South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0008

Maine LLC Foreign Registration in South Carolina

South Carolina registers an LLC from Maine as a foreign LLC on Form F0008, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also wants Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30), dated within 30 days. We file it with the Secretary of State using your Maine records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

Maine and South Carolina side by side

	Maine formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	Maine Certificate of Existence	Form F0008, Application for a Certificate of Authority by a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$30	$110 at order
How it is handled	Maine: online, downloaded from the company's information summary page	Filed with South Carolina
Office	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	apps3.web.maine.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 30 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $85, every year	No annual report
Due	June 1
Agent	Your Maine registered agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

From Maine to South Carolina, step by step

Order the Maine certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($30) is ordered from Maine separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. South Carolina counts 30 days from the day Maine issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form F0008
It names us as your South Carolina agent for service of process, with your Maine name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once Maine's certificate is in hand, South Carolina's filing goes in. After approval, your Maine LLC is registered with South Carolina.

South Carolina costs for Maine companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$110
Certificate of Existence, paid to Maine	$30
Our service, with a year of South Carolina agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, Maine certificate included	$339

Will your Maine name work for South Carolina?

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

Your South Carolina agent and the Maine one

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

Yearly filings: South Carolina and Maine

Maine wants the Annual Report every year ($85); South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Maine to South Carolina

A corporation formed in Maine files Form F0002 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($30)). After that come Maine's Annual Report ($85) 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 Maine

An LLC formed in South Carolina that registers with Maine files Form MLLC-12 with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Maine owners ask about South Carolina

Does my Maine company need to register in South Carolina?

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

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

$309 at checkout plus $30 to Maine for the Certificate of Existence, $339 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Maine's certificate of good standing?

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

What are the yearly costs for Maine and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Maine's report ($85) and no South Carolina yearly report.

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

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

Does South Carolina require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new South Carolina LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

Maine 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 Maine's filings stay in place.

Official sources

People also search

LLC into South Carolina, by home state (48)

Maine into other states (47)

The same move for a corporation