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How to Get a Certificate of Good Standing in North Carolina

North Carolina calls it the Certificate of Existence and charges $15. Here is how to order it and what must be current first.

At a glance

Document name
Certificate of Existence
State fee
$15
Online ordering
Yes
Typical turnaround
Online: immediate through SOSNC Business Registration. Mail: 10-15 business days
Issuing office
North Carolina SOS ↗

How to order it

  1. Clear any past-due filings first. The North Carolina SOS will not issue a certificate while you have unpaid tax or an unfiled report. The state-specific requirements are in the points below.
  2. Order it online. Search your LLC in the North Carolina portal, request the certificate, and download it. Link in the table above.
  3. Pay the $15 fee. Pay by card at checkout. A small card surcharge usually applies.
  4. Use it inside the recipient's window. The certificate has no state expiration, but banks and other states usually want one dated within the last 30 to 90 days. Order it close to when you need it.
Full ordering details for North Carolina

North Carolina uses Certificate of Existence (for domestic) and Certificate of Authorization (for foreign). Order online through the SOSNC portal. N.C. Gen. Stat. 57D-1-22(c) prices the certificate at $10 for an electronic certificate and $15 for a paper one, so most filers ordering online can have it for $10. Certified copies of specific documents are a separate product at $15 plus $1 per page.

Processing and expedited tiers: Online: immediate through SOSNC Business Registration. Mail: 10-15 business days

Important to know about North Carolina

  • The NC LLC Annual Report ($200 by mail, $203 online by card or $202 by ACH, due April 15) is one of the highest annual-report fees in the country and must be current. The online difference is a non-refundable electronic filing fee, $3.00 on a credit card and $2.00 on ACH.
  • A well-known solicitation scam mails fake "Certificate of Existence" invoices for as much as $82. A legitimate NC Certificate of Existence is never more than $15 direct from the Secretary of State, and $10 for the electronic version.
  • For foreign-LLC filings INTO NC from another state, NC requires the home-state Certificate of Existence to be dated within 6 months of the foreign-qualification filing. This is stricter than the typical 30-90 day window.

Ordering this to register in another state?

A certificate of good standing from North Carolina is what the new state asks for when your North Carolina LLC registers to do business there. Pick the state you are expanding into to see its exact filing, fee, and process.

Find your state-to-state guide · Registering an out-of-state LLC into North Carolina instead?

Related guides

This page provides general information based on publicly available North Carolina Secretary of State requirements. It is not legal advice. Names, fees, and procedures can change. Verify with the North Carolina SOS before ordering.