North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form 635_0010

North Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in Iowa

Iowa registers an LLC from North Carolina as a foreign LLC on Form 635_0010, with $100 in state fees. Iowa also wants North Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), dated within 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Services using your North Carolina records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

North Carolina and Iowa side by side

	North Carolina formed here	Iowa registering here
Document	North Carolina Certificate of Existence	Form 635_0010, Limited Liability Company Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$10	$100 at order
How it is handled	North Carolina: online as a downloadable electronic certified document, or on paper	Filed with Iowa
Paid expedite		5-business-day $15, 2-business-day $50
Office	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division	Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	sosnc.gov	sos.iowa.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $203, every year	Biennial Report, $30, every two years
Due	April 15	April 1 of odd-numbered years
Agent	Your North Carolina registered agent	Our Iowa registered agent

How North Carolina companies register with Iowa

Order the North Carolina certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from North Carolina separately; it is not part of our Iowa order. Iowa accepts it within 90 days of North Carolina's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form 635_0010
It names us as your Iowa registered agent, with your North Carolina name and formation date and the certificate attached. The North Carolina certificate comes first; then the Iowa filing goes in. Once Iowa approves it, the North Carolina company can do business there.

First-year cost, North Carolina to Iowa

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$100
Certificate of Existence, paid to North Carolina	$10
Our service, with a year of Iowa registered agent service	$199
First-year total, North Carolina certificate included	$309

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

Will your North Carolina name work for Iowa?

If another Iowa company uses the North Carolina name, an alternate name is allowed. We check your exact North Carolina name against Iowa's records before filing.

Your Iowa agent and the North Carolina one

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

Staying in good standing in North Carolina and Iowa

North Carolina wants the Annual Report every year ($203); Iowa wants the Biennial Report every two years ($30). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, North Carolina to Iowa

A corporation formed in North Carolina files Form 635_0110A with Iowa ($100 in state fees, the same). After that come North Carolina's Annual Report ($25) and Iowa's Biennial Report ($60). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Iowa into North Carolina

An LLC formed in Iowa that registers with North Carolina files Form L-09 with $253 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($5) dated within 180 days. See that filing.

Common questions: North Carolina to Iowa

Does my North Carolina company need to register in Iowa?

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

How much does the Iowa registration cost?

$299 at checkout plus $10 to North Carolina for the Certificate of Existence, $309 in all (checkout is $100 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: Iowa wants North Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), no more than 90 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for North Carolina and Iowa?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), North Carolina's report ($203) and Iowa's report ($30, every two years).

What if I don't register with Iowa?

A North Carolina company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does Iowa require a registered agent?

Yes: the North Carolina registered agent stays, and ours covers Iowa for year one.

Will Iowa accept my North Carolina name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its North Carolina name at home.

Can I form a new Iowa LLC instead?

Yes, but North Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Iowa's Biennial Report ($30), and the original keeps North Carolina's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Iowa later?

North Carolina companies leave by filing a Statement of Withdrawal ($10); until then, Iowa's report stays due alongside North Carolina's filings.

Official sources

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