South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0002

New Jersey Corporation Foreign Registration in South Carolina

To do business in South Carolina, a corporation formed in New Jersey registers there on Form F0002, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also wants New Jersey's Standing Certificate ($25). We file it with the Secretary of State using your New Jersey records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

New Jersey vs South Carolina: the paperwork

	New Jersey formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	New Jersey Standing Certificate	Form F0002, Application by a Foreign Corporation for a Certificate of Authority to Transact Business
State fee	$25	$110 at order
How it is handled	New Jersey: online as an electronic certificate, or by mail, fax or in person	Filed with South Carolina
Office	New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services (DORES), Department of the Treasury	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	nj.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $75, every year	Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) filed with DOR, fee set by the state, every year
Due	Last day of the anniversary month of incorporation	15th day of the 4th month after the close of the tax year
Agent	Your New Jersey registered agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

From New Jersey to South Carolina, step by step

Order the New Jersey certificate
The Standing Certificate ($25) is ordered from New Jersey separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. South Carolina wants the New Jersey 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 New Jersey name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The New Jersey certificate comes first; then the South Carolina filing goes in. Once South Carolina approves it, the New Jersey company can do business there.

First-year cost, New Jersey to South Carolina

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$110
Standing Certificate, paid to New Jersey	$25
Our service, with a year of South Carolina agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, New Jersey certificate included	$334

Your New Jersey name and South Carolina's rules

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

Your South Carolina agent and the New Jersey one

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

Staying in good standing in New Jersey and South Carolina

New Jersey wants the Annual Report every year ($75); 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 Jersey to South Carolina

An LLC formed in New Jersey files Form F0008 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Standing Certificate ($50)). See the LLC filing.

The other way: South Carolina into New Jersey

A corporation formed in South Carolina that registers with New Jersey files New Jersey's registration (no form number) with $100 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10). See that filing.

Questions New Jersey owners ask about South Carolina

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

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

How much does the South Carolina registration cost?

$309 at checkout plus $25 to New Jersey for the Standing Certificate, $334 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: South Carolina wants New Jersey's Standing Certificate ($25), current at filing.

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

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), New Jersey's report ($75) and South Carolina's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

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

Can I form a new South Carolina corporation instead?

Yes, but New Jersey 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 Jersey's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

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

Official sources

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