Maryland

South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0008

Maryland LLC Foreign Registration in South Carolina

To do business in South Carolina, an LLC formed in Maryland registers there on Form F0008, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also wants Maryland's Certificate of Status ($20), dated within 30 days. We file it with the Secretary of State from your Maryland records, then serve as your agent for service of process there for year one.

Maryland vs South Carolina: the paperwork

	Maryland formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	Maryland Certificate of Status	Form F0008, Application for a Certificate of Authority by a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$20	$110 at order
How it is handled	Maryland: online through Maryland Business Express, emailed right away	Filed with South Carolina
Office	Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	businessexpress.maryland.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 30 days
Yearly filing	Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1), $300, every year	No annual report
Due	April 15
Agent	Your Maryland resident agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

How Maryland companies register with South Carolina

Order the Maryland certificate
The Certificate of Status ($20) is ordered from Maryland separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. Ordered from Maryland on filing day, it easily meets South Carolina's limit of 30 days.
We prepare and file Form F0008
It names us as your South Carolina agent for service of process, with your Maryland name and formation date and the certificate attached. Maryland issues the certificate instantly, so the South Carolina filing can go in the same day. Once South Carolina approves it, the Maryland company can do business there.

First-year cost, Maryland to South Carolina

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$110
Certificate of Status, paid to Maryland	$20
Our service, with a year of South Carolina agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, Maryland certificate included	$329

Will your Maryland name work for South Carolina?

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

Agents: South Carolina and Maryland

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

Staying in good standing in Maryland and South Carolina

Maryland wants the Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1) every year ($300); South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Maryland to South Carolina

A corporation formed in Maryland files Form F0002 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Status ($20)). After that come Maryland's periodic report ($300) 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 Maryland

An LLC formed in South Carolina that registers with Maryland files Maryland's registration (no form number) with $104.50 in state fees and a $50 required expedite, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Questions Maryland owners ask about South Carolina

Does my Maryland company need to register in South Carolina?

Yes, once a Maryland 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 $20 to Maryland for the Certificate of Status, $329 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Maryland's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Carolina wants Maryland's Certificate of Status ($20), no more than 30 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Maryland and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Maryland's report ($300) and no South Carolina yearly report.

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

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

Does South Carolina require a registered agent?

Yes: the Maryland resident agent stays, and ours covers South Carolina for year one.

Can I form a new South Carolina LLC instead?

Yes, but Maryland keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one has no South Carolina yearly report, and the original keeps Maryland's Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1).

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

Maryland 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 Maryland's filings stay in place.

Official sources

People also search

LLC into South Carolina, by home state (48)

Maryland into other states (47)

The same move for a corporation