North Carolina

Foreign registration · no form number

North Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in Massachusetts

An LLC formed in North Carolina that wants to do business in Massachusetts files a paper registration (no form number), with $520 in state fees. Massachusetts also wants North Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), dated within 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division from your North Carolina records, then serve as your resident agent there for year one.

North Carolina and Massachusetts side by side

	North Carolina formed here	Massachusetts registering here
Document	North Carolina Certificate of Existence	Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$10	$520 at order (filing fee $500 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	North Carolina: online as a downloadable electronic certified document, or on paper	Filed on Massachusetts's paper form
Paid expedite		$20
Office	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division
Official page	sosnc.gov	sec.state.ma.us
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $203, every year	Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $500, every year
Due	April 15	On or before the anniversary date of registration to do business in Massachusetts
Agent	Your North Carolina registered agent	Our Massachusetts resident agent

How North Carolina companies register with Massachusetts

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

First-year cost, North Carolina to Massachusetts

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$520
Certificate of Existence, paid to North Carolina	$10
Our service, with a year of Massachusetts resident agent service	$199
First-year total, North Carolina certificate included	$729

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

Your North Carolina name and Massachusetts's rules

Massachusetts can hold a name for $30 before you file.

Your Massachusetts agent and the North Carolina one

Massachusetts calls it a resident agent; North Carolina says registered agent. Massachusetts papers come to us; North Carolina's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in North Carolina and Massachusetts

Each year your LLC files North Carolina's Annual Report ($203) and Massachusetts's Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($500). With our $149 resident agent renewal, North Carolina plus Massachusetts comes to $852 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

The other way: Massachusetts into North Carolina

An LLC formed in Massachusetts that registers with North Carolina files Form L-09 with $253 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25) dated within 180 days. See that filing.

Questions North Carolina owners ask about Massachusetts

Does my North Carolina company need to register in Massachusetts?

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

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

$719 at checkout plus $10 to North Carolina for the Certificate of Existence, $729 in all (checkout is $520 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts?

$852 a year: our $149 resident agent renewal, $203 to North Carolina and $500 to Massachusetts for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Massachusetts?

A North Carolina company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Massachusetts can add a civil penalty of up to $500.

Does Massachusetts require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Massachusetts LLC instead?

Yes, but North Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520), and the original keeps North Carolina's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Massachusetts later?

North Carolina companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal ($100); until then, Massachusetts's report stays due alongside North Carolina's filings.

Official sources

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