South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form 40

South Carolina Corporation Foreign Registration in New Hampshire

A corporation formed in South Carolina that wants to do business in New Hampshire files Form 40, with $102 in state fees. New Hampshire may ask for South Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10). We file it with the Secretary of State, Corporation Division using your South Carolina records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

South Carolina vs New Hampshire: the paperwork

	South Carolina formed here	New Hampshire registering here
Document	South Carolina Certificate of Existence	Form 40, Application for Certificate of Authority for Profit Foreign Corporation
State fee	$10	$102 at order (filing fee $100 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	South Carolina: online	Filed with New Hampshire
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	sos.nh.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S), fee set by the state, every year	Annual Report, $100, every year
Due	15th day of the 4th month after the close of the tax year	April 1
Agent	Your South Carolina agent for service of process	Our New Hampshire registered agent

From South Carolina to New Hampshire, step by step

We prepare and file Form 40
It lists us as your New Hampshire registered agent, next to your South Carolina name and formation date. If New Hampshire wants the South Carolina certificate, it is ordered first. Once New Hampshire approves it, the South Carolina company can do business there.

Your South Carolina name and New Hampshire's rules

We check your exact South Carolina name against New Hampshire's records before filing.

Agents: New Hampshire and South Carolina

New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in South Carolina and New Hampshire

South Carolina wants the Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) every year; New Hampshire wants the Annual Report every year ($100). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, South Carolina to New Hampshire

An LLC formed in South Carolina files Form FLLC-1 with New Hampshire ($102 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). See the LLC filing.

The other way: New Hampshire into South Carolina

A corporation formed in New Hampshire that registers with South Carolina files Form F0002 with $110 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($5). See that filing.

Questions South Carolina owners ask about New Hampshire

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

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: New Hampshire issues one to South Carolina corporations once the form is approved.

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

$301 at checkout; New Hampshire may also want South Carolina's Certificate of Existence, at extra cost.

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

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), South Carolina's report (fee set by the state) and New Hampshire's report ($100).

What if I don't register with New Hampshire?

A South Carolina company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does New Hampshire require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new New Hampshire corporation instead?

Yes, but South Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files New Hampshire's Annual Report ($100), and the original keeps South Carolina's yearly report.

How do I withdraw from New Hampshire later?

South Carolina companies leave by filing an Application for Certificate of Withdrawal of a For-Profit Foreign Corporation; until then, New Hampshire's report stays due alongside South Carolina's filings.

Official sources

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