North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form L-09

Wisconsin LLC Foreign Registration in North Carolina

North Carolina registers an LLC from Wisconsin as a foreign LLC on Form L-09, with $253 in state fees. North Carolina also asks for Wisconsin's Certificate of Status ($10), no older than 180 days. We file it with the Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division using your Wisconsin records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Wisconsin and North Carolina side by side

	Wisconsin formed here	North Carolina registering here
Document	Wisconsin Certificate of Status	Form L-09
State fee	$10	$253 at order (filing fee $250 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Wisconsin: online, emailed as soon as it is requested	Filed with North Carolina
Paid expedite		24-hour $100, same-day $200
Office	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
Official page	dfi.wi.gov	sosnc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5), $25, every year	Annual Report, $200, every year
Due	End of the calendar quarter containing the LLC's anniversary date	April 15
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Standard processing: 5 to 10 business days
Agent	Your Wisconsin registered agent	Our North Carolina registered agent

How Wisconsin companies register with North Carolina

Order the Wisconsin certificate
The Certificate of Status ($10) is ordered from Wisconsin separately; it is not part of our North Carolina order. An instant Wisconsin certificate reaches North Carolina only hours old, well inside the limit of 180 days.
We prepare and file Form L-09
It names us as your North Carolina registered agent, with your Wisconsin name and formation date and the certificate attached. Wisconsin issues the certificate instantly, so the North Carolina filing can go in the same day. Once North Carolina approves it, the Wisconsin company can do business there.

North Carolina costs for Wisconsin companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$253
Certificate of Status, paid to Wisconsin	$10
Our service, with a year of North Carolina registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Wisconsin certificate included	$462

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

Your Wisconsin name and North Carolina's rules

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

Agents: North Carolina and Wisconsin

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

Yearly filings: North Carolina and Wisconsin

Each year your LLC files Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($25) and North Carolina's Annual Report ($200). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Wisconsin plus North Carolina comes to $374 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Wisconsin to North Carolina

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

The other way: North Carolina into Wisconsin

An LLC formed in North Carolina that registers with Wisconsin files Form 521 with $100 in state fees; no North Carolina certificate is needed. See that filing.

Common questions: Wisconsin to North Carolina

Does my Wisconsin company need to register in North Carolina?

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

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

$452 at checkout plus $10 to Wisconsin for the Certificate of Status, $462 in all (checkout is $253 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Wisconsin's certificate of good standing?

Yes: North Carolina wants Wisconsin's Certificate of Status ($10), 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; Wisconsin'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 Wisconsin and North Carolina?

$374 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $25 to Wisconsin and $200 to North Carolina for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with North Carolina?

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

Will North Carolina accept my Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Carolina's Annual Report ($203), and the original keeps Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5).

How do I withdraw from North Carolina later?

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

Official sources

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