South Carolina

Maryland

Foreign registration · no form number

South Carolina Corporation Foreign Registration in Maryland

A corporation formed in South Carolina that wants to do business in Maryland files a paper registration (no form number), with $104.50 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maryland may ask for South Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10). We file it with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division using your South Carolina records and act as your resident agent there for the first year.

South Carolina and Maryland side by side

	South Carolina formed here	Maryland registering here
Document	South Carolina Certificate of Existence	Foreign Corporation Qualification (no form number)
State fee	$10	$104.50 at order (filing fee $100 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	South Carolina: online	Filed on Maryland's paper form
Required expedite		$50 at order (7 business days)
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	egov.maryland.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S), fee set by the state, every year	Form 1 — Business Entity Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return, $300, every year
Due	15th day of the 4th month after the close of the tax year	April 15
Agent	Your South Carolina agent for service of process	Our Maryland resident agent

From South Carolina to Maryland, step by step

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

Will your South Carolina name work for Maryland?

Maryland can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Agents: Maryland and South Carolina

Maryland calls it a resident agent; South Carolina says agent for service of process. Maryland papers come to us; South Carolina's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in South Carolina and Maryland

South Carolina wants the Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) every year; Maryland wants the Form 1 — Business Entity Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return every year ($300). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, South Carolina to Maryland

An LLC formed in South Carolina files its own registration with Maryland ($104.50 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10)). See the LLC filing.

The other way: Maryland into South Carolina

A corporation formed in Maryland that registers with South Carolina files Form F0002 with $110 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status ($20). See that filing.

Questions South Carolina owners ask about Maryland

Does my South Carolina company need to register in Maryland?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does the Maryland registration cost?

$353.50 at checkout, including the $50 required expedite; Maryland may also want South Carolina's Certificate of Existence, at extra cost.

How long does the Maryland registration take?

7 business days with Maryland's required expedite, plus time for South Carolina's certificate if Maryland asks for it.

What are the yearly costs for South Carolina and Maryland?

Our resident agent renewal ($149 a year), South Carolina's report (fee set by the state) and Maryland's report ($300).

Does Maryland require a registered agent?

Yes: the South Carolina agent for service of process stays, and ours covers Maryland for year one.

Can I form a new Maryland corporation instead?

Yes, but South Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Maryland's periodic report ($300), and the original keeps South Carolina's yearly report.

How do I withdraw from Maryland later?

South Carolina companies leave by filing an Application for Termination for a Foreign Corporation; until then, Maryland's report stays due alongside South Carolina's filings.

Official sources

People also search

Corporation into Maryland, by home state (48)

South Carolina into other states (41)

The same move for an LLC