Alabama

South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0008

Alabama LLC Foreign Registration in South Carolina

An LLC formed in Alabama that wants to do business in South Carolina files Form F0008, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also wants Alabama's Certificate of Existence ($25), dated within 30 days. We file it with the Secretary of State from your Alabama records, then serve as your agent for service of process there for year one.

What Alabama and South Carolina each ask for

	Alabama formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	Alabama Certificate of Existence	Form F0008, Application for a Certificate of Authority by a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$25	$110 at order
How it is handled	Alabama: online as an instant printable certificate with a seal and authentication number	Filed with South Carolina
Office	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	sos.alabama.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 30 days
Yearly filing	Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year	No annual report
Agent	Your Alabama registered agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

From Alabama to South Carolina, step by step

Order the Alabama certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($25) is ordered from Alabama separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. An instant Alabama certificate reaches South Carolina only hours old, well inside the limit of 30 days.
We prepare and file Form F0008
It lists us as your South Carolina agent for service of process, next to your Alabama name and formation date, with the certificate attached. With the certificate issued on the spot, nothing from Alabama delays the South Carolina filing. After approval, your Alabama LLC is registered with South Carolina.

South Carolina costs for Alabama companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$110
Certificate of Existence, paid to Alabama	$25
Our service, with a year of South Carolina agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, Alabama certificate included	$334

Your Alabama name and South Carolina's rules

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

Your South Carolina agent and the Alabama one

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

Staying in good standing in Alabama and South Carolina

Alabama wants the Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report every year; South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Alabama to South Carolina

A corporation formed in Alabama files Form F0002 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($25)). After that come Alabama's Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT) and South Carolina's Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) filed with DOR. See the corporation filing.

The other way: South Carolina into Alabama

An LLC formed in South Carolina that registers with Alabama files Alabama's registration (no form number) with $184 in state fees; no South Carolina certificate is needed. See that filing.

Questions Alabama owners ask about South Carolina

Does my Alabama company need to register in South Carolina?

Yes, once an Alabama business operates there; South Carolina law lists 11 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the South Carolina registration cost?

$309 at checkout plus $25 to Alabama for the Certificate of Existence, $334 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Alabama's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Carolina wants Alabama's Certificate of Existence ($25), no more than 30 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Alabama and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Alabama's report (fee set by the state) and no South Carolina yearly report.

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

An Alabama company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does South Carolina require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new South Carolina LLC instead?

Yes, but Alabama keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one has no South Carolina yearly report, and the original keeps Alabama's yearly report.

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

Alabama companies leave by filing a Foreign Limited Liability Company Certificate of Cancellation of Authority to Transact Business; until then, both the South Carolina registration and Alabama's filings stay in place.

Official sources

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