North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form DSCB:15-412

North Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in Pennsylvania

To do business in Pennsylvania, an LLC formed in North Carolina registers there on Form DSCB:15-412, with $250 in state fees. Pennsylvania asks nothing of North Carolina here, not even the Certificate of Existence. We file it with the Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations using your North Carolina records and act as your registered office there for the first year.

What North Carolina and Pennsylvania each ask for

	North Carolina formed here	Pennsylvania registering here
Document	North Carolina Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Form DSCB:15-412, Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$10	$250 at order
How it is handled	North Carolina: online as a downloadable electronic certified document, or on paper	Filed with Pennsylvania
Paid expedite		same-day $100, 3-hour $300, 1-hour $1,000
Office	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations
Official page	sosnc.gov	pa.gov
Name endings	limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC	the term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $203, every year	Annual Report, $7, every year
Due	April 15	September 30
Agent	Your North Carolina registered agent	Our Pennsylvania registered office

How North Carolina companies register with Pennsylvania

We prepare and file Form DSCB:15-412
It lists us as your Pennsylvania registered office, next to your North Carolina name and formation date. Nothing has to come from North Carolina first, so the Pennsylvania filing can go in right away. Once Pennsylvania approves it, the North Carolina company can do business there.

Your North Carolina name and Pennsylvania's rules

Pennsylvania accepts your North Carolina name if it includes the term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state. North Carolina's list (limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC) is not the same, but an ending such as “limited liability company” works in both states. We search Pennsylvania's records for North Carolina's name on file before anything is filed.

Your Pennsylvania agent and the North Carolina one

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

Staying in good standing in North Carolina and Pennsylvania

Each year your LLC files North Carolina's Annual Report ($203) and Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7). With our $149 registered office renewal, North Carolina plus Pennsylvania comes to $359 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, North Carolina to Pennsylvania

A corporation formed in North Carolina files Form DSCB:15-412 with Pennsylvania ($250 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come North Carolina's Annual Report ($25) and Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Pennsylvania into North Carolina

An LLC formed in Pennsylvania that registers with North Carolina files Form L-09 with $253 in state fees, plus the Subsistence Certificate ($40) dated within 180 days. See that filing.

Questions North Carolina owners ask about Pennsylvania

Does my North Carolina company need to register in Pennsylvania?

Yes, once a North Carolina business operates there; Pennsylvania law lists 12 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the Pennsylvania registration cost?

$449 at checkout, with nothing to pay North Carolina.

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

No, Pennsylvania takes Form DSCB:15-412 without it.

What are the yearly costs for North Carolina and Pennsylvania?

$359 a year: our $149 registered office renewal, $203 to North Carolina and $7 to Pennsylvania for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Pennsylvania?

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

Does Pennsylvania require a registered agent?

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

Will Pennsylvania accept my North Carolina name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes the term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state; “limited liability company” works in both states.

Can I form a new Pennsylvania LLC instead?

Yes, but North Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7), and the original keeps North Carolina's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Pennsylvania later?

North Carolina companies leave by filing a Statement of Withdrawal of Foreign Registration; until then, Pennsylvania's report stays due alongside North Carolina's filings.

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