North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form L-09

North Dakota LLC Foreign Registration in North Carolina

To do business in North Carolina, an LLC formed in North Dakota registers there on Form L-09, with $253 in state fees. North Carolina also wants North Dakota's Certificate of Good Standing ($20), dated within 180 days. We file it with the Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division from your North Dakota records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

North Dakota vs North Carolina: the paperwork

	North Dakota formed here	North Carolina registering here
Document	North Dakota Certificate of Good Standing	Form L-09
State fee	$20	$253 at order (filing fee $250 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	North Dakota: online	Filed with North Carolina
Paid expedite		24-hour $100, same-day $200
Office	North Dakota Secretary of State	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
Official page	firststop.sos.nd.gov	sosnc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Name endings	the words limited liability company, or LLC or L.L.C.	limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $50, every year	Annual Report, $200, every year
Due	November 15	April 15
Agent	Your North Dakota registered agent	Our North Carolina registered agent

From North Dakota to North Carolina, step by step

Order the North Dakota certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($20) is ordered from North Dakota separately; it is not part of our North Carolina order. North Carolina accepts it within 180 days of North Dakota's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form L-09
It lists us as your North Carolina registered agent, next to your North Dakota name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The North Dakota certificate comes first; then the North Carolina filing goes in. After approval, your North Dakota LLC is registered with North Carolina.

First-year cost, North Dakota to North Carolina

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$253
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to North Dakota	$20
Our service, with a year of North Carolina registered agent service	$199
First-year total, North Dakota certificate included	$472

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

Will your North Dakota name work for North Carolina?

North Carolina accepts your North Dakota name if it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC. North Dakota's list (the words limited liability company, or LLC or L.L.C.) is not the same, but an ending such as “limited liability company” works in both states. North Carolina can hold a name for $10 before you file.

Agents: North Carolina and North Dakota

North Dakota and North Carolina both call it a registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for North Dakota; ours takes North Carolina's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in North Dakota and North Carolina

Each year your LLC files North Dakota's Annual Report ($50) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($200). With our $149 registered agent renewal, North Dakota plus North Carolina comes to $399 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, North Dakota to North Carolina

A corporation formed in North Dakota files Form B-09 with North Carolina ($253 in state fees, the same). After that come North Dakota's Annual Report ($25) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

The other way: North Carolina into North Dakota

An LLC formed in North Carolina that registers with North Dakota files North Dakota's registration (no form number) with $135 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10). See that filing.

Questions North Dakota owners ask about North Carolina

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

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

How much does the North Carolina registration cost?

$452 at checkout plus $20 to North Dakota for the Certificate of Good Standing, $472 in all (checkout is $253 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: North Carolina wants it ($20), no more than 180 days old at filing.

How long does the North Carolina registration take?

North Carolina's standard processing takes 5 to 10 business days, once North Dakota's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: 24-hour $100, same-day $200.

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

$399 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $50 to North Dakota and $200 to North Carolina for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with North Carolina?

A North Dakota company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and North Carolina can add a penalty of $10 a day, up to $1,000 a year.

Does North Carolina require a registered agent?

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

Will North Carolina accept my North Dakota name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC; “limited liability company” works in both states.

Can I form a new North Carolina LLC instead?

Yes, but North Dakota keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Carolina's Annual Report ($203), and the original keeps North Dakota's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from North Carolina later?

North Dakota companies leave by filing Form L-14, Application for Certificate of Withdrawal ($10); until then, North Carolina's report stays due alongside North Dakota's filings.

Official sources

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