South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form DSCB:15-412

South Carolina Corporation Foreign Registration in Pennsylvania

To do business in Pennsylvania, a corporation formed in South Carolina registers there on Form DSCB:15-412, with $250 in state fees. Pennsylvania asks nothing of South Carolina here, not even the Certificate of Existence. We file it with the Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations using your South Carolina records and act as your registered office there for the first year.

South Carolina vs Pennsylvania: the paperwork

	South Carolina formed here	Pennsylvania registering here
Document	South Carolina Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Form DSCB:15-412, Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$10	$250 at order
How it is handled	South Carolina: online	Filed online with Pennsylvania
Paid expedite		same-day $100, 3-hour $300, 1-hour $1,000
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	pa.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S), fee set by the state, every year	Annual Report, $7, 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 Pennsylvania registered office

From South Carolina to Pennsylvania, step by step

We prepare and file Form DSCB:15-412
It lists us as your Pennsylvania registered office, next to your South Carolina name and formation date. Nothing has to come from South Carolina first, so the Pennsylvania filing can go in right away. After approval, your South Carolina corporation is registered with Pennsylvania.

Your South Carolina name and Pennsylvania's rules

Pennsylvania accepts your South Carolina name if it includes the word corporation, company, incorporated or limited, an abbreviation, the word association, fund or syndicate, or words of like import used in the home state. We check your exact South Carolina name against Pennsylvania's records before filing.

Your Pennsylvania agent and the South Carolina one

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

Staying in good standing in South Carolina and Pennsylvania

South Carolina wants the Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) every year; Pennsylvania wants the Annual Report every year ($7). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, South Carolina to Pennsylvania

An LLC formed in South Carolina files Form DSCB:15-412 with Pennsylvania ($250 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). See the LLC filing.

The other way: Pennsylvania into South Carolina

A corporation formed in Pennsylvania that registers with South Carolina files Form F0002 with $110 in state fees, plus the Subsistence Certificate ($40). See that filing.

Questions South Carolina owners ask about Pennsylvania

Does my South Carolina company need to register in Pennsylvania?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

Pennsylvania calls it registration for South Carolina corporations; other states say certificate of authority.

How much does the Pennsylvania registration cost?

$449 at checkout, with nothing to pay South Carolina.

Do I need South Carolina's certificate of good standing?

No, Pennsylvania takes Form DSCB:15-412 without it.

What are the yearly costs for South Carolina and Pennsylvania?

Our registered office renewal ($149 a year), South Carolina's report (fee set by the state) and Pennsylvania's report ($7).

Does Pennsylvania require a registered agent?

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

Will Pennsylvania accept my South Carolina name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes the word corporation, company, incorporated or limited, an abbreviation, the word association, fund or syndicate, or words of like import used in the home state.

Can I form a new Pennsylvania corporation instead?

Yes, but South Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7), and the original keeps South Carolina's yearly report.

How do I withdraw from Pennsylvania later?

South Carolina companies leave by filing a Statement of Withdrawal of Foreign Registration; until then, Pennsylvania's report stays due alongside South Carolina's filings.

Official sources

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