South Carolina

Maryland

Foreign registration · no form number

South Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in Maryland

Maryland registers an LLC from South Carolina as a foreign LLC on a paper registration (no form number), with $104.50 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maryland also wants South Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), dated within 60 days. We file it with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division from your South Carolina records, then serve as your resident agent there for year one.

South Carolina and Maryland side by side

	South Carolina formed here	Maryland registering here
Document	South Carolina Certificate of Existence	Foreign Limited Liability Company Registration (no form number)
State fee	$10	$104.50 at order (filing fee $100 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	South Carolina: online	Filed on Maryland's paper form
Required expedite		$50 at order (7 business days)
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	egov.maryland.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	No annual report	Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1), $300, every year
Due		April 15
Agent	Your South Carolina agent for service of process	Our Maryland resident agent

From South Carolina to Maryland, 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 Maryland order. Maryland accepts it within 60 days of South Carolina's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your Maryland resident agent, with your South Carolina name and formation date and the certificate attached. The South Carolina certificate comes first; then the Maryland filing goes in. After approval, your South Carolina LLC is registered with Maryland.

First-year cost, South Carolina to Maryland

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$104.50
Required expedite (7 business days), paid at order	$50
Certificate of Existence, paid to South Carolina	$10
Our service, with a year of Maryland resident agent service	$199
First-year total, South Carolina certificate included	$363.50

Will your South Carolina name work for Maryland?

Maryland can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Agents: Maryland and South Carolina

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

Yearly filings: Maryland and South Carolina

South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs; Maryland wants the Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1) every year ($300). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, South Carolina to Maryland

A corporation formed in South Carolina files its own registration with Maryland ($104.50 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same). After that come South Carolina's Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) and Maryland's Form 1 — Business Entity Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return ($300). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Maryland into South Carolina

An LLC formed in Maryland that registers with South Carolina files Form F0008 with $110 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status ($20) dated within 30 days. See that filing.

Common questions: South Carolina to Maryland

Does my South Carolina company need to register in Maryland?

Yes, once a South Carolina business operates there; Maryland law lists 8 activities that do not count on their own.

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

$353.50 at checkout plus $10 to South Carolina for the Certificate of Existence, $363.50 in all (checkout is $104.50 in state fees, the $50 required expedite and our $199).

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

Yes: Maryland wants South Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), no more than 60 days old at filing.

How long does the Maryland registration take?

7 business days with Maryland's required expedite, once South Carolina's certificate is in hand.

What are the yearly costs for South Carolina and Maryland?

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

What if I don't register with Maryland?

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

Does Maryland require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Maryland LLC instead?

Yes, but South Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Maryland's Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1) ($300), and South Carolina has no yearly report for the original.

How do I withdraw from Maryland later?

South Carolina companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation of a Foreign LLC (no state fee); until then, Maryland's report stays due alongside South Carolina's filings.

Official sources

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