South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form LLC-5

South Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in California

California registers an LLC from South Carolina as a foreign LLC on Form LLC-5, with $70 in state fees. California also wants South Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), dated within 180 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Entities using your South Carolina records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

South Carolina and California side by side

	South Carolina formed here	California registering here
Document	South Carolina Certificate of Existence	Form LLC-5
State fee	$10	$70 at order
How it is handled	South Carolina: online	Filed with California
Paid expedite		24-hour $350, same-day $750
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	California Secretary of State, Business Entities
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	sos.ca.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Yearly filing	No annual report	Statement of Information (Form LLC-12), $20, every two years
Due		Last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially
Agent	Your South Carolina agent for service of process	Our California agent for service of process

How South Carolina companies register with California

Order the South Carolina certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from South Carolina separately; it is not part of our California order. California accepts it within 180 days of South Carolina's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form LLC-5
It names us as your California agent for service of process, with your South Carolina name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once South Carolina's certificate is in hand, California's filing goes in. Once California approves it, the South Carolina company can do business there.

First-year cost, South Carolina to California

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$70
Certificate of Existence, paid to South Carolina	$10
Our service, with a year of California agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, South Carolina certificate included	$279

California's paid expedite is optional and not in the total.

Will your South Carolina name work for California?

California accepts your South Carolina name if it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC. If the South Carolina name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. If another California company uses the South Carolina name, an alternate name is allowed. California can hold a name for 60 days for $10 before you file.

Your California agent and the South Carolina one

South Carolina and California both call it an agent for service of process. California papers come to us; South Carolina's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: California and South Carolina

South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs; California wants the Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) every two years ($20). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, South Carolina to California

A corporation formed in South Carolina files Form S&DC-S/N with California ($100 in state fees). After that come South Carolina's Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) and California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25). See the corporation filing.

The other way: California into South Carolina

An LLC formed in California that registers with South Carolina files Form F0008 with $110 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status ($5) dated within 30 days. See that filing.

Questions South Carolina owners ask about California

Does my South Carolina company need to register in California?

Yes, once a South Carolina business operates there; California law lists 10 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the California registration cost?

$269 at checkout plus $10 to South Carolina for the Certificate of Existence, $279 in all (checkout is $70 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: California wants South Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), no more than 180 days old at filing.

How long does the California registration take?

California's online processing takes 5 days or less, once South Carolina's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: 24-hour $350, same-day $750.

What are the yearly costs for South Carolina and California?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), no South Carolina yearly report and California's report ($20, every two years).

What if I don't register with California?

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

Does California require a registered agent?

Yes: the South Carolina agent for service of process stays, and ours covers California for year one.

Will California accept my South Carolina name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its South Carolina name at home. California names must include limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC.

Can I form a new California LLC instead?

Yes, but South Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) ($20), and South Carolina has no yearly report for the original.

How do I withdraw from California later?

South Carolina companies leave by filing Form LLC-4/7 (no state fee); until then, California's report stays due alongside South Carolina's filings.

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