North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form L-09

Pennsylvania LLC Foreign Registration in North Carolina

To do business in North Carolina, an LLC formed in Pennsylvania registers there on Form L-09, with $253 in state fees. North Carolina also asks for Pennsylvania's Subsistence Certificate ($40), no older than 180 days. We file it with the Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division using your Pennsylvania records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Pennsylvania vs North Carolina: the paperwork

	Pennsylvania formed here	North Carolina registering here
Document	Pennsylvania Subsistence Certificate	Form L-09
State fee	$40	$253 at order (filing fee $250 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Pennsylvania: online through Business Filing Services, or by mail on the copy and certificate request form	Filed with North Carolina
Paid expedite		24-hour $100, same-day $200
Office	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
Official page	file.dos.pa.gov	sosnc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Name endings	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, L.L.C. or LLC
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $7, every year	Annual Report, $200, every year
Due	September 30	April 15
Agent	Your Pennsylvania registered office	Our North Carolina registered agent

From Pennsylvania to North Carolina, step by step

Order the Pennsylvania certificate
The Subsistence Certificate ($40) is ordered from Pennsylvania separately; it is not part of our North Carolina order. North Carolina accepts it within 180 days of Pennsylvania's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form L-09
It names us as your North Carolina registered agent, with your Pennsylvania name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once Pennsylvania's certificate is in hand, North Carolina's filing goes in. Once North Carolina approves it, the Pennsylvania company can do business there.

First-year cost, Pennsylvania to North Carolina

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$253
Subsistence Certificate, paid to Pennsylvania	$40
Our service, with a year of North Carolina registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Pennsylvania certificate included	$492

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

Your Pennsylvania name and North Carolina's rules

North Carolina accepts your Pennsylvania name if it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC. Pennsylvania's list (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) 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.

Your North Carolina agent and the Pennsylvania one

North Carolina calls it a registered agent; Pennsylvania says registered office. Your current registered office stays for Pennsylvania; ours takes North Carolina's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in Pennsylvania and North Carolina

Each year your LLC files Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($200). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Pennsylvania plus North Carolina comes to $356 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Pennsylvania to North Carolina

A corporation formed in Pennsylvania files Form B-09 with North Carolina ($253 in state fees, the same). After that come Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

Registering a North Carolina company in Pennsylvania

An LLC formed in North Carolina that registers with Pennsylvania files Form DSCB:15-412 with $250 in state fees; no North Carolina certificate is needed. See that filing.

Common questions: Pennsylvania to North Carolina

Does my Pennsylvania company need to register in North Carolina?

Yes, once a Pennsylvania 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 $40 to Pennsylvania for the Subsistence Certificate, $492 in all (checkout is $253 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Pennsylvania's certificate of good standing?

Yes: North Carolina wants Pennsylvania's Subsistence Certificate ($40), 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 Pennsylvania's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: 24-hour $100, same-day $200.

What are the yearly costs for Pennsylvania and North Carolina?

$356 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $7 to Pennsylvania and $200 to North Carolina for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with North Carolina?

A Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania registered office stays, and ours covers North Carolina for year one.

Will North Carolina accept my Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Carolina's Annual Report ($203), and the original keeps Pennsylvania's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from North Carolina later?

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

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