South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0002

Maine Corporation Foreign Registration in South Carolina

To do business in South Carolina, a corporation formed in Maine registers there on Form F0002, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also wants Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30). We file it with the Secretary of State using your Maine records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

Maine and South Carolina side by side

	Maine formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	Maine Certificate of Existence	Form F0002, Application by a Foreign Corporation for a Certificate of Authority to Transact Business
State fee	$30	$110 at order
How it is handled	Maine: online, downloaded from the company's information summary page	Filed with South Carolina
Office	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	apps3.web.maine.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $85, every year	Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) filed with DOR, fee set by the state, every year
Due	June 1	15th day of the 4th month after the close of the tax year
Agent	Your Maine registered agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

How Maine companies register with South Carolina

Order the Maine certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($30) is ordered from Maine separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. South Carolina wants the Maine 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 Maine name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The Maine certificate comes first; then the South Carolina filing goes in. After approval, your Maine corporation is registered with South Carolina.

South Carolina costs for Maine companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$110
Certificate of Existence, paid to Maine	$30
Our service, with a year of South Carolina agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, Maine certificate included	$339

Your Maine name and South Carolina's rules

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

Your South Carolina agent and the Maine one

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

Staying in good standing in Maine and South Carolina

Maine wants the Annual Report every year ($85); 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, Maine to South Carolina

An LLC formed in Maine files Form F0008 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($30)). See the LLC filing.

The other way: South Carolina into Maine

A corporation formed in South Carolina that registers with Maine files Form MBCA-12 with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. See that filing.

Questions Maine owners ask about South Carolina

Does my Maine company need to register in South Carolina?

Yes, once a Maine 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 Maine corporations once the form is approved.

How much does it cost to register a Maine corporation in South Carolina?

$309 at checkout plus $30 to Maine for the Certificate of Existence, $339 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Maine's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Carolina wants Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Maine and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Maine's report ($85) and South Carolina's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

A Maine 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 Maine registered agent stays, and ours covers South Carolina for year one.

Can I form a new South Carolina corporation instead?

Yes, but Maine 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 Maine's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

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

Official sources

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