Rhode Island

South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0008

Rhode Island LLC Foreign Registration in South Carolina

South Carolina registers an LLC from Rhode Island as a foreign LLC on Form F0008, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also asks for Rhode Island's Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22), no older than 30 days. We file it with the Secretary of State from your Rhode Island records, then serve as your agent for service of process there for year one.

What Rhode Island and South Carolina each ask for

	Rhode Island formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	Rhode Island Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing	Form F0008, Application for a Certificate of Authority by a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$22	$110 at order
How it is handled	Rhode Island: online in about two business days, the same day in person, or in 5 to 7 business days by mail	Filed with South Carolina
Office	Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	sos.ri.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 30 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632), $50, every year	No annual report
Due	May 1
Agent	Your Rhode Island resident agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

How Rhode Island companies register with South Carolina

Order the Rhode Island certificate
The Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22) is ordered from Rhode Island separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. It comes as a short form ($22) or a long form ($30). Rhode Island takes days to issue it and South Carolina wants it within 30 days, so the order is timed for both.
We prepare and file Form F0008
It lists us as your South Carolina agent for service of process, next to your Rhode Island name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Allow for the days Rhode Island takes to send the certificate before the South Carolina filing goes in. Once South Carolina approves it, the Rhode Island company can do business there.

South Carolina costs for Rhode Island companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$110
Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Rhode Island	$22
Our service, with a year of South Carolina agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, Rhode Island certificate included	$331

Your Rhode Island name and South Carolina's rules

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

Your South Carolina agent and the Rhode Island one

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

Yearly filings: South Carolina and Rhode Island

Rhode Island wants the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632) every year ($50); South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Rhode Island to South Carolina

A corporation formed in Rhode Island files Form F0002 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22)). After that come Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Corporation (Form 630) ($50) 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 Rhode Island

An LLC formed in South Carolina that registers with Rhode Island files Form 450 with $156 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Questions Rhode Island owners ask about South Carolina

Does my Rhode Island company need to register in South Carolina?

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

How much does it cost to register a Rhode Island LLC in South Carolina?

$309 at checkout plus $22 to Rhode Island for the Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing, $331 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Rhode Island's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Carolina wants it ($22), no more than 30 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Rhode Island and South Carolina?

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

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

A Rhode Island company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does South Carolina require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new South Carolina LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island's filings stay in place.

Official sources

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