South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0002

Montana Corporation Foreign Registration in South Carolina

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

What Montana and South Carolina each ask for

	Montana formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	Montana Certificate of Existence	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	Montana: online	Filed with South Carolina
Office	Montana Secretary of State, Business Services	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	biz.sosmt.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, no fee, every year	Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) filed with DOR, fee set by the state, every year
Due	April 15	15th day of the 4th month after the close of the tax year
Agent	Your Montana registered agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

How Montana companies register with South Carolina

Order the Montana certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($5) is ordered from Montana separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. South Carolina wants the Montana 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 Montana name and formation date and the certificate attached. The Montana certificate comes first; then the South Carolina filing goes in. After approval, your Montana corporation is registered with South Carolina.

First-year cost, Montana to South Carolina

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

Will your Montana name work for South Carolina?

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

Your South Carolina agent and the Montana one

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

Staying in good standing in Montana and South Carolina

Montana wants the Annual Report 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, Montana to South Carolina

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

Registering a South Carolina company in Montana

A corporation formed in South Carolina that registers with Montana files Montana's registration (no form number) with $70 in state fees. See that filing.

Questions Montana owners ask about South Carolina

Does my Montana company need to register in South Carolina?

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

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

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

Do I need Montana's certificate of good standing?

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

What are the yearly costs for Montana and South Carolina?

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

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

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

Can I form a new South Carolina corporation instead?

Yes, but Montana 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 Montana's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

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

Official sources

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