North Carolina

South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0008

North Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in South Carolina

South Carolina registers an LLC from North Carolina as a foreign LLC on Form F0008, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also asks for North Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), no older than 30 days. We file it with the Secretary of State using your North Carolina records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

North Carolina vs South Carolina: the paperwork

	North Carolina formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	North Carolina Certificate of Existence	Form F0008, Application for a Certificate of Authority by a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$10	$110 at order
How it is handled	North Carolina: online as a downloadable electronic certified document, or on paper	Filed with South Carolina
Office	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	sosnc.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 30 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $203, every year	No annual report
Due	April 15
Agent	Your North Carolina registered agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

How North Carolina companies register with South Carolina

Order the North Carolina certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from North Carolina separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. South Carolina accepts it within 30 days of North Carolina'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 North Carolina name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The North Carolina certificate comes first; then the South Carolina filing goes in. Once South Carolina approves it, the North Carolina company can do business there.

South Carolina costs for North Carolina companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$110
Certificate of Existence, paid to North Carolina	$10
Our service, with a year of South Carolina agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, North Carolina certificate included	$319

Your North Carolina name and South Carolina's rules

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

Agents: South Carolina and North Carolina

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

Yearly filings: South Carolina and North Carolina

North Carolina wants the Annual Report every year ($203); South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, North Carolina to South Carolina

A corporation formed in North Carolina files Form F0002 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10)). After that come North Carolina's Annual Report ($25) 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 North Carolina

An LLC formed in South Carolina that registers with North Carolina files Form L-09 with $253 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 180 days. See that filing.

Common questions: North Carolina to South Carolina

Does my North Carolina company need to register in South Carolina?

Yes, once a North Carolina 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 $10 to North Carolina for the Certificate of Existence, $319 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need North Carolina's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Carolina wants North Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), no more than 30 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for North Carolina and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), North Carolina's report ($203) and no South Carolina yearly report.

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

A North Carolina company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does South Carolina require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new South Carolina LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

North Carolina 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 North Carolina's filings stay in place.

Official sources

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