LLCs, corporations and partnerships formed elsewhere
Register an out-of-state business with North Carolina
We handle the application, the home-state certificate and the online filing, with rush options when a date is close.
You order
A few minutes of questions about the company and who signs.
We file
Form L-09 or Form B-09 goes online, with the rush option you chose.
Authority granted
Regular handling is listed at 5 to 10 business days; the rush options are faster.
To operate in North Carolina, an LLC formed elsewhere files Form L-09 with the Business Registration Division for $250, and a business corporation files Form B-09 for the same $250. The state lists 5 to 10 business days for regular handling. For $100 more it guarantees filing within 24 hours, and for $200 more, the same business day. Our work is covered by $199.
North Carolina calls the result a certificate of authority. Five kinds of entity register here, each on its own state form, and the speed option is a separate choice from the entity type.
- 24-hour and same-day state service available
- LLCs, corporations, nonprofits, LPs and LLPs
- NC registered agent available
Illustration only; your own certificate shows your company's details.
State of North Carolina
Certificate of Authority
- Company
- Sample Harbor LLC
- Formed in
- Delaware
- Issued by
- Secretary of State, Raleigh
With every filing
Rush service on request
The state's 24-hour option is $100 and same-day is $200. Choose one at checkout and we file with it.
Filed electronically
We file online, so nothing waits in the mail on its way to Raleigh.
Home papers ordered
We request the original certificate of existence, which must be under 6 months old, so it is fresh when the Division reads it.
Five entity types covered
LLCs, corporations, nonprofits, limited partnerships and registered LLPs each have their own state form. We use the right one.
Registered agent
Use ours, with a North Carolina office, or give us the agent you already have.
April 15 on your calendar
We tell you when your first annual report falls due so it does not surprise you.
From order to authority
Pick your form and speed
The form depends on what kind of entity you are. The speed depends on your deadline.
Give us the details
The company name exactly as its home state records it, where and how it was formed, principal office, officials, and the signer. Choose our North Carolina registered agent, or name your own.
We order the certificate
An original certificate of existence under 6 months old, because North Carolina does not take photocopies.
We file online
The application, the certificate and the fee go to Raleigh. If you chose a rush option, it is added to the same filing.
Authority granted
You receive the certificate, and we note April 15 of the year after the certificate is issued as the date your first LLC report is due.
North Carolina registration at a glance
- Forms by entity
- LLC: Form L-09. Corporation: Form B-09. Nonprofit: Form N-09. Limited partnership: Form LP-04. Registered LLP: Form LLP-02.
- Where
- Business Registration Division
- State fee
- $250 for an LLC or corporation; $125 nonprofit; $50 limited partnership; $125 LLP
- Regular handling
- 5 to 10 business days
- Rush options
- $100 for 24 hours, $200 for same day (document in by 12:00 noon Eastern)
- Home-state proof
- An original certificate of existence under 6 months old (LLC, corporation and LLP)
- Ways to file
- online, mail or courier, in person in Raleigh
- After approval
- LLC annual report of $200 due April 15
Three speeds, one application
| Speed | Extra state fee | What the state commits to |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | Filing fee only | 5 to 10 business days is the Division's listed range |
| 24-hour | $100 | Filing within 24 hours after receipt, excluding weekends and holidays |
| Same day | $200 | Filing by the end of the same business day for a document received by noon Eastern |
A rush request is discharged whether the state files the document or sends it back, and no refund of the rush fee follows once processing has happened. A paper that arrives incomplete can therefore cost a rush fee and still come back. The price page shows the totals.
Every entity type with its rush totals
| Entity type | Form | State fee | With 24-hour | With same-day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LLC | Form L-09 | $250 | $350 | $450 |
| Business corporation | Form B-09 | $250 | $350 | $450 |
| Foreign nonprofit | Form N-09 | $125 | $225 | $325 |
| Foreign limited partnership (LLLPs too) | Form LP-04 | $50 | $150 | $250 |
| Foreign registered LLP | Form LLP-02 | $125 | $225 | $325 |
All figures are state charges. A credit card adds a $3 electronic fee, and an ACH payment adds $2.
When North Carolina wants you registered
No foreign entity can transact business in North Carolina before the certificate is issued. The statute does not define transacting business directly. It excludes 11 activities, among them defending a lawsuit, internal meetings, a bank account, orders accepted outside the state, a one-time deal finished within 6 months and owning property, and says the list is not complete (G.S. 57D-7-01(b)). The when to register page goes through the cases. The Secretary of State's own guidance tells companies to decide with their lawyers, so we do not rule on your facts.
Late is expensive, and it compounds
Operating in the state without the certificate leaves an entity liable for the fees and taxes registration would have generated, along with interest and penalties, and for a civil penalty of $10 a day up to $1,000 for each year. Its own lawsuits are also at risk once trial begins. Rush filing is the quick cure, and the late registration page explains the statute.
The yearly report
An LLC with the certificate files an annual report for $200, due April 15, from the year after the certificate issues. A business corporation's annual report is $25 on paper, and $21 online with the card fee. The April 15 page covers the dates and the process the state follows when a report is late.
Agent questions, DIY and exits
The registered agent page covers who may serve and what a change costs, $5. If you want to file yourself, the DIY page walks through the online and paper routes. Withdrawal takes Form L-14 for $10. Delaware and Wyoming companies have their own pages: Delaware LLCs and Wyoming LLCs.
Partnerships, nonprofits and professional entities
A foreign nonprofit uses Form N-09, and asks whether the corporation has members. A foreign limited partnership uses Form LP-04, which lists general partners and keeps limited partners' details in a list. A foreign registered LLP uses Form LLP-02, which states a fiscal year end. Professional entities add licensing steps of their own through the relevant North Carolina licensing board.
Why the entity type comes before the speed
The five state forms differ in their fees, in what they attach and in who signs, and a rush fee spent on a wrong form is gone. An LLC and a business corporation both pay $250 but file different forms, and a nonprofit pays half of that on yet another. Begin with the form that fits the entity as it exists in its home state, then decide how much of a hurry you are in.
A rush filing, hour by hour
Suppose a Delaware LLC needs proof of authority by Friday. On Monday the certificate is ordered, and when it arrives we prepare the application and send it online. If it reaches the Division before 12:00 noon Eastern with the same-day option, the state guarantees a filing or a rejection by the end of that business day. With the 24-hour option, it guarantees one within 24 hours, weekends and holidays excluded. Either way the outcome is a decision on a correct document, and the point of the preparation is that the decision be a filing.
What a rush cannot fix
Paying for speed does not repair a missing attachment, an unsigned page, an unlisted signer, a registered office outside North Carolina or a replacement name with no resolution behind it. The state answers all of those with a rejection, and a rejection discharges the rush request. Nor does it speed up your home state in issuing the certificate. When the deadline is firm, work in this order: the certificate first, the form second, the rush last.
Registered agent: first year included, then $149 a year
$199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Fixed fee, state fees at cost
- The state form for your entity type, completed from your answers
- An original certificate of existence from your home state, requested for you
- Filed electronically with the Business Registration Division in Raleigh
- A North Carolina registered agent: ours, or the one you pick
- Your issued certificate and the date of your first April 15 report
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
State filing fees and any rush option are charged at cost and listed apart from our fee. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
North Carolina registration questions
How fast can a foreign LLC be registered in North Carolina?
The Division lists 5 to 10 business days for regular handling. Choosing 24-hour filing adds $100; choosing same-day filing adds $200 provided the document is in Raleigh by 12:00 noon Eastern.
What is the total if I want same-day service?
For an LLC, $250 plus $200, which is $450 in state charges.
Does North Carolina accept a copy of my home certificate?
No. Raleigh needs the authenticated original, dated within the last 6 months. Copies are turned away.
Can I file online?
The state accepts filings online, mail or courier, in person in Raleigh. An online credit card payment adds $3.
Does a rush filing guarantee approval?
It guarantees action. The state either files the document or tells the filer it is rejected, and either one satisfies the rush request.
Who can be my registered agent?
Someone living in North Carolina, a company organized here, or an out-of-state company that is authorized to operate here, at a street address in the state.
Is there a yearly fee?
For an LLC, the annual report is $200, due April 15.
What if my company name is taken in North Carolina?
The application states the name you want to use instead, and a managers' or directors' resolution adopting it is attached.
Can I register a nonprofit or a partnership through you?
Yes, by email. Expect $125 for the nonprofit form, $50 for the limited partnership form and $125 for the registered LLP form.
What does a business corporation pay for its annual report?
$21 online, or $25 if mailed. The date follows the fiscal year: the 15th day of the 4th month after the fiscal year ends.
Can the effective date be set later?
Yes, as late as 90 days after filing. If you leave the time out, the filing is effective at 11:59:59 p.m..
What happens if a payment does not clear?
The state charges $35 for a returned check or an online payment that fails.
How much is a new registered agent filing?
$5 on Form BE-06.
What does reinstatement after revocation cost?
Returning takes Form L-09A and $450, made up of the application fee and an annual report.
What does it cost to leave?
A certificate of withdrawal for an LLC is $10, and a corporation pays $25.
State sources
- North Carolina Secretary of State, LLC fee schedule
- Form L-09, Application for Certificate of Authority (LLC)
- North Carolina Secretary of State, Business Registration fees (nonprofit, LLP, expedite, payment fees)
- North Carolina Secretary of State, Business Registration forms
- North Carolina Secretary of State, Business Registration Division (turn-around times)
- North Carolina Secretary of State, Business Registration forms list (nonprofit, LP and LLP forms)
- North Carolina Secretary of State, annual report due dates
- North Carolina Secretary of State, business corporation fee schedule
- North Carolina Secretary of State, Register a Foreign Business: requirements
- North Carolina Secretary of State, limited partnership fee schedule
- North Carolina Secretary of State, Register a Foreign Business
- N.C. Gen. Stat. 57D-7-01 (authority to transact business)
- N.C. Gen. Stat. 57D-7-02 (transacting business without authority)
- N.C. Gen. Stat. 57D-7-20 (withdrawal of a foreign LLC)
- North Carolina Secretary of State, Register a Foreign Business: maintaining registration
- Form L-09A, Application for Certificate of Authority Following Administrative Revocation (LLC)
Need to be registered in North Carolina soon?
Order online, choose a rush option if you need one, and we prepare and file the application.