South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0008

North Dakota LLC Foreign Registration in South Carolina

South Carolina registers an LLC from North Dakota as a foreign LLC on Form F0008, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also asks for North Dakota's Certificate of Good Standing ($20), no older than 30 days. We file it with the Secretary of State using your North Dakota records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

What North Dakota and South Carolina each ask for

	North Dakota formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	North Dakota Certificate of Good Standing	Form F0008, Application for a Certificate of Authority by a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$20	$110 at order
How it is handled	North Dakota: online	Filed with South Carolina
Office	North Dakota Secretary of State	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	firststop.sos.nd.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 30 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $50, every year	No annual report
Due	November 15
Agent	Your North Dakota registered agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

How North Dakota companies register with South Carolina

Order the North Dakota certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($20) is ordered from North Dakota separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. South Carolina accepts it within 30 days of North Dakota'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 Dakota name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once North Dakota's certificate is in hand, South Carolina's filing goes in. Once South Carolina approves it, the North Dakota company can do business there.

South Carolina costs for North Dakota companies

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

Your North Dakota name and South Carolina's rules

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

Your South Carolina agent and the North Dakota one

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

Yearly filings: South Carolina and North Dakota

North Dakota wants the Annual Report every year ($50); South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, North Dakota to South Carolina

A corporation formed in North Dakota files Form F0002 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($20)). After that come North Dakota's Annual Report ($25) 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 North Dakota

An LLC formed in South Carolina that registers with North Dakota files North Dakota's registration (no form number) with $135 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10). See that filing.

Common questions: North Dakota to South Carolina

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

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

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

$309 at checkout plus $20 to North Dakota for the Certificate of Good Standing, $329 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: South Carolina wants it ($20), no more than 30 days old at filing.

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

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), North Dakota's report ($50) and no South Carolina yearly report.

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

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

Does South Carolina require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new South Carolina LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

North Dakota 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 Dakota's filings stay in place.

Official sources

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