South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0008

California LLC Foreign Registration in South Carolina

An LLC formed in California that wants to do business in South Carolina files Form F0008, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also asks for California's Certificate of Status ($5), no older than 30 days. We file it with the Secretary of State using your California records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

What California and South Carolina each ask for

	California formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status	Form F0008, Application for a Certificate of Authority by a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$5	$110 at order
How it is handled	California: online as a PDF within minutes, or on paper by mail or drop-off in Sacramento	Filed with South Carolina
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 30 days
Yearly filing	Statement of Information (Form LLC-12), $20, every two years	No annual report
Due	Last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

From California to South Carolina, step by step

Order the California certificate
The Certificate of Status ($5) is ordered from California separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. An instant California 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 California name and formation date, with the certificate attached. With the certificate issued on the spot, nothing from California delays the South Carolina filing. Once South Carolina approves it, the California company can do business there.

First-year cost, California to South Carolina

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$110
Certificate of Status, paid to California	$5
Our service, with a year of South Carolina agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, California certificate included	$314

Your California name and South Carolina's rules

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

Your South Carolina agent and the California one

California and South Carolina both call it an agent for service of process. South Carolina papers come to us; California's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: South Carolina and California

California wants the Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) every two years ($20); South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, California to South Carolina

A corporation formed in California files Form F0002 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Status ($5)). After that come California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25) and South Carolina's Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) filed with DOR. See the corporation filing.

Registering a South Carolina company in California

An LLC formed in South Carolina that registers with California files Form LLC-5 with $70 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 180 days. See that filing.

Questions California owners ask about South Carolina

Does my California company need to register in South Carolina?

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

How much does it cost to register a California LLC in South Carolina?

$309 at checkout plus $5 to California for the Certificate of Status, $314 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need California's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Carolina wants California's Certificate of Status ($5), no more than 30 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for California and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), California's report ($20, every two years) and no South Carolina yearly report.

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

A California company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does South Carolina require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new South Carolina LLC instead?

Yes, but California keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one has no South Carolina yearly report, and the original keeps California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12).

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

California 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 California's filings stay in place.

Official sources

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