South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form FBE

South Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in Kentucky

Kentucky registers an LLC from South Carolina as a foreign LLC on Form FBE, with $90 in state fees. Kentucky needs nothing from South Carolina: no Certificate of Existence. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings from your South Carolina records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

South Carolina and Kentucky side by side

	South Carolina formed here	Kentucky registering here
Document	South Carolina Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Form FBE, Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Entity)
State fee	$10	$90 at order
How it is handled	South Carolina: online	Filed with Kentucky
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	web.sos.ky.gov
Yearly filing	No annual report	Annual Report, $15, every year
Due		On or before June 30
Agent	Your South Carolina agent for service of process	Our Kentucky registered agent

How South Carolina companies register with Kentucky

We prepare and file Form FBE
It lists us as your Kentucky registered agent, next to your South Carolina name and formation date. No South Carolina paperwork holds up the Kentucky filing. Once Kentucky approves it, the South Carolina company can do business there.

Will your South Carolina name work for Kentucky?

We search Kentucky's records for South Carolina's name on file before anything is filed.

Your Kentucky agent and the South Carolina one

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

Staying in good standing in South Carolina and Kentucky

South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs; Kentucky wants the Annual Report every year ($15). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, South Carolina to Kentucky

A corporation formed in South Carolina files Form FBE with Kentucky ($90 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come South Carolina's Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) and Kentucky's Annual Report ($15). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Kentucky company in South Carolina

An LLC formed in Kentucky that registers with South Carolina files Form F0008 with $110 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 30 days. See that filing.

Questions South Carolina owners ask about Kentucky

Does my South Carolina company need to register in Kentucky?

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

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

$289 at checkout, with nothing to pay South Carolina.

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

No, Kentucky takes Form FBE without it.

How long does the Kentucky registration take?

Kentucky's standard processing takes up to 3 business days; nothing comes from South Carolina first.

What are the yearly costs for South Carolina and Kentucky?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), no South Carolina yearly report and Kentucky's report ($15).

What if I don't register with Kentucky?

A South Carolina company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Kentucky can add a penalty of $2 a day.

Does Kentucky require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Kentucky LLC instead?

Yes, but South Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Kentucky's Annual Report ($15), and South Carolina has no yearly report for the original.

How do I withdraw from Kentucky later?

South Carolina companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal (Foreign Business Entity) ($40); until then, Kentucky's report stays due alongside South Carolina's filings.

Official sources

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