Once you have gone through the necessary steps in determining the availability of the entity, you are ready to put it into use. By properly filing the formation documents, (i.e., Articles of Incorporation, Articles of Organization or Application for Certificate of Authority) a domestic or foreign entity registers the business entity name with the Secretary of State’s Office. The filing of this document means that the chosen name is acceptable under the registration laws of North Carolina. It does not guarantee that the use of that name will not be challenged by someone who has been using a similar name and who asserts that the use of the name constitutes unfair competition.

We strongly recommend that you make sure you have received all of your final incorporation papers from the N.C. Department of the Secretary of State before you spend any money on supplies such as checks, stationery, signs or any other printed items.