South Carolina

Foreign registration · no form number

South Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in Delaware

Delaware registers an LLC from South Carolina as a foreign LLC on a registration (no form number), with $200 in state fees. Delaware also asks for South Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), no older than 180 days. We file it with the Department of State, Division of Corporations using your South Carolina records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

South Carolina vs Delaware: the paperwork

	South Carolina formed here	Delaware registering here
Document	South Carolina Certificate of Existence	Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (no form number)
State fee	$10	$200 at order
How it is handled	South Carolina: online	Filed with Delaware
Paid expedite		24-hour $50, same-day $100, 2-hour $500, 1-hour $1,000
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	corp.delaware.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Yearly filing	No annual report	Annual LLC Tax, $300, every year
Agent	Your South Carolina agent for service of process	Our Delaware registered agent

How South Carolina companies register with Delaware

Order the South Carolina certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from South Carolina separately; it is not part of our Delaware order. Delaware counts 180 days from the day South Carolina issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Delaware registered agent, next to your South Carolina name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The South Carolina certificate comes first; then the Delaware filing goes in. Once Delaware approves it, the South Carolina company can do business there.

First-year cost, South Carolina to Delaware

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$200
Certificate of Existence, paid to South Carolina	$10
Our service, with a year of Delaware registered agent service	$199
First-year total, South Carolina certificate included	$409

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

Will your South Carolina name work for Delaware?

Delaware can hold a name for 120 days for $75 before you file.

Your Delaware agent and the South Carolina one

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

Yearly filings: Delaware and South Carolina

South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs; Delaware wants the Annual LLC Tax every year ($300). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, South Carolina to Delaware

A corporation formed in South Carolina files its own registration with Delaware ($245 in state fees). After that come South Carolina's Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) and Delaware's Foreign Corporation Annual Report ($125). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Delaware company in South Carolina

An LLC formed in Delaware that registers with South Carolina files Form F0008 with $110 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($50) dated within 30 days. See that filing.

Common questions: South Carolina to Delaware

Does my South Carolina company need to register in Delaware?

Yes, once a South Carolina business operates there; Delaware registers it as a foreign LLC.

How much does the Delaware registration cost?

$399 at checkout plus $10 to South Carolina for the Certificate of Existence, $409 in all (checkout is $200 in state fees plus our $199).

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

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

What are the yearly costs for South Carolina and Delaware?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), no South Carolina yearly report and Delaware's report ($300).

What if I don't register with Delaware?

A South Carolina company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Delaware can add up to $200 for each year or part of a year.

Does Delaware require a registered agent?

Yes: the South Carolina agent for service of process stays, and ours covers Delaware for year one, with a street address there.

Can I form a new Delaware LLC instead?

Yes, but South Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Delaware's Annual LLC Tax ($400), and South Carolina has no yearly report for the original.

How do I withdraw from Delaware later?

South Carolina companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company; until then, Delaware's report stays due alongside South Carolina's filings.

Official sources

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