Indiana

South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0002

Indiana Corporation Foreign Registration in South Carolina

To do business in South Carolina, a corporation formed in Indiana registers there on Form F0002, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also wants Indiana's Certificate of Existence ($15). We file it with the Secretary of State using your Indiana records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

Indiana vs South Carolina: the paperwork

	Indiana formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	Indiana Certificate of Existence	Form F0002, Application by a Foreign Corporation for a Certificate of Authority to Transact Business
State fee	$15	$110 at order
How it is handled	Indiana: online through INBiz, emailed after payment and kept in the INBiz documents list	Filed with South Carolina
Office	Indiana Secretary of State, Business Services Division	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	inbiz.in.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Business Entity Report, $32, every two years	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 anniversary month, every 2 years	15th day of the 4th month after the close of the tax year
Agent	Your Indiana registered agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

How Indiana companies register with South Carolina

Order the Indiana certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($15) is ordered from Indiana separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. South Carolina wants the Indiana certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file Form F0002
It lists us as your South Carolina agent for service of process, next to your Indiana name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The Indiana certificate comes first; then the South Carolina filing goes in. Once South Carolina approves it, the Indiana company can do business there.

First-year cost, Indiana to South Carolina

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$110
Certificate of Existence, paid to Indiana	$15
Our service, with a year of South Carolina agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, Indiana certificate included	$324

Will your Indiana name work for South Carolina?

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

Agents: South Carolina and Indiana

South Carolina calls it an agent for service of process; Indiana says registered agent. South Carolina papers come to us; Indiana's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: South Carolina and Indiana

Indiana wants the Business Entity Report every two years ($32); South Carolina wants the Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) filed with DOR every year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Indiana to South Carolina

An LLC formed in Indiana files Form F0008 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($15)). See the LLC filing.

Questions Indiana owners ask about South Carolina

Does my Indiana company need to register in South Carolina?

Yes, once an Indiana 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 Indiana corporations once the form is approved.

How much does the South Carolina registration cost?

$309 at checkout plus $15 to Indiana for the Certificate of Existence, $324 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Indiana's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Carolina wants Indiana's Certificate of Existence ($15), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Indiana and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Indiana's report ($32, every two years) and South Carolina's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

An Indiana 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 Indiana registered agent stays, and ours covers South Carolina for year one.

Can I form a new South Carolina corporation instead?

Yes, but Indiana 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 Indiana's Business Entity Report.

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

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

Official sources

People also search

Corporation into South Carolina, by home state (48)

Indiana into other states (42)

The same move for an LLC