South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0008

Iowa LLC Foreign Registration in South Carolina

South Carolina registers an LLC from Iowa as a foreign LLC on Form F0008, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also asks for Iowa's Certificate of Existence ($5), no older than 30 days. We file it with the Secretary of State from your Iowa records, then serve as your agent for service of process there for year one.

What Iowa and South Carolina each ask for

	Iowa formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	Iowa Certificate of Existence	Form F0008, Application for a Certificate of Authority by a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$5	$110 at order
How it is handled	Iowa: online as a printable PDF right after payment	Filed with South Carolina
Office	Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	sos.iowa.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 30 days
Yearly filing	Biennial Report, $30, every two years	No annual report
Due	April 1 of odd-numbered years
Agent	Your Iowa registered agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

From Iowa to South Carolina, step by step

Order the Iowa certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($5) is ordered from Iowa separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. Ordered from Iowa on filing day, it easily meets South Carolina's 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 Iowa name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Iowa issues the certificate instantly, so the South Carolina filing can go in the same day. Once South Carolina approves it, the Iowa company can do business there.

First-year cost, Iowa to South Carolina

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

Your Iowa name and South Carolina's rules

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

Your South Carolina agent and the Iowa one

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

Staying in good standing in Iowa and South Carolina

Iowa wants the Biennial Report every two years ($30); South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Iowa to South Carolina

A corporation formed in Iowa files Form F0002 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($5)). After that come Iowa's Biennial Report ($60) 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 Iowa

An LLC formed in South Carolina that registers with Iowa files Form 635_0010 with $100 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Iowa owners ask about South Carolina

Does my Iowa company need to register in South Carolina?

Yes, once an Iowa 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 Iowa for the Certificate of Existence, $314 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Iowa's certificate of good standing?

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

What are the yearly costs for Iowa and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Iowa's report ($30, every two years) and no South Carolina yearly report.

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

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

Does South Carolina require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new South Carolina LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

Iowa 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 Iowa's filings stay in place.

Official sources

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