Rhode Island

South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0002

Rhode Island Corporation Foreign Registration in South Carolina

A corporation formed in Rhode Island that wants to do business in South Carolina files Form F0002, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also wants Rhode Island's Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22). We file it with the Secretary of State using your Rhode Island records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

What Rhode Island and South Carolina each ask for

	Rhode Island formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	Rhode Island Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing	Form F0002, Application by a Foreign Corporation for a Certificate of Authority to Transact Business
State fee	$22	$110 at order
How it is handled	Rhode Island: online in about two business days, the same day in person, or in 5 to 7 business days by mail	Filed with South Carolina
Office	Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	sos.ri.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report for a Corporation (Form 630), $50, every year	Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) filed with DOR, fee set by the state, every year
Due	May 1	15th day of the 4th month after the close of the tax year
Agent	Your Rhode Island resident agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

From Rhode Island to South Carolina, step by step

Order the Rhode Island certificate
The Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22) is ordered from Rhode Island separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. It comes as a short form ($22) or a long form ($30). South Carolina wants the Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island name and formation date and the certificate attached. Allow for the days Rhode Island takes to send the certificate before the South Carolina filing goes in. After approval, your Rhode Island corporation is registered with South Carolina.

South Carolina costs for Rhode Island companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$110
Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Rhode Island	$22
Our service, with a year of South Carolina agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, Rhode Island certificate included	$331

Will your Rhode Island name work for South Carolina?

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

Your South Carolina agent and the Rhode Island one

South Carolina calls it an agent for service of process; Rhode Island says resident agent. Your current resident agent stays for Rhode Island; ours takes South Carolina's papers and notices.

Yearly filings: South Carolina and Rhode Island

Rhode Island wants the Annual Report for a Corporation (Form 630) every year ($50); South Carolina wants the Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) filed with DOR every year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Rhode Island to South Carolina

An LLC formed in Rhode Island files Form F0008 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22)). See the LLC filing.

The other way: South Carolina into Rhode Island

A corporation formed in South Carolina that registers with Rhode Island files Form 150 with $319 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10). See that filing.

Questions Rhode Island owners ask about South Carolina

Does my Rhode Island company need to register in South Carolina?

Yes, once a Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island corporations once the form is approved.

How much does the South Carolina registration cost?

$309 at checkout plus $22 to Rhode Island for the Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing, $331 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Rhode Island's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Carolina wants it ($22), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Rhode Island and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Rhode Island's report ($50) and South Carolina's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

A Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island resident agent stays, and ours covers South Carolina for year one.

Can I form a new South Carolina corporation instead?

Yes, but Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island's yearly report.

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

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

Official sources

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