South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0002

South Dakota Corporation Foreign Registration in South Carolina

South Carolina registers a corporation from South Dakota as a foreign corporation on Form F0002, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also wants South Dakota's Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20). We file it with the Secretary of State from your South Dakota records, then serve as your agent for service of process there for year one.

What South Dakota and South Carolina each ask for

	South Dakota formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	South Dakota Certificate of Good Standing/Existence	Form F0002, Application by a Foreign Corporation for a Certificate of Authority to Transact Business
State fee	$20	$110 at order
How it is handled	South Dakota: online	Filed with South Carolina
Office	South Dakota Secretary of State	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	sosenterprise.sd.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year	Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) filed with DOR, fee set by the state, every year
Due	By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year (form opens that day	15th day of the 4th month after the close of the tax year
Agent	Your South Dakota registered agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

How South Dakota companies register with South Carolina

Order the South Dakota certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20) is ordered from South Dakota separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. South Carolina wants the South Dakota certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file Form F0002
It names us as your South Carolina agent for service of process, with your South Dakota name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once South Dakota's certificate is in hand, South Carolina's filing goes in. Once South Carolina approves it, the South Dakota company can do business there.

South Carolina costs for South Dakota companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$110
Certificate of Good Standing/Existence, paid to South Dakota	$20
Our service, with a year of South Carolina agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, South Dakota certificate included	$329

Your South Dakota name and South Carolina's rules

South Carolina can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Agents: South Carolina and South Dakota

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

Yearly filings: South Carolina and South Dakota

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

LLC or corporation, South Dakota to South Carolina

An LLC formed in South Dakota files Form F0008 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20)). See the LLC filing.

The other way: South Carolina into South Dakota

A corporation formed in South Carolina that registers with South Dakota files South Dakota's registration (no form number) with $750 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10). See that filing.

Common questions: South Dakota to South Carolina

Does my South Dakota company need to register in South Carolina?

Yes, once a South Dakota business operates there; South Carolina law lists 13 activities that do not count on their own.

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

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

$309 at checkout plus $20 to South Dakota for the Certificate of Good Standing/Existence, $329 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: South Carolina wants it ($20), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for South Dakota and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), South Dakota's report (fee set by the state) and South Carolina's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

A South Dakota company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and South Carolina can add a penalty of $10 a day and a civil penalty of up to $1,000.

Does South Carolina require a registered agent?

Yes: the South Dakota registered agent stays, and ours covers South Carolina for year one.

Can I form a new South Carolina corporation instead?

Yes, but South Dakota keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files South Carolina's Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S), and the original keeps South Dakota's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

South Dakota companies leave by filing an Application for Surrender of Authority to Do Business; until then, South Carolina's report stays due alongside South Dakota's filings.

Official sources

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