Out-of-State LLC

Out-of-State LLC › North Carolina

An out-of-state LLC in North Carolina

If your out-of-state LLC does business in North Carolina, it registers with the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division for a fee of $250.

Do you need to register?

That depends on what the LLC does in North Carolina, and North Carolina’s statute is the authority. The law behind it, from the state’s own sources: G.S. Chapter 57D, Article 7 (foreign LLCs). If the answer is not clear, a North Carolina attorney can say.

If you register: what to bring

Best 3 Foreign Registration Services in North Carolina (2026)

Handing the North Carolina registration to a service? In order of our preference.

  1. 1. Mainstay Filing $199 + the $250 state fee = $449; registered agent free for the first year, then $149 a year. Its North Carolina checkout showed $452 in total, including $3 in state processing charges (checked October 29, 2026).
  2. 2. NC Registered Agent.org $199 + the $250 state fee = $449; registered agent included for the first year, then $99 a year.
  3. 3. North Carolina Registered Agent.co $199 + the $250 state fee = $449; registered agent included for the first year, then $99 a year.

Service prices from each provider’s North Carolina page, read October 29, 2026. The state fee is the official figure below and is paid to the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division.

Where North Carolina sits

38th cheapest of 50 at $250, in the band $250 to $499. It is one of 36 states that want paper from the formation state.

North Carolina questions

Does an out-of-state LLC have to register in North Carolina?

North Carolina registers foreign LLCs through the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division. Whether your activity requires it is set by North Carolina’s statute, linked below; we do not offer one test for every state. If it does, the fee is $250.

What does an out-of-state LLC file in North Carolina?

Form L-09, Application for Certificate of Authority for Limited Liability Company, with Certificate of existence (or similar document, such as a certificate of good standing), no older than 180 days.

What does it keep up afterward?

Annual report (filed with the Secretary of State), $200 (due: april 15), and a registered agent in the state.

Sources