South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0002

California Corporation Foreign Registration in South Carolina

South Carolina registers a corporation from California as a foreign corporation on Form F0002, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also wants California's Certificate of Status ($5). We file it with the Secretary of State using your California records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

What California and South Carolina each ask for

	California formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status	Form F0002, Application by a Foreign Corporation for a Certificate of Authority to Transact Business
State fee	$5	$110 at order
How it is handled	California: online as a PDF within minutes, or on paper by mail or drop-off in Sacramento	Filed with South Carolina
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Statement of Information (Form SI-550), $25, every year	Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) filed with DOR, fee set by the state, every year
Due	Last day of the corporation's registration-anniversary month, annually	15th day of the 4th month after the close of the tax year
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

From California to South Carolina, step by step

Order the California certificate
The Certificate of Status ($5) is ordered from California separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. South Carolina wants the California certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file Form F0002
It names us as your South Carolina agent for service of process, with your California name and formation date and the certificate attached. With the certificate issued on the spot, nothing from California delays the South Carolina filing. Once South Carolina approves it, the California company can do business there.

First-year cost, California to South Carolina

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$110
Certificate of Status, paid to California	$5
Our service, with a year of South Carolina agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, California certificate included	$314

Will your California name work for South Carolina?

South Carolina can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Agents: South Carolina and California

California and South Carolina both call it an agent for service of process. South Carolina papers come to us; California's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: South Carolina and California

California wants the Statement of Information (Form SI-550) every year ($25); South Carolina wants the Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) filed with DOR every year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, California to South Carolina

An LLC formed in California files Form F0008 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Status ($5)). See the LLC filing.

Registering a South Carolina company in California

A corporation formed in South Carolina that registers with California files Form S&DC-S/N with $100 in state fees. See that filing.

Questions California owners ask about South Carolina

Does my California company need to register in South Carolina?

Yes, once a California business operates there; South Carolina law lists 13 activities that do not count on their own.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: South Carolina issues one to California corporations once the form is approved.

How much does the South Carolina registration cost?

$309 at checkout plus $5 to California for the Certificate of Status, $314 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need California's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Carolina wants California's Certificate of Status ($5), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for California and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), California's report ($25) and South Carolina's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

A California company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and South Carolina can add a penalty of $10 a day and a civil penalty of up to $1,000.

Does South Carolina require a registered agent?

Yes: the California agent for service of process stays, and ours covers South Carolina for year one.

Can I form a new South Carolina corporation instead?

Yes, but California keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files South Carolina's Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S), and the original keeps California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550).

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

California companies leave by filing an Application for Surrender of Authority to Do Business; until then, South Carolina's report stays due alongside California's filings.

Official sources

People also search

Corporation into South Carolina, by home state (48)

California into other states (41)

The same move for an LLC