Go straight to the worksheet
Formation Math LLC service costs, worked out step by step.

Foreign registration worksheets · North Carolina

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in North Carolina (2026): Worked Prices

Result for North Carolina in 2026: North Carolina Registered Agent.co ($199), NC Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), in that order, among foreign registration services. Registration at North Carolina costs $250, identical in each row, and the services themselves total $397 to $497 across three years.
Worked by the Formation Math editorial team

↓ Sorted by: Rows follow a five-part score in which three-year total counts 42% and coverage 28%

Key results

State fee to register $250 sosnc.gov (checked October 2026) as the source
One-year range $199 Excludes the state
Three-year spread $397 to $497 First year + 2 renewals
Government total, 3 years $650 Does not depend on the row
First crossover Does not occur Rows keep their positions through year 10

North Carolina, ranked by value

Rows are sorted by the method. None of the rows includes the $250 state fee.

1
Wins on value

1. North Carolina Registered Agent.co: best for the smallest annual agent total

Year 1: $199. Year 2 on: $99.
Year-1 price $199
Price after year 1 $99/yr
Sum of 3 years $397

North Carolina Registered Agent.co comes out on top. Working: $199 beyond the state fee, year-one agent included, then $99 a year.

A lower three-year total than Mainstay Filing puts it first, because cost is the heaviest term.

The price buys

  • Registration handled start to finish
  • Year-one agent service

Adds up

  • $199 for the registration
  • Agent included to start
  • Agent renews at $99

Does not add up

  • North Carolina only, so the home state needs its own agent
2
North Carolina only

2. NC Registered Agent.org: best for one added registration

Year 1: $199. Year 2 on: $99.
Year-1 price $199
Price after year 1 $99/yr
Sum of 3 years $397

NC Registered Agent.org is row 2: $199 beyond the state fee, year-one agent included, then $99 a year.

No difference in price from North Carolina Registered Agent.co.

The price buys

  • Registration handled start to finish
  • Year-one agent service

Adds up

  • $199 for the registration
  • Agent renews at $99
  • Agent included to start

Does not add up

  • North Carolina only, so the home state needs its own agent
3
Works in all 50

3. Mainstay Filing: best for companies still growing

Year 1: $199. Year 2 on: $149.
Year-1 price $199
Price after year 1 $149/yr
Sum of 3 years $497

Row 3 belongs to Mainstay Filing because $199 over North Carolina's own fee, followed by $149 a year for the agent.

North Carolina Registered Agent.co is $100 lower across three years, which is enough to rank ahead.

Year one has no agent charge; after that it is $149 a year.

The price buys

  • Filing delivered to the state
  • Registered agent with no charge in year one
  • Valid in all fifty states

Adds up

  • Service charge of $199
  • Registered agent costs nothing in year one
  • One price in any state

Does not add up

  • North Carolina Registered Agent.co charges $50 less for the agent

Totals after 1, 2, 3 and 5 years

No. Provider Year 1 total Total at year 2 Total at year 3 Total at year 5
1 North Carolina Registered Agent.co $199 $298 $397 $595 Visit North Carolina Registered Agent.co Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 NC Registered Agent.org $199 $298 $397 $595 Visit NC Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 Mainstay Filing $199 $348 $497 $795 Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Service fees only, using each company's prices as read on November 13, 2026. None of the rows cross in ten years.

Break-even check

The calculator adds year one and the renewals for every row once you choose the years.

After 3 years, the totals are North Carolina Registered Agent.co $397, NC Registered Agent.org $397, Mainstay Filing $497. The least spent: North Carolina Registered Agent.co.

The state's side of the math, North Carolina

Term Value Where it comes from
Cost to register $250 sosnc.gov (checked October 2026) as the source
Annual report $200 sosnc.gov (checked October 2026) as the source
State side, 3 years $650 Adds the rows above

Working: filing fee, plus the recurring report in years two and three, plus any minimum tax. The sum is the three-year state line.

The working behind North Carolina

North Carolina Registered Agent.co scored above NC Registered Agent.org on three-year total, a 42% term.

North Carolina Registered Agent.co wins the cost term at $397 over three years, against $100 more for Mainstay Filing.

North Carolina foreign LLC registration fee and rules, from the source

North Carolina wants an LLC formed elsewhere to register before it does business there. The filing is the Application for Certificate of Authority for Limited Liability Company (Form L-09), sent to the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division with $250. It requires certificate of existence (or similar document, such as a certificate of good standing) at most 180 days.

An unregistered LLC may face it cannot sue in North Carolina before registering (G.S. 57D-7-02(a)); an added daily penalty of $10; back fees on top.

Quoted from: sosnc.gov (checked October 2026) as the source

The state-fees-only case

Skip the service and North Carolina still collects $650 across three years while you handle every form. The services charge $397 to $497 for that work.

Questions

How much does North Carolina take to register an out-of-state LLC?

$250 as the official fee, plus a service fee of $199.

What do the services add up to over three years?

$397 to $497 in service fees, with state fees on top.

Which form does the registering?

The form is Application for Certificate of Authority for Limited Liability Company (Form L-09), and the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division receives it.

Does North Carolina ask for a paper from the home state?

Yes, and it must be under 180 days old: certificate of existence (or similar document, such as a certificate of good standing).

What recurring filing comes after registration?

The annual report, which costs $200.

In what year does one service pass another in total cost?

The rows do not cross in the first ten years.

Which foreign registration service is best value in North Carolina?

By the five-part score the North Carolina rows run North Carolina Registered Agent.co, NC Registered Agent.org and Mainstay Filing, led by North Carolina Registered Agent.co on three-year total.

Keep working

Foreign registration worksheets, all 50 states Best foreign registration services overall The method

Inputs and sources

  1. Check North Carolina Department of the at sosnc.gov; last read August 2026.
  2. Check North Carolina Department of the at sosnc.gov; last read August 2026.
  3. Check North Carolina report due date at ncleg.gov; last read August 2026.
  4. Check N.C at sosnc.gov; last read August 2026.
  5. Check North Carolina formation fee: Filing at sosnc.gov; last read October 2026.
  6. Check North Carolina formation fee: Filing at sosnc.gov; last read October 2026.
  7. Check North Carolina registered agent statute at sosnc.gov; last read October 2026.
  8. Check North Carolina Secretary of State at sosnc.gov; last read October 2026.
  9. Check Form L-09, Application for Certificate at sosnc.gov; last read October 2026.
  10. Check Secretary of State guide to at sosnc.gov; last read October 2026.
  11. Check G.S at ncleg.gov; last read October 2026.
  12. Check Annual report due dates at sosnc.gov; last read October 2026.
  13. Check N.C at ncleg.gov; last read November 2026.
  14. November 13, 2026 copy of the North Carolina Registered Agent.co pricing page
  15. November 13, 2026 copy of the NC Registered Agent.org pricing page
  16. November 13, 2026 copy of the Mainstay Filing North Carolina service page