North Carolina Foreign Registration Wyoming LLCs
A Wyoming LLC registering in North Carolina
A Wyoming LLC that starts operating in North Carolina files Form L-09 for $250, or $350 with 24-hour filing, with an original Wyoming certificate under 6 months old. Wyoming's certificate carries no charge, and its report and license tax, $60 at the minimum, continues alongside North Carolina's $200 report.
What each state asks of the LLC
| Wyoming | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| What you file | Nothing more; the LLC already exists there | Form L-09, $250 |
| Speed options | Not at issue | Regular, $100 for 24 hours, $200 same day |
| Proof of existence | Issued at no charge | Original, under 6 months old |
| Yearly cost | $60 at the least, by the anniversary date | $200, due April 15 |
| Agent | A Wyoming agent | A North Carolina agent with a street office here |
The free certificate that has to be an original
Because Wyoming charges nothing, the certificate is the easiest part of the packet to get and the easiest to get wrong. Raleigh turns away copies of the certification, and it wants the document dated inside the last six months. A page printed from a screen, then photocopied for the file, will not do. Obtain the authenticated original and send it with the application.
Speed for a Wyoming LLC
With no fee for the certificate, the main variable is the state filing speed. Regular handling is listed at 5 to 10 business days. Choosing 24-hour filing adds $100, and same-day filing adds $200 when the Division has the document by 12:00 noon Eastern. The rush cannot repair a missing original certificate or an unlisted signer.
Wyoming details on Form L-09
The Wyoming name goes in with its ending, and Wyoming is named as the home jurisdiction. A Wyoming LLC run from a laptop can say it has no principal office at all, which the form allows. The agent and office are North Carolina's, never the Wyoming agent's. Whoever signs must be among the officials listed, and the certificate is attached last. The rest is on the Form L-09 page.
Counting both yearly bills
Wyoming bills its report and license tax, which starts at $60. From the year after authority issues, North Carolina also bills $200, due April 15. The North Carolina report is due whether or not the LLC did any business. Owners who picked Wyoming for low upkeep should price the second state before they register.
Wyoming and North Carolina deadlines
| Date | Duty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Anniversary of formation | Pay Wyoming's report and license tax | At least $60 |
| April 15 | North Carolina annual report | $200 |
| Sixty days after an agent or office moves | Notify North Carolina | $5 |
Registering a Wyoming LLC in North Carolina
Check Wyoming standing
The report and license tax are up to date.
Get the original certificate
Authenticated and under six months old.
Choose the agent
A North Carolina street address.
Pick the speed
Regular, $100 or $200.
File Form L-09
$250 plus any rush option.
Why the Wyoming advantage does not travel
Wyoming's low upkeep applies in Wyoming. When the LLC works in North Carolina, North Carolina's rules apply to that work, and its fees are the same for a Wyoming LLC as for any other: $250 to register and $200 a year after the first. An owner comparing a Wyoming LLC with a North Carolina LLC for a business that operates here should include both states' yearly costs for the foreign option. The Wyoming minimum of $60 is cheap, but it is added to the North Carolina report, not substituted for it.
Changing the Wyoming name or leaving later
When a Wyoming LLC takes a new name at home, its North Carolina certificate has to follow: the LLC files Form L-10 for $50, since a name change is one of the triggers for an amendment (G.S. 57D-7-04(a)). When the LLC stops working here, it files Form L-14 for $10 and may not withdraw until the certificate of withdrawal is issued (G.S. 57D-7-20(a)). Wyoming's own filings go on unchanged throughout.
Rush timing with a Wyoming certificate
The Wyoming certificate is free, which suits a same-day filing. The sequence is simple: obtain the authenticated original, complete the application with a listed official signing it, and get the document to the Division before 12:00 noon Eastern. The state fee for that speed is $450.
Wyoming LLC questions
Is registration cheaper for a Wyoming LLC?
No, every foreign LLC pays the same $250.
Can I file with a certificate printed from a website?
Not unless it is the authenticated original. A photocopy of the certification is not accepted.
What is the state total with same-day filing?
$450, which is $250 plus $200.
What does a Wyoming LLC pay to leave North Carolina later?
Form L-14 costs $10.
Do I need a North Carolina agent separate from my Wyoming agent?
Yes, unless the same agent is authorized here and keeps a North Carolina office.
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.
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
- Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division fee schedule
- North Carolina Secretary of State, Register a Foreign Business: maintaining registration
- N.C. Gen. Stat. 57D-7-04 (amended certificate of authority)
- N.C. Gen. Stat. 57D-7-20 (withdrawal of a foreign 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.