South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0008

New Hampshire LLC Foreign Registration in South Carolina

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

New Hampshire vs South Carolina: the paperwork

	New Hampshire formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	New Hampshire Certificate of Good Standing	Form F0008, Application for a Certificate of Authority by a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$5	$110 at order
How it is handled	New Hampshire: online	Filed with South Carolina
Office	New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	quickstart.sos.nh.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 30 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $102, every year	No annual report
Due	April 1
Agent	Your New Hampshire registered agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

From New Hampshire to South Carolina, step by step

Order the New Hampshire certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($5) is ordered from New Hampshire separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. It comes as a short form ($5) or a long form ($10). South Carolina accepts it within 30 days of New Hampshire's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form F0008
It lists us as your South Carolina agent for service of process, next to your New Hampshire name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The New Hampshire certificate comes first; then the South Carolina filing goes in. Once South Carolina approves it, the New Hampshire company can do business there.

First-year cost, New Hampshire to South Carolina

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

Your New Hampshire name and South Carolina's rules

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

Agents: South Carolina and New Hampshire

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

Yearly filings: South Carolina and New Hampshire

New Hampshire wants the Annual Report every year ($102); South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, New Hampshire to South Carolina

A corporation formed in New Hampshire files Form F0002 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($5)). After that come New Hampshire's Annual Report ($100) 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 New Hampshire

An LLC formed in South Carolina that registers with New Hampshire files Form FLLC-1 with $102 in state fees; no South Carolina certificate is needed. See that filing.

Questions New Hampshire owners ask about South Carolina

Does my New Hampshire company need to register in South Carolina?

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

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

$309 at checkout plus $5 to New Hampshire for the Certificate of Good Standing, $314 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need New Hampshire's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Carolina wants it ($5), no more than 30 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for New Hampshire and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), New Hampshire's report ($102) and no South Carolina yearly report.

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

A New Hampshire company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does South Carolina require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new South Carolina LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire's filings stay in place.

Official sources

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