South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form 635_0010

South Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in Iowa

Iowa registers an LLC from South Carolina as a foreign LLC on Form 635_0010, with $100 in state fees. Iowa also wants South Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), dated within 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Services using your South Carolina records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

South Carolina vs Iowa: the paperwork

	South Carolina formed here	Iowa registering here
Document	South Carolina Certificate of Existence	Form 635_0010, Limited Liability Company Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$10	$100 at order
How it is handled	South Carolina: online	Filed with Iowa
Paid expedite		5-business-day $15, 2-business-day $50
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	sos.iowa.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	No annual report	Biennial Report, $30, every two years
Due		April 1 of odd-numbered years
Agent	Your South Carolina agent for service of process	Our Iowa registered agent

How South Carolina companies register with Iowa

Order the South Carolina certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from South Carolina separately; it is not part of our Iowa order. Iowa accepts it within 90 days of South Carolina's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form 635_0010
It names us as your Iowa registered agent, with your South Carolina name and formation date and the certificate attached. The South Carolina certificate comes first; then the Iowa filing goes in. Once Iowa approves it, the South Carolina company can do business there.

Iowa costs for South Carolina companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$100
Certificate of Existence, paid to South Carolina	$10
Our service, with a year of Iowa registered agent service	$199
First-year total, South Carolina certificate included	$309

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

Your South Carolina name and Iowa's rules

If Iowa's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the South Carolina company. We search Iowa's records for South Carolina's name on file before anything is filed.

Your Iowa agent and the South Carolina one

Iowa 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 Iowa's papers and notices.

Yearly filings: Iowa and South Carolina

South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs; Iowa wants the Biennial Report every two years ($30). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, South Carolina to Iowa

A corporation formed in South Carolina files Form 635_0110A with Iowa ($100 in state fees, the same). After that come South Carolina's Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) and Iowa's Biennial Report ($60). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Iowa into South Carolina

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

Questions South Carolina owners ask about Iowa

Does my South Carolina company need to register in Iowa?

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

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

$299 at checkout plus $10 to South Carolina for the Certificate of Existence, $309 in all (checkout is $100 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: Iowa 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 Iowa?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), no South Carolina yearly report and Iowa's report ($30, every two years).

What if I don't register with Iowa?

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

Does Iowa require a registered agent?

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

Will Iowa 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.

Can I form a new Iowa LLC instead?

Yes, but South Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Iowa's Biennial Report ($30), and South Carolina has no yearly report for the original.

How do I withdraw from Iowa later?

South Carolina companies leave by filing a Statement of Withdrawal ($10); until then, Iowa's report stays due alongside South Carolina's filings.

Official sources

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