North Carolina Secretary of State NC Constitutional Documents Constitutional Matters

Emergency Video Notarization EVN expired on June 30, 2024 at 12:01 AM. House Bill 556, which would have extended EVN until July 1, 2025 has been vetoed over an unrelated matter to notarization. Unless the General Assembly should override the veto or another legislative action is taken to extend EVN, it is NOT law. DO NOT perform an EVN until this changes. Current law requires notarizations to be done in person.

Save Time, File Online The NC Department of Secretary of State is entering its seasonal busy season. Combined with continued staffing shortages, this means there will be delays processing Annual Reports and other business organization documents. The delays are greatest for mailed filings. We strongly urge our customers to save time and file their documents online if at all possible. Mailed filings currently require 10 to 15 days to process, compared to 5 days or less for documents filed online. Save time, file online.

Authentication Certificate Turn-Around Times The NC Department of the Secretary of State is cancelling appointments made after March 20th due to resource shortages.
Please mail or bring your documents to the office as soon as possible. The expected turn-around time will be close to 30 days. This lengthy turn-around time is temporary and we are taking advantage of every opportunity to return documents to you sooner.

Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting The federal Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”) establishes a new beneficial ownership reporting requirement for limited liability companies, corporations, and other similar entities formed or registered to do business in the United States. Beneficial ownership reports must be filed with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a bureau within the U.S. Department of Treasury. For more information on the beneficial ownership information requirements. The North Carolina Secretary of State does not administer and has no responsibility for enforcing the CTA or the beneficial ownership information reporting program.

Scam Alert The NC Secretary of State has learned of a new scam targeting small business owners. Scammers impersonating various law enforcement agencies are contacting business owners claiming they are being investigated for fraudulently obtaining Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, regardless of whether or not they have been repaid or forgiven. To legitimize the claim, the scammers provide elaborate phony court and/or legal documentation, including documents describing an arrest warrant that purports to require the posting of a cash bond and then instructions to make a payment (through a cryptocurrency kiosk) to resolve the warrant and avoid jail time. Legitimate law enforcement agencies do not collect money over the phone.

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