South Carolina

Foreign registration · no form number

South Carolina Corporation Foreign Registration in Washington

To do business in Washington, a corporation formed in South Carolina registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $200 in state fees. Washington also asks for South Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), no older than 60 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division using your South Carolina records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

South Carolina and Washington side by side

	South Carolina formed here	Washington registering here
Document	South Carolina Certificate of Existence	Foreign Registration Statement (Profit types) (no form number)
State fee	$10	$200 at order (filing fee $180 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	South Carolina: online	Filed online with Washington
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	sos.wa.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S), fee set by the state, every year	Annual Report, $70, every year
Due	15th day of the 4th month after the close of the tax year	Last day of the month of WA certificate of authority
Agent	Your South Carolina agent for service of process	Our Washington registered agent

How South Carolina companies register with Washington

Order the South Carolina certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from South Carolina separately; it is not part of our Washington order. Washington counts 60 days from the day South Carolina issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your Washington registered agent, with your South Carolina name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once South Carolina's certificate is in hand, Washington's filing goes in. Once Washington approves it, the South Carolina company can do business there.

Washington costs for South Carolina companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$200
Certificate of Existence, paid to South Carolina	$10
Our service, with a year of Washington registered agent service	$199
First-year total, South Carolina certificate included	$409

Your South Carolina name and Washington's rules

Washington can hold a name for $30 before you file.

Your Washington agent and the South Carolina one

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

Staying in good standing in South Carolina and Washington

South Carolina wants the Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) every year; Washington wants the Annual Report every year ($70). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, South Carolina to Washington

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

The other way: Washington into South Carolina

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

Common questions: South Carolina to Washington

Does my South Carolina company need to register in Washington?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does the Washington registration cost?

$399 at checkout plus $10 to South Carolina for the Certificate of Existence, $409 in all (checkout is $200 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: Washington wants South Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for South Carolina and Washington?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), South Carolina's report (fee set by the state) and Washington's report ($70).

Does Washington require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Washington corporation instead?

Yes, but South Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Washington's Annual Report ($70), and the original keeps South Carolina's yearly report.

How do I withdraw from Washington later?

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

Official sources

People also search

Corporation into Washington, by home state (48)

South Carolina into other states (41)

The same move for an LLC