South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0008

Pennsylvania LLC Foreign Registration in South Carolina

South Carolina registers an LLC from Pennsylvania as a foreign LLC on Form F0008, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also asks for Pennsylvania's Subsistence Certificate ($40), no older than 30 days. We file it with the Secretary of State from your Pennsylvania records, then serve as your agent for service of process there for year one.

What Pennsylvania and South Carolina each ask for

	Pennsylvania formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	Pennsylvania Subsistence Certificate	Form F0008, Application for a Certificate of Authority by a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$40	$110 at order
How it is handled	Pennsylvania: online through Business Filing Services, or by mail on the copy and certificate request form	Filed with South Carolina
Office	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	file.dos.pa.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 30 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $7, every year	No annual report
Due	September 30
Agent	Your Pennsylvania registered office	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

From Pennsylvania to South Carolina, step by step

Order the Pennsylvania certificate
The Subsistence Certificate ($40) is ordered from Pennsylvania separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. South Carolina counts 30 days from the day Pennsylvania issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form F0008
It names us as your South Carolina agent for service of process, with your Pennsylvania name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once Pennsylvania's certificate is in hand, South Carolina's filing goes in. After approval, your Pennsylvania LLC is registered with South Carolina.

South Carolina costs for Pennsylvania companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$110
Subsistence Certificate, paid to Pennsylvania	$40
Our service, with a year of South Carolina agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, Pennsylvania certificate included	$349

Your Pennsylvania name and South Carolina's rules

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

Agents: South Carolina and Pennsylvania

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

Staying in good standing in Pennsylvania and South Carolina

Pennsylvania wants the Annual Report every year ($7); South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Pennsylvania to South Carolina

A corporation formed in Pennsylvania files Form F0002 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Subsistence Certificate ($40)). After that come Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7) 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 Pennsylvania

An LLC formed in South Carolina that registers with Pennsylvania files Form DSCB:15-412 with $250 in state fees; no South Carolina certificate is needed. See that filing.

Common questions: Pennsylvania to South Carolina

Does my Pennsylvania company need to register in South Carolina?

Yes, once a Pennsylvania 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 $40 to Pennsylvania for the Subsistence Certificate, $349 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Pennsylvania's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Carolina wants Pennsylvania's Subsistence Certificate ($40), no more than 30 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Pennsylvania and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Pennsylvania's report ($7) and no South Carolina yearly report.

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

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

Does South Carolina require a registered agent?

Yes: the Pennsylvania registered office stays, and ours covers South Carolina for year one.

Can I form a new South Carolina LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania's filings stay in place.

Official sources

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