North Carolina Certificate of Authority/Form L-09
North Carolina Form L-09, the LLC application
Form L-09 is North Carolina's Application for Certificate of Authority for Limited Liability Company, filed under G.S. 57D-7-03 with the Business Registration Division and a $250 fee. The package also needs an original certificate of existence issued by the formation state. We prepare Form L-09 for $199 plus the state fee, or follow the item notes below if you want to complete it yourself.
Form L-09 in brief
- Filed by
- An LLC from another state, before it operates in North Carolina
- State fee
- $250
- Attachment
- An original certificate of existence or similar document, authenticated, under 6 months old; no photocopy
- Signed by
- A company official who is listed in item 7
- Filing
- online, mail or courier, in person in Raleigh
- Handling
- 5 to 10 business days listed for entity filings; $100 for 24-hour and $200 for same-day service
- After issue
- Annual report April 15 of the year after the certificate is issued
The eleven items of Form L-09
| Item | Entry to make | How it fails |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Name | The LLC's name exactly as the home-state records show it, with its ending. If that name cannot be used in North Carolina, the name it wants to use here | A name that differs from the certificate of existence |
| 2. State or country | The jurisdiction whose law formed the LLC | Must agree with the certificate |
| 3. Principal office | Either the phone, street address and county of the principal office (and a mailing address if different), or a statement that there is no principal office | Giving a mailbox as the street address |
| 4. Registered agent | The agent's name | An agent who does not qualify |
| 5. Registered office | The street address and county of the North Carolina registered office | An address outside North Carolina |
| 6. Office mailing address | A North Carolina mailing address for the registered office, if mail does not go to the street address | Leaving it blank when mail goes to a box |
| 7. Company officials | Each current official with a title and business address; extra pages are allowed | A signer who is not listed |
| 8. Certificate | Attached: certificate of existence, authenticated, under six months old | A photocopy or a stale certificate |
| 9. Fictitious name | A copy of the managers' resolution adopting the name, if the LLC must use one here | Forgetting the resolution |
| 10. Email (optional) | A business email for the free filing notification | Using a personal address you do not read |
| 11. Effective date | Blank for effective on filing, or a later date or time | A delayed date more than 90 days out |
The form ends with the date, the name of the LLC, the signature of the company official and that person's printed name and title. The notes at the foot of the form give the fee and say the document must be filed with the Secretary of State.
The registered agent in items 4 to 6
The instructions say the agent must be a North Carolina resident, an existing domestic business corporation, nonprofit corporation or LLC, or a foreign one authorized here. Item 5 is the street address of the registered office, which must be in North Carolina, and item 6 gives a mailing address where mail would not reach the street address, a P.O. box included (the instructions allow it). The agent page lists the duties and the cost to change.
The certificate of existence in item 8
The form states the requirement on its face: a certificate of existence, or its home-jurisdiction equivalent, carrying the authentication of whoever has custody of LLC records in the state or country of formation, less than six months old, and not a photocopy. The statute adds that the certificate must be delivered with the completed application (G.S. 57D-7-03).
Professional services and the licensing board
The form carries its own warning: a foreign LLC that wants to render a professional service must also meet the North Carolina licensing board's requirements (G.S. 57D-2-02). The Secretary of State's certificate of authority does not replace that step, and a North Carolina business lawyer can confirm which board rules cover your profession.
Fee, payment and where to file
The fee is $250. Paper filings go to P.O. Box 29622, Raleigh, NC 27626-0622, with a check payable to the North Carolina Secretary of State, or can be delivered in person in Raleigh during the hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. Online payment adds a $3 card fee or a $2 ACH fee. Expedite is $100 for 24 hours or $200 for the same business day if the document is received by 12:00 noon Eastern.
Why Form L-09 filings are sent back
- The certificate of existence is a photocopy, older than 6 months, or not authenticated by the home-state official.
- The name on the application does not match the certificate and no fictitious name resolution is attached.
- The signer is not among the company officials listed in item 7.
- The registered office is outside North Carolina, or the agent does not qualify.
- A delayed effective date is more than 90 days after filing.
- The fee is short, or an expedited document arrives after the noon cut-off.
Having us file Form L-09
Place the order
Give the exact LLC name, home state, principal office and the official who will sign.
We check the name
And prepare a fictitious name resolution if North Carolina will not accept it.
We order the certificate
An original, under 6 months old on the filing date.
We complete all eleven items
With the registered agent and office.
The official signs
We email the finished form for signature and collect it.
We submit and follow up
With the $250 fee, and send you the certificate of authority.
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.
Form L-09 questions
Does an LLC need an officer to sign Form L-09?
It needs a company official listed in item 7. The instructions ask for the names, titles and usual business addresses of the current principal company officials, so list the managers, officers or members who run the company.
Does Form L-09 need to be notarized?
No notary is mentioned in the form or its instructions. The signer states the date and signs with a printed name and title.
Is Form L-09 the same as a North Carolina certificate of authority?
The form is the request for the certificate; approval by the Secretary of State produces the certificate itself.
Simple pricing
We file your certificate of authority
- Form L-09 for LLCs, Form B-09 for corporations
- The certificate of existence, ordered from the state where you formed
- Submission to the Business Registration Division
- Our North Carolina registered agent, or one you name
- Your issued certificate of authority, sent to you
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
$199
, plus the $250 state fee
Apply for my certificateState fees are charged at cost and listed on their own line at checkout. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Where these facts come from
- North Carolina Secretary of State, LLC fee schedule
- Form L-09, Application for Certificate of Authority (LLC)
- 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 fees (nonprofit, LLP, expedite, payment fees)
- 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, Register a Foreign Business
- N.C. Gen. Stat. 57D-7-03 (application for certificate of authority)
- North Carolina Secretary of State, Register a Foreign Business: requirements
Doing business in North Carolina?
Apply online today and we will prepare, submit and track your certificate of authority.