North Carolina calls its good standing document a Certificate of Existence. The Business Registration Division of the Department of the Secretary of State issues it. On the fee page for limited liability companies it is listed as a Certificate of Existence or Authorization.
This page covers the certificate and the filing that keeps it clean. For search, fees and contacts, see the North Carolina office guide.
The Certificate of Existence fee
The fee is $15. The table below shows the name and fee as the state lists them.
The Business Registration Division runs its searches and most filings through online business services on the NC SOS site. We did not confirm the exact page for certificate orders, so start there and call 919-814-5400 if the option is not clear. The office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Check the record first
Look the company up in the Business Registration search before you pay. Read the record and confirm the company has not been dissolved. A certificate shows the record as it stands on the day it is issued, so any problem on the record will show too.
The annual report keeps you in standing
The filing that matters most is the annual report. An LLC files by April 15 every year and pays $200. A business corporation pays $25 and files by the 15th day of the fourth month after its fiscal year ends. For a calendar year corporation that also lands on April 15.
The state did not list a late fee on the pages we checked. The real risk is dissolution. When a company has not filed within 60 days after the due date, the Secretary of State has grounds to dissolve it administratively. A dissolved company cannot show the standing a bank or another state is looking for.
If your company is behind
File every overdue annual report first. Then check the record again before you order the certificate. If the company has already been dissolved, ask the Business Registration Division how to reinstate it. The steps and fees for reinstatement were not in our sources, so do not rely on a figure you see elsewhere.
Who asks for North Carolina proof
Banks opening an account and lenders are the most frequent askers. Buyers of a business want one before closing. Another state may also ask for a recent certificate when a North Carolina company registers to do business there. Ask how old the certificate may be, then order close to that date.
Our certificate of good standing guide shows what other states call this document and what they charge.
Sources
- www.sosnc.gov/fees/by_title/_Business_Registration_limited_liability_companies: good standing certificate, certificate fee. Checked .