North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form L-09

Virginia LLC Foreign Registration in North Carolina

An LLC formed in Virginia that wants to do business in North Carolina files Form L-09, with $253 in state fees. North Carolina also asks for Virginia's Certificate of Fact of Existence/Registration ($6), no older than 180 days. We file it with the Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division from your Virginia records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

What Virginia and North Carolina each ask for

	Virginia formed here	North Carolina registering here
Document	Virginia Certificate of Fact of Existence/Registration	Form L-09
State fee	$6	$253 at order (filing fee $250 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Virginia: online as an instant PDF from the Clerk's Information System	Filed with North Carolina
Paid expedite		24-hour $100, same-day $200
Office	Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
Official page	scc.virginia.gov	sosnc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Yearly filing	Annual Registration Fee, $50, every year	Annual Report, $200, every year
Due	Last day of the LLC's anniversary month	April 15
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Standard processing: 5 to 10 business days
Agent	Your Virginia registered agent	Our North Carolina registered agent

From Virginia to North Carolina, step by step

Order the Virginia certificate
The Certificate of Fact of Existence/Registration ($6) is ordered from Virginia separately; it is not part of our North Carolina order. Ordered from Virginia on filing day, it easily meets North Carolina's limit of 180 days.
We prepare and file Form L-09
It lists us as your North Carolina registered agent, next to your Virginia name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Virginia issues the certificate instantly, so the North Carolina filing can go in the same day. Once North Carolina approves it, the Virginia company can do business there.

First-year cost, Virginia to North Carolina

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$253
Certificate of Fact of Existence/Registration, paid to Virginia	$6
Our service, with a year of North Carolina registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Virginia certificate included	$458

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

Your Virginia name and North Carolina's rules

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

Agents: North Carolina and Virginia

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

Yearly filings: North Carolina and Virginia

Each year your LLC files Virginia's Annual Registration Fee ($50) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($200). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Virginia plus North Carolina comes to $399 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Virginia to North Carolina

A corporation formed in Virginia files Form B-09 with North Carolina ($253 in state fees, the same). After that come Virginia's Annual Report + Annual Registration Fee ($50) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

Registering a North Carolina company in Virginia

An LLC formed in North Carolina that registers with Virginia files Form LLC1052 with $100 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within one year. See that filing.

Questions Virginia owners ask about North Carolina

Does my Virginia company need to register in North Carolina?

Yes, once a Virginia 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 $6 to Virginia for the Certificate of Fact of Existence/Registration, $458 in all (checkout is $253 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Virginia's certificate of good standing?

Yes: North Carolina wants Virginia's Certificate of Fact of Existence/Registration ($6), 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; Virginia'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 Virginia and North Carolina?

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

What if I don't register with North Carolina?

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

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

How do I withdraw from North Carolina later?

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

Official sources

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