South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0008

Florida LLC Foreign Registration in South Carolina

To do business in South Carolina, an LLC formed in Florida registers there on Form F0008, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also wants Florida's Certificate of Status ($5), dated within 30 days. We file it with the Secretary of State from your Florida records, then serve as your agent for service of process there for year one.

Florida vs South Carolina: the paperwork

	Florida formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	Florida 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	Florida: online, emailed as a PDF once payment goes through	Filed with South Carolina
Office	Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), Registration Section	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	dos.fl.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 30 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $138.75, every year	No annual report
Due	May 1
Agent	Your Florida registered agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

From Florida to South Carolina, step by step

Order the Florida certificate
The Certificate of Status ($5) is ordered from Florida separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. An instant Florida 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 Florida name and formation date, with the certificate attached. With the certificate issued on the spot, nothing from Florida delays the South Carolina filing. After approval, your Florida LLC is registered with South Carolina.

First-year cost, Florida to South Carolina

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

Your Florida name and South Carolina's rules

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

Agents: South Carolina and Florida

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

Yearly filings: South Carolina and Florida

Florida wants the Annual Report every year ($138.75); South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Florida to South Carolina

A corporation formed in Florida files Form F0002 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Status ($8.75)). After that come Florida's Annual Report ($150) 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 Florida

An LLC formed in South Carolina that registers with Florida files Form CR2E027 with $125 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Florida owners ask about South Carolina

Does my Florida company need to register in South Carolina?

Yes, once a Florida 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 $5 to Florida for the Certificate of Status, $314 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Florida's certificate of good standing?

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

What are the yearly costs for Florida and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Florida's report ($138.75) and no South Carolina yearly report.

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

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

Does South Carolina require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new South Carolina LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

Florida 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 Florida's filings stay in place.

Official sources

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