South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0002

Pennsylvania Corporation Foreign Registration in South Carolina

To do business in South Carolina, a corporation formed in Pennsylvania registers there on Form F0002, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also wants Pennsylvania's Subsistence Certificate ($40). We file it with the Secretary of State from your Pennsylvania records, then serve as your agent for service of process there for year one.

Pennsylvania and South Carolina side by side

	Pennsylvania formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	Pennsylvania Subsistence Certificate	Form F0002, Application by a Foreign Corporation for a Certificate of Authority to Transact Business
State fee	$40	$110 at order
How it is handled	Pennsylvania: online through Business Filing Services, or by mail on the copy and certificate request form	Filed with South Carolina
Office	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	file.dos.pa.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $7, every year	Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) filed with DOR, fee set by the state, every year
Due	June 30	15th day of the 4th month after the close of the tax year
Agent	Your Pennsylvania registered office	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

How Pennsylvania companies register with South Carolina

Order the Pennsylvania certificate
The Subsistence Certificate ($40) is ordered from Pennsylvania separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. South Carolina wants the Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The Pennsylvania certificate comes first; then the South Carolina filing goes in. Once South Carolina approves it, the Pennsylvania company can do business there.

South Carolina costs for Pennsylvania companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$110
Subsistence Certificate, paid to Pennsylvania	$40
Our service, with a year of South Carolina agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, Pennsylvania certificate included	$349

Your Pennsylvania name and South Carolina's rules

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

Agents: South Carolina and Pennsylvania

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

Yearly filings: South Carolina and Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania wants the Annual Report every year ($7); 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, Pennsylvania to South Carolina

An LLC formed in Pennsylvania files Form F0008 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Subsistence Certificate ($40)). See the LLC filing.

The other way: South Carolina into Pennsylvania

A corporation formed in South Carolina that registers with Pennsylvania files Form DSCB:15-412 with $250 in state fees; no South Carolina certificate is needed. See that filing.

Common questions: Pennsylvania to South Carolina

Does my Pennsylvania company need to register in South Carolina?

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

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

$309 at checkout plus $40 to Pennsylvania for the Subsistence Certificate, $349 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Pennsylvania's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Carolina wants Pennsylvania's Subsistence Certificate ($40), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Pennsylvania and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Pennsylvania's report ($7) and South Carolina's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

A Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania registered office stays, and ours covers South Carolina for year one.

Can I form a new South Carolina corporation instead?

Yes, but Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

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

Official sources

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