the North Carolina certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from North Carolina separately; it is not part of our Delaware order. Delaware counts 180 days from the day North Carolina issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Delaware registered agent, next to your North Carolina name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The North Carolina certificate comes first; then the Delaware filing goes in. After approval, your North Carolina LLC is registered with Delaware.

First-year cost, North Carolina to Delaware

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$200
Certificate of Existence, paid to North Carolina	$10
Our service, with a year of Delaware registered agent service	$199
First-year total, North Carolina certificate included	$409

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

Your North Carolina name and Delaware's rules

Delaware can hold a name for 120 days for $75 before you file.

Your Delaware agent and the North Carolina one

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

Yearly filings: Delaware and North Carolina

Each year your LLC files North Carolina's Annual Report ($203) and Delaware's Annual LLC Tax ($300). With our $149 registered agent renewal, North Carolina plus Delaware comes to $652 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, North Carolina to Delaware

A corporation formed in North Carolina files its own registration with Delaware ($245 in state fees). After that come North Carolina's Annual Report ($25) and Delaware's Foreign Corporation Annual Report ($125). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Delaware into North Carolina

An LLC formed in Delaware that registers with North Carolina files Form L-09 with $253 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($50) dated within 180 days. See that filing.

Questions North Carolina owners ask about Delaware

Does my North Carolina company need to register in Delaware?

Yes, once a North Carolina business operates there; Delaware registers it as a foreign LLC.

How much does the Delaware registration cost?

$399 at checkout plus $10 to North Carolina for the Certificate of Existence, $409 in all (checkout is $200 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need North Carolina's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Delaware wants North Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), no more than 180 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for North Carolina and Delaware?

$652 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $203 to North Carolina and $300 to Delaware for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Delaware?

A North Carolina company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Delaware can add up to $200 for each year or part of a year.

Does Delaware require a registered agent?

Yes: the North Carolina registered agent stays, and ours covers Delaware for year one, with a street address there.

Can I form a new Delaware LLC instead?

Yes, but North Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Delaware's Annual LLC Tax ($400), and the original keeps North Carolina's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Delaware later?

North Carolina companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company; until then, Delaware's report stays due alongside North Carolina's filings.

Official sources

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