North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form L-09

South Dakota LLC Foreign Registration in North Carolina

An LLC formed in South Dakota that wants to do business in North Carolina files Form L-09, with $253 in state fees. North Carolina also asks for South Dakota's Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20), no older than 180 days. We file it with the Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division from your South Dakota records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

What South Dakota and North Carolina each ask for

	South Dakota formed here	North Carolina registering here
Document	South Dakota Certificate of Good Standing/Existence	Form L-09
State fee	$20	$253 at order (filing fee $250 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	South Dakota: online	Filed with North Carolina
Paid expedite		24-hour $100, same-day $200
Office	South Dakota Secretary of State	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
Official page	sosenterprise.sd.gov	sosnc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Name endings	'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, L.L.C. or LLC
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $55, every year	Annual Report, $200, every year
Due	During the entity's anniversary month each year	April 15
Agent	Your South Dakota registered agent	Our North Carolina registered agent

How South Dakota companies register with North Carolina

Order the South Dakota certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20) is ordered from South Dakota separately; it is not part of our North Carolina order. North Carolina counts 180 days from the day South Dakota issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form L-09
It lists us as your North Carolina registered agent, next to your South Dakota name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once South Dakota's certificate is in hand, North Carolina's filing goes in. Once North Carolina approves it, the South Dakota company can do business there.

North Carolina costs for South Dakota companies

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

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

Will your South Dakota name work for North Carolina?

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

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

Staying in good standing in South Dakota and North Carolina

Each year your LLC files South Dakota's Annual Report ($55) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($200). With our $149 registered agent renewal, South Dakota plus North Carolina comes to $404 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, South Dakota to North Carolina

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

The other way: North Carolina into South Dakota

An LLC formed in North Carolina that registers with South Dakota files South Dakota's registration (no form number) with $750 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10). See that filing.

Questions South Dakota owners ask about North Carolina

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

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

How much does it cost to register a South Dakota LLC in North Carolina?

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

Do I need South 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 South Dakota's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: 24-hour $100, same-day $200.

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

$404 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $55 to South Dakota and $200 to North Carolina for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with North Carolina?

A South 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 South Dakota registered agent stays, and ours covers North Carolina for year one.

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

How do I withdraw from North Carolina later?

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

Official sources

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