South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0002

Massachusetts Corporation Foreign Registration in South Carolina

To do business in South Carolina, a corporation formed in Massachusetts registers there on Form F0002, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also wants Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($12). We file it with the Secretary of State using your Massachusetts records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

Massachusetts and South Carolina side by side

	Massachusetts formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Form F0002, Application by a Foreign Corporation for a Certificate of Authority to Transact Business
State fee	$12	$110 at order
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed with South Carolina
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $125, every year	Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) filed with DOR, fee set by the state, every year
Due	Within 2.5 months after the close of the corporation's fiscal year	15th day of the 4th month after the close of the tax year
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

From Massachusetts to South Carolina, step by step

Order the Massachusetts certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($12) is ordered from Massachusetts separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. It comes as a short form ($7) or a long form ($12). South Carolina wants the Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once Massachusetts's certificate is in hand, South Carolina's filing goes in. Once South Carolina approves it, the Massachusetts company can do business there.

First-year cost, Massachusetts to South Carolina

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$110
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Massachusetts	$12
Our service, with a year of South Carolina agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, Massachusetts certificate included	$321

Your Massachusetts name and South Carolina's rules

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

Agents: South Carolina and Massachusetts

South Carolina calls it an agent for service of process; Massachusetts says resident agent. Your current resident agent stays for Massachusetts; ours takes South Carolina's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in Massachusetts and South Carolina

Massachusetts wants the Annual Report every year ($125); 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, Massachusetts to South Carolina

An LLC formed in Massachusetts files Form F0008 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25)). See the LLC filing.

Questions Massachusetts owners ask about South Carolina

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in South Carolina?

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

How much does the South Carolina registration cost?

$309 at checkout plus $12 to Massachusetts for the Certificate of Good Standing, $321 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Massachusetts's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Carolina wants it ($12), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Massachusetts's report ($125) and South Carolina's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

A Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts resident agent stays, and ours covers South Carolina for year one.

Can I form a new South Carolina corporation instead?

Yes, but Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

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

Official sources

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