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North Carolina LLC or an LLC from Wyoming, Delaware, Nevada?

Living in North Carolina and forming elsewhere means registering the LLC back in North Carolina as a foreign LLC, which costs $250 on top of the other state’s fees; forming in North Carolina costs $125.

The routes side by side

RouteFormation feeNorth Carolina foreign feeFees to startYearly filings, 2 years
Form in North Carolina$125Not needed$125$400
Form in Wyoming$100$250$350$520
Form in Delaware$110$250$360$1,200
Form in Nevada$425$250$675$1,100

Only state fees: formation, the foreign fee and two years of yearly filings. State income, franchise and gross-receipts taxes are separate, are not in these totals and are the same or similar on both routes.

Head-to-head pages

Best 3 Foreign Registration Services in North Carolina (2026)

If you go the foreign route, here is who files the North Carolina registration, in order.

1. Mainstay Filing

$199 + $250 state fee = $449

Registered agent free for the first year, then $149 a year. Its North Carolina checkout showed $452 in total on October 28, 2026, including $3 in state processing charges.

2. NC Registered Agent.org

$199 + $250 state fee = $449

Registered agent included for the first year, then $99 a year.

3. North Carolina Registered Agent.co

$199 + $250 state fee = $449

Registered agent included for the first year, then $99 a year.

Service prices read from each provider’s North Carolina page on October 28, 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.

North Carolina questions

Do I still register in North Carolina if I form in another state?

If the LLC does business in North Carolina, North Carolina generally expects it to register as a foreign LLC with the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division, for $250. That is what makes the second state an extra cost rather than a replacement.

What does it cost to form an LLC in North Carolina?

$125 in state fees.

Does the foreign registration repeat every year?

Annual report (filed with the Secretary of State), $200 (due: april 15).

Sources