South Carolina

Foreign registration · no form number

South Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in Massachusetts

To do business in Massachusetts, an LLC formed in South Carolina registers there on a paper registration (no form number), with $520 in state fees. Massachusetts also asks for South Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), no older than 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division using your South Carolina records and act as your resident agent there for the first year.

South Carolina vs Massachusetts: the paperwork

	South Carolina formed here	Massachusetts registering here
Document	South Carolina Certificate of Existence	Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$10	$520 at order (filing fee $500 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	South Carolina: online	Filed on Massachusetts's paper form
Paid expedite		$20
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	sec.state.ma.us
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	No annual report	Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $500, every year
Due		On or before the anniversary date of registration to do business in Massachusetts
Agent	Your South Carolina agent for service of process	Our Massachusetts resident agent

From South Carolina to Massachusetts, 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 Massachusetts order. Massachusetts accepts it within 90 days of South Carolina's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Massachusetts resident agent, next to your South Carolina name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once South Carolina's certificate is in hand, Massachusetts's filing goes in. Once Massachusetts approves it, the South Carolina company can do business there.

Massachusetts costs for South Carolina companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$520
Certificate of Existence, paid to South Carolina	$10
Our service, with a year of Massachusetts resident agent service	$199
First-year total, South Carolina certificate included	$729

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

Will your South Carolina name work for Massachusetts?

Massachusetts can hold a name for $30 before you file.

Agents: Massachusetts and South Carolina

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

Yearly filings: Massachusetts and South Carolina

South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs; Massachusetts wants the Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year ($500). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

Registering a Massachusetts company in South Carolina

An LLC formed in Massachusetts that registers with South Carolina files Form F0008 with $110 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25) dated within 30 days. See that filing.

Questions South Carolina owners ask about Massachusetts

Does my South Carolina company need to register in Massachusetts?

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

How much does the Massachusetts registration cost?

$719 at checkout plus $10 to South Carolina for the Certificate of Existence, $729 in all (checkout is $520 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts?

Our resident agent renewal ($149 a year), no South Carolina yearly report and Massachusetts's report ($500).

What if I don't register with Massachusetts?

A South Carolina company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Massachusetts can add a civil penalty of up to $500.

Does Massachusetts require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Massachusetts LLC instead?

Yes, but South Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520), and South Carolina has no yearly report for the original.

How do I withdraw from Massachusetts later?

South Carolina companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal ($100); until then, Massachusetts's report stays due alongside South Carolina's filings.

Official sources

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