South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0008

Massachusetts LLC Foreign Registration in South Carolina

An LLC formed in Massachusetts that wants to do business in South Carolina files Form F0008, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also wants Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($25), dated within 30 days. We file it with the Secretary of State using your Massachusetts records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

Massachusetts and South Carolina side by side

	Massachusetts formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Form F0008, Application for a Certificate of Authority by a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$25	$110 at order
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed with South Carolina
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 30 days
Yearly filing	Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $520, every year	No annual report
Due	On or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

How Massachusetts companies register with South Carolina

Order the Massachusetts certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($25) is ordered from Massachusetts separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. It comes as a short form ($12) or a long form ($25). South Carolina counts 30 days from the day Massachusetts issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form F0008
It lists us as your South Carolina agent for service of process, next to your Massachusetts name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once Massachusetts's certificate is in hand, South Carolina's filing goes in. After approval, your Massachusetts LLC is registered with South Carolina.

South Carolina costs for Massachusetts companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$110
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Massachusetts	$25
Our service, with a year of South Carolina agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, Massachusetts certificate included	$334

Your Massachusetts name and South Carolina's rules

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

Your South Carolina agent and the Massachusetts one

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

Staying in good standing in Massachusetts and South Carolina

Massachusetts wants the Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year ($520); South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to South Carolina

A corporation formed in Massachusetts files Form F0002 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($12)). After that come Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) 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 Massachusetts

An LLC formed in South Carolina that registers with Massachusetts files Massachusetts's registration (no form number) with $520 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Massachusetts to South Carolina

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in South Carolina?

Yes, once a Massachusetts 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 $25 to Massachusetts for the Certificate of Good Standing, $334 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Massachusetts's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Carolina wants it ($25), no more than 30 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Massachusetts's report ($520) and no South Carolina yearly report.

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

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

Does South Carolina require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new South Carolina LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts's filings stay in place.

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