Minnesota

South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0002

Minnesota Corporation Foreign Registration in South Carolina

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

Minnesota and South Carolina side by side

	Minnesota formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	Minnesota Certificate of Good Standing	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	Minnesota: online, issued as soon as it is paid for and kept in the online account for 90 days	Filed with South Carolina
Office	Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	sos.mn.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Renewal, no fee, every year	Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) filed with DOR, fee set by the state, every year
Due	December 31	15th day of the 4th month after the close of the tax year
Agent	Your Minnesota registered agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

From Minnesota to South Carolina, step by step

Order the Minnesota certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($5) is ordered from Minnesota separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. South Carolina wants the Minnesota 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 Minnesota name and formation date, with the certificate attached. With the certificate issued on the spot, nothing from Minnesota delays the South Carolina filing. Once South Carolina approves it, the Minnesota company can do business there.

South Carolina costs for Minnesota companies

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

Will your Minnesota name work for South Carolina?

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

Agents: South Carolina and Minnesota

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

Staying in good standing in Minnesota and South Carolina

Minnesota wants the Annual Renewal every year (no fee); 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, Minnesota to South Carolina

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

Registering a South Carolina company in Minnesota

A corporation formed in South Carolina that registers with Minnesota files Minnesota's registration (no form number) with $220 in state fees. See that filing.

Questions Minnesota owners ask about South Carolina

Does my Minnesota company need to register in South Carolina?

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

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

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

Do I need Minnesota's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Carolina wants it ($5), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Minnesota and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Minnesota's report (no fee) and South Carolina's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

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

Can I form a new South Carolina corporation instead?

Yes, but Minnesota 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 Minnesota's Annual Renewal.

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

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

Official sources

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