professional corporations

We now offer online renewal for established PAs and PLLCs. You may not renew until you receive notification from our office. Once you do, the notice will contain your corporation number and PIN.

To renew your Professional Association or Professional Corporation, click here.

To renew your Professional Limited Liability Company, click here.

Once you renew and pay the fee, you may print your renewal certificate.

For information on forming a professional association or a professional limited liability company click on the appropriate link below.  To view the rules regarding Professional Corporations click here.

Whether doing this on your own or hiring an attorney to help, the following steps will be helpful in incorporating your practice. The information required for a certificate of licensure can be found here.

o Decide on the name you will use for the company.  Please note that the name must include your surname and may not include descriptive phrases.  (eg.  John Smith, D.D.S., P.L.L.C. can be used, while North Carolina Dental Associates, PLLC may not be used).

o Fax or email a written proposed name to the Board office once you have settled on your company name.  You must include punctuation EXACTLY as it will appear on the Articles of Organization.

o Our office will issue a package that will include a certification of licensure, an application for certificate of registration for a professional limited liability company, and the Board’s rules for companies in North Carolina.  The certification of licensure will need to be attached to the Articles of Organization and forwarded to the North Carolina Secretary of State.

o Once registered with The Secretary of State and the filed Articles of Organization have been returned, please forward a copy of the Articles, the application for certificate of registration for a professional limited liability company, and the $50 filing fee to our office within 10 business days from the date of filing with the Secretary of State’s office.

o Once all information is received, our office will forward a certificate of registration, which displays the professional limited liability company name and registration date.

Please note that professional limited liability companies fall under Statute 55B of the North Carolina General Statutes.  Please refer to the North Carolina General Assembly’s Website at www.ncga.state.nc.us for a copy.

For questions concerning filing with the North Carolina Secretary of State, please contact them at PO Box 29622  Raleigh, NC  27626-0622, Phone (919) 807-2000, or toll free at (888) 830-4989. Their website address is www.secstate.state.nc.us.

Can I receive a certificate of licensure to send to the Secretary of State if I am not sure of the corporation name I will be using?

No. The Secretary of State requires that the certificate you submit contains the exact name of the corporation before they will file Articles of Organization.

Is it necessary to use an attorney to form the corporation?

No.   You may form a professional limited liability company without the help of an attorney; however, many dentists choose to use an attorney to help determine which type of corporation best suits them.

My license is currently on a probationary status; can I still form a corporation?

Yes.   But please note that if your license is suspended or becomes inactive, you will no longer be able to keep the corporation in an active status.

What happens if I don’t submit the required information by the deadline?

If the information is not received in our office, we will send a letter to remind you that the professional limited liability company has not registered with the Board.  If you fail to respond, we will issue a final letter with a deadline.  If that deadline passes and you have failed to register with our office, the Secretary of State will be notified to suspend the professional limited liability company.

Are there fees that I must pay?

Yes, every year on the anniversary of the registration of the professional limited liability company, a renewal application will be sent, which must be completed and returned with a $25 fee by the end of the renewal month. Failure to renew will result in suspension of the professional limited liability company with the Secretary of State.

What if I already have a professional limited liability company, but want to add a member or change the name?

In order to change the name of the professional limited liability company, you must contact our office with the same information as for filing the professional limited liability company originally.  However, once you receive the filed Articles of Amendment, you need only submit a copy of them to our office.  There is no fee required.

The following is a list of information to have ready when contacting the Board office that will make your call more efficient: 

o The exact name of the professional limited liability company, including periods, commas and spaces.

o The license number of the dentist.

o The address where you want the materials to be sent.

o Any questions which you may have.

Whether doing this on your own, or through an attorney, the following steps will be helpful in incorporating a practice. The information required for a certificate of licensure can be found here.

o Decide on the name you will use for the corporation.  Please note that the name must include your surname and may not include descriptive phrases.  (eg.  John Smith, D.D.S., P.A. can be used, while North Carolina Dental Associates, PA may not be used).

o Fax or email a written proposed name to the Board office once you have settled on your company name.  You must include punctuation EXACTLY as it will appear on the Articles of Incorporation.

o Our office will issue a package that will include a certification of licensure, application for certificate of registration for a professional association and the Board’s rules for corporations in North Carolina.  The certification of licensure will need to be attached to the Articles of Incorporation and forwarded to the North Carolina Secretary of State.

o Once registered with Secretary of State and the filed Articles of Incorporation have been returned, please forward a copy of the Articles, the application for certificate of registration for a professional association, and the $50 filing fee to our office within 10 business days from the date of filing with the Secretary of State’s office.

o Once all information is received, our office will forward a certificate of registration, which displays the professional association name and registration date.

Please note that Professional Associations fall under Statute 55B of the General Statutes of North Carolina.  Please refer to the North Carolina General Assembly’s website at www.ncga.state.nc.us for a copy.

For questions concerning filing with the North Carolina Secretary of State please contact them at: PO Box 29622 Raleigh, NC 27626-0622, phone (919) 807-2000, or toll free at (888) 830-4989.  Their website address is www.secstate.state.nc.us.

Can I receive a certificate to send to the Secretary of State if I am not sure of the corporation name I will be using?

No. The Secretary of State requires that the certificate you submit contains the exact name of your corporation before they file the Articles of Incorporation.

Is it necessary that I use an attorney to form my corporation?

No. You may form your corporation without the help of an attorney; however, many dentists choose to use an attorney to help determine which type of corporation best suits them.

My license is currently on a probationary status; can I still form a corporation?

Yes, but please note that if your license is suspended or becomes inactive, you will no longer be able to keep the corporation in an active status.

What happens if I don’t submit the required information after the deadline?

If the information is not received in our office, we will send a letter to remind you that the corporation has not registered with the Board.  If you fail to respond to the letter, we will issue a final letter with a deadline. If the deadline passes and you have failed to register with our office, we will notify The Secretary of State to suspend your corporation.

Are there annual fees that I must pay?

Yes. Every year on the anniversary of registration with the Board, a renewal application will be sent, which you must complete and return with a $25 fee by the end of the renewal month.  Failure to do so will result in suspension of the corporation with the Secretary of State.

What if I already have a corporation, but want to add a partner or change the name of the corporation?

In order to change the name of the corporation, you must contact our office with the same information as for filing a corporation.  However, once you receive the filed Articles of Amendment from the Secretary of State’s office, you need only submit a copy of the Articles to our office.  There is no fee required.

The following is a list of information to have ready when contacting the Board office that will make your call more efficient: 

o The exact name of the professional association, including periods, commas, and spaces.

o The license number of the dentist.

o The address where you want the materials to be sent.

o  Any questions which you may have.