Texas

North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form L-09

Texas LLC Foreign Registration in North Carolina

To do business in North Carolina, an LLC formed in Texas registers there on Form L-09, with $253 in state fees. North Carolina also asks for Texas's Certificate of Fact - Status ($15), no older than 180 days. We file it with the Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division using your Texas records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Texas and North Carolina side by side

	Texas formed here	North Carolina registering here
Document	Texas Certificate of Fact - Status	Form L-09
State fee	$15	$253 at order (filing fee $250 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Texas: online through SOSPortal, usually within 10 minutes, as a download link that lasts 90 days	Filed with North Carolina
Paid expedite		24-hour $100, same-day $200
Office	Texas Secretary of State	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
Official page	sos.state.tx.us	sosnc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Name endings	limited liability company, limited company or an abbreviation of either	limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC
Yearly filing	Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report, fee set by the state, every year	Annual Report, $200, every year
Due	May 15 each year	April 15
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Standard processing: 5 to 10 business days
Agent	Your Texas registered agent	Our North Carolina registered agent

From Texas to North Carolina, step by step

Order the Texas certificate
The Certificate of Fact - Status ($15) is ordered from Texas separately; it is not part of our North Carolina order. An instant Texas certificate reaches North Carolina only hours old, well inside the limit of 180 days.
We prepare and file Form L-09
It lists us as your North Carolina registered agent, next to your Texas name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Texas issues the certificate instantly, so the North Carolina filing can go in the same day. Once North Carolina approves it, the Texas company can do business there.

First-year cost, Texas to North Carolina

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$253
Certificate of Fact - Status, paid to Texas	$15
Our service, with a year of North Carolina registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Texas certificate included	$467

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

Your Texas name and North Carolina's rules

North Carolina accepts your Texas name if it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC. Texas's list (limited liability company, limited company or an abbreviation of either) 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 Texas one

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

Staying in good standing in Texas and North Carolina

Texas wants the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report every year; North Carolina wants the Annual Report every year ($200). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Texas to North Carolina

A corporation formed in Texas files Form B-09 with North Carolina ($253 in state fees, the same). After that come Texas's Franchise Tax Report + Public Information Report (no fee) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

The other way: North Carolina into Texas

An LLC formed in North Carolina that registers with Texas files Form 304 with $767.13 in state fees and a $50 required expedite; no North Carolina certificate is needed. See that filing.

Common questions: Texas to North Carolina

Does my Texas company need to register in North Carolina?

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

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

$452 at checkout plus $15 to Texas for the Certificate of Fact - Status, $467 in all (checkout is $253 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Texas's certificate of good standing?

Yes: North Carolina wants Texas's Certificate of Fact - Status ($15), 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; Texas's certificate is an instant download, so there is no wait before filing. Paid expedite: 24-hour $100, same-day $200.

What are the yearly costs for Texas and North Carolina?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Texas's report (fee set by the state) and North Carolina's report ($200).

What if I don't register with North Carolina?

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

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

How do I withdraw from North Carolina later?

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

Official sources

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