South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0002

New Hampshire Corporation Foreign Registration in South Carolina

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

What New Hampshire and South Carolina each ask for

	New Hampshire formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	New Hampshire 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	New Hampshire: online	Filed with South Carolina
Office	New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	quickstart.sos.nh.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $100, every year	Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) filed with DOR, fee set by the state, every year
Due	April 1	15th day of the 4th month after the close of the tax year
Agent	Your New Hampshire registered agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

How New Hampshire companies register with South Carolina

Order the New Hampshire certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($5) is ordered from New Hampshire separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. It comes as a short form ($5) or a long form ($10). South Carolina wants the New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire name and formation date and the certificate attached. The New Hampshire certificate comes first; then the South Carolina filing goes in. After approval, your New Hampshire corporation is registered with South Carolina.

First-year cost, New Hampshire to South Carolina

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

Will your New Hampshire name work for South Carolina?

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

Your South Carolina agent and the New Hampshire one

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

Yearly filings: South Carolina and New Hampshire

New Hampshire wants the Annual Report every year ($100); 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, New Hampshire to South Carolina

An LLC formed in New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire

A corporation formed in South Carolina that registers with New Hampshire files Form 40 with $102 in state fees. See that filing.

Common questions: New Hampshire to South Carolina

Does my New Hampshire company need to register in South Carolina?

Yes, once a New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire corporations once the form is approved.

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

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

Do I need New Hampshire's certificate of good standing?

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

What are the yearly costs for New Hampshire and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), New Hampshire's report ($100) and South Carolina's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

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

Can I form a new South Carolina corporation instead?

Yes, but New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

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

Official sources

People also search

Corporation into South Carolina, by home state (48)

New Hampshire into other states (41)

The same move for an LLC