Rhode Island

North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form L-09

Rhode Island LLC Foreign Registration in North Carolina

To do business in North Carolina, an LLC formed in Rhode Island registers there on Form L-09, with $253 in state fees. North Carolina also asks for Rhode Island's Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22), no older than 180 days. We file it with the Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division using your Rhode Island records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Rhode Island and North Carolina each ask for

	Rhode Island formed here	North Carolina registering here
Document	Rhode Island Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing	Form L-09
State fee	$22	$253 at order (filing fee $250 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Rhode Island: online in about two business days, the same day in person, or in 5 to 7 business days by mail	Filed with North Carolina
Paid expedite		24-hour $100, same-day $200
Office	Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
Official page	sos.ri.gov	sosnc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632), $50, every year	Annual Report, $200, every year
Due	May 1	April 15
Turnaround	Certificate takes a few days	Standard processing: 5 to 10 business days
Agent	Your Rhode Island resident agent	Our North Carolina registered agent

From Rhode Island to North Carolina, step by step

Order the Rhode Island certificate
The Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22) is ordered from Rhode Island separately; it is not part of our North Carolina order. It comes as a short form ($22) or a long form ($30). With Rhode Island taking days and North Carolina counting 180 days from issue, the order is timed for both.
We prepare and file Form L-09
It names us as your North Carolina registered agent, with your Rhode Island name and formation date and the certificate attached. Allow for the days Rhode Island takes to send the certificate before the North Carolina filing goes in. Once North Carolina approves it, the Rhode Island company can do business there.

North Carolina costs for Rhode Island companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$253
Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Rhode Island	$22
Our service, with a year of North Carolina registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Rhode Island certificate included	$474

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

Will your Rhode Island name work for North Carolina?

North Carolina accepts your Rhode Island name if it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC. If the Rhode Island name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. North Carolina can hold a name for $10 before you file.

Agents: North Carolina and Rhode Island

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

Yearly filings: North Carolina and Rhode Island

Each year your LLC files Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632) ($50) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($200). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Rhode Island plus North Carolina comes to $399 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Rhode Island to North Carolina

A corporation formed in Rhode Island files Form B-09 with North Carolina ($253 in state fees, the same). After that come Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Corporation (Form 630) ($50) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

The other way: North Carolina into Rhode Island

An LLC formed in North Carolina that registers with Rhode Island files Form 450 with $156 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Questions Rhode Island owners ask about North Carolina

Does my Rhode Island company need to register in North Carolina?

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

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

$452 at checkout plus $22 to Rhode Island for the Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing, $474 in all (checkout is $253 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Rhode Island's certificate of good standing?

Yes: North Carolina wants it ($22), 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, plus a few days for Rhode Island's certificate before filing. Paid expedite: 24-hour $100, same-day $200.

What are the yearly costs for Rhode Island and North Carolina?

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

What if I don't register with North Carolina?

A Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island resident agent stays, and ours covers North Carolina for year one.

Will North Carolina accept my Rhode Island name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC.

Can I form a new North Carolina LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from North Carolina later?

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

Official sources

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