South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form CR2E027

South Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in Florida

To do business in Florida, an LLC formed in South Carolina registers there on Form CR2E027, with $125 in state fees. Florida also wants South Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), dated within 90 days. We file it with the Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), Registration Section from your South Carolina records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

South Carolina and Florida side by side

	South Carolina formed here	Florida registering here
Document	South Carolina Certificate of Existence	Form CR2E027
State fee	$10	$125 at order
How it is handled	South Carolina: online	Filed with Florida
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), Registration Section
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	form.sunbiz.org
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	No annual report	Annual Report, $138.75, every year
Due		May 1
Agent	Your South Carolina agent for service of process	Our Florida registered agent

From South Carolina to Florida, step by step

Order the South Carolina certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from South Carolina separately; it is not part of our Florida order. Florida counts 90 days from the day South Carolina issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form CR2E027
It names us as your Florida registered agent, with your South Carolina name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once South Carolina's certificate is in hand, Florida's filing goes in. After approval, your South Carolina LLC is registered with Florida.

Florida costs for South Carolina companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$125
Certificate of Existence, paid to South Carolina	$10
Our service, with a year of Florida registered agent service	$199
First-year total, South Carolina certificate included	$334

Will your South Carolina name work for Florida?

Florida 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 Florida company uses the South Carolina name, an alternate name is allowed. Florida can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Your Florida agent and the South Carolina one

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

Staying in good standing in South Carolina and Florida

South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs; Florida wants the Annual Report every year ($138.75). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, South Carolina to Florida

A corporation formed in South Carolina files Form CR2E007 with Florida ($70 in state fees). After that come South Carolina's Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) and Florida's Annual Report ($150). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Florida into South Carolina

An LLC formed in Florida 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 Florida

Does my South Carolina company need to register in Florida?

Yes, once a South Carolina business operates there; Florida law lists 13 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the Florida registration cost?

$324 at checkout plus $10 to South Carolina for the Certificate of Existence, $334 in all (checkout is $125 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: Florida wants South Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), no more than 90 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for South Carolina and Florida?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), no South Carolina yearly report and Florida's report ($138.75).

What if I don't register with Florida?

A South Carolina company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Florida can add a civil penalty of up to $1,000 and a fine of at least $500.

Does Florida require a registered agent?

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

Will Florida 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. Florida names must include Limited Liability Company, L.L.C. or LLC.

Can I form a new Florida LLC instead?

Yes, but South Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Florida's Annual Report ($138.75), and South Carolina has no yearly report for the original.

How do I withdraw from Florida later?

South Carolina companies leave by filing a Notice of Withdrawal of Certificate of Authority ($25); until then, Florida's report stays due alongside South Carolina's filings.

Official sources

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