South Carolina

Foreign registration · no form number

South Carolina Corporation Foreign Registration in Delaware

Delaware registers a corporation from South Carolina as a foreign corporation on a registration (no form number), with $245 in state fees. Delaware may ask for South Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10). We file it with the Department of State, Division of Corporations from your South Carolina records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

South Carolina and Delaware side by side

	South Carolina formed here	Delaware registering here
Document	South Carolina Certificate of Existence	Qualification Certificate of a Foreign Corporation (no form number)
State fee	$10	$245 at order
How it is handled	South Carolina: online	Filed with Delaware
Paid expedite		24-hour $50, same-day $100, 2-hour $500, 1-hour $1,000
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	corp.delaware.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S), fee set by the state, every year	Foreign Corporation Annual Report, $125, every year
Due	15th day of the 4th month after the close of the tax year	June 30
Agent	Your South Carolina agent for service of process	Our Delaware registered agent

How South Carolina companies register with Delaware

We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Delaware registered agent, next to your South Carolina name and formation date. If Delaware wants the South Carolina certificate, it is ordered first. After approval, your South Carolina corporation is registered with Delaware.

Your South Carolina name and Delaware's rules

Delaware can hold a name for 120 days for $75 before you file.

Agents: Delaware and South Carolina

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

Yearly filings: Delaware and South Carolina

South Carolina wants the Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) every year; Delaware wants the Foreign Corporation Annual Report every year ($125). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, South Carolina to Delaware

An LLC formed in South Carolina files its own registration with Delaware ($200 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10)). See the LLC filing.

The other way: Delaware into South Carolina

A corporation formed in Delaware that registers with South Carolina files Form F0002 with $110 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($50). See that filing.

Questions South Carolina owners ask about Delaware

Does my South Carolina company need to register in Delaware?

Yes, once a South Carolina business operates there; Delaware registers it as a foreign corporation.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Delaware calls it qualification for South Carolina corporations; other states say certificate of authority.

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

$444 at checkout; Delaware may also want South Carolina's Certificate of Existence, at extra cost.

What are the yearly costs for South Carolina and Delaware?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), South Carolina's report (fee set by the state) and Delaware's report ($125).

Does Delaware require a registered agent?

Yes: the South Carolina agent for service of process stays, and ours covers Delaware for year one, with a street address there.

Can I form a new Delaware corporation instead?

Yes, but South Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Delaware's Annual Franchise Tax Report ($50), and the original keeps South Carolina's yearly report.

How do I withdraw from Delaware later?

South Carolina companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal of Foreign Corporation; until then, Delaware's report stays due alongside South Carolina's filings.

What does a Delaware company file to register in South Carolina?

It files Form F0002 with $110 in state fees, plus Delaware's good standing certificate.

Official sources

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