North Carolina

Foreign registration · no form number

North Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in South Dakota

To do business in South Dakota, an LLC formed in North Carolina registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South Dakota also wants North Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10). We file it with the Secretary of State from your North Carolina records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

North Carolina and South Dakota side by side

	North Carolina formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	North Carolina Certificate of Existence	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign LLC) (no form number)
State fee	$10	$750 at order
How it is handled	North Carolina: online as a downloadable electronic certified document, or on paper	Filed online with South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	sosnc.gov	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Name endings	limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC	'limited liability company', 'limited company', or one of the abbreviations L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC (limited may be written Ltd. and company Co.)
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $203, every year	Annual Report, $55, every year
Due	April 15	During the entity's anniversary month each year
Agent	Your North Carolina registered agent	Our South Dakota registered agent

How North Carolina companies register with South Dakota

Order the North Carolina certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from North Carolina separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. South Dakota wants the North Carolina certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your South Dakota registered agent, with your North Carolina name and formation date and the certificate attached. The North Carolina certificate comes first; then the South Dakota filing goes in. After approval, your North Carolina LLC is registered with South Dakota.

First-year cost, North Carolina to South Dakota

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Certificate of Existence, paid to North Carolina	$10
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, North Carolina certificate included	$959

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

Will your North Carolina name work for South Dakota?

South Dakota accepts your North Carolina name if it includes 'limited liability company', 'limited company', or one of the abbreviations L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC (limited may be written Ltd. and company Co.). 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. If another South Dakota company uses the North Carolina name, an alternate name is allowed. South Dakota can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Agents: South Dakota and North Carolina

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

Yearly filings: South Dakota and North Carolina

Each year your LLC files North Carolina's Annual Report ($203) and South Dakota's Annual Report ($55). With our $149 registered agent renewal, North Carolina plus South Dakota comes to $407 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, North Carolina to South Dakota

A corporation formed in North Carolina files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10)). After that come North Carolina's Annual Report ($25) and South Dakota's Annual Report. See the corporation filing.

Registering a South Dakota company in North Carolina

An LLC formed in South Dakota that registers with North Carolina files Form L-09 with $253 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20) dated within 180 days. See that filing.

Common questions: North Carolina to South Dakota

Does my North Carolina company need to register in South Dakota?

Yes, once a North Carolina business operates there; South Dakota law lists 10 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the South Dakota registration cost?

$949 at checkout plus $10 to North Carolina for the Certificate of Existence, $959 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: South Dakota wants North Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), current at filing.

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

South Dakota approves online filings immediately, once North Carolina's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: $50.

What are the yearly costs for North Carolina and South Dakota?

$407 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $203 to North Carolina and $55 to South Dakota for the yearly reports.

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will South Dakota 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. South Dakota names must include 'limited liability company', 'limited company', or one of the abbreviations L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC (limited may be written Ltd. and company Co.); “limited liability company” works in both states.

Can I form a new South Dakota LLC instead?

Yes, but North Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files South Dakota's Annual Report ($55), and the original keeps North Carolina's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from South Dakota later?

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

Official sources

People also search

LLC into South Dakota, by home state (48)

North Carolina into other states (47)

The same move for a corporation