South Carolina

Foreign registration · no form number

South Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in Montana

An LLC formed in South Carolina that wants to do business in Montana files an online registration (no form number), with $70 in state fees. Montana asks nothing of South Carolina here, not even the Certificate of Existence. 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 Montana: the paperwork

	South Carolina formed here	Montana registering here
Document	South Carolina Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Certificate of Authority (no form number)
State fee	$10	$70 at order
How it is handled	South Carolina: online	Filed online with Montana
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	Montana Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	help.sosmt.gov
Yearly filing	No annual report	Annual Report, $20, every year
Due		April 15
Agent	Your South Carolina agent for service of process	Our Montana registered agent

From South Carolina to Montana, step by step

We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Montana registered agent, next to your South Carolina name and formation date. No South Carolina paperwork holds up the Montana filing. After approval, your South Carolina LLC is registered with Montana.

Your South Carolina name and Montana's rules

We check your exact South Carolina name against Montana's records before filing.

Agents: Montana and South Carolina

Montana 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 Montana's papers and notices.

Yearly filings: Montana and South Carolina

South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs; Montana wants the Annual Report every year ($20). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, South Carolina to Montana

A corporation formed in South Carolina files its own registration with Montana ($70 in state fees, the same). After that come South Carolina's Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) and Montana's Annual Report (no fee). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Montana into South Carolina

An LLC formed in Montana 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.

Common questions: South Carolina to Montana

Does my South Carolina company need to register in Montana?

Yes, once a South Carolina business operates there; Montana does not count a one-off deal finished within 30 days.

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

$269 at checkout, with nothing to pay South Carolina.

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

No, Montana takes the registration without it.

What are the yearly costs for South Carolina and Montana?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), no South Carolina yearly report and Montana's report ($20).

What if I don't register with Montana?

A South Carolina company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Montana can add a penalty of $5 a day, up to $1,000 a year.

Does Montana require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Montana LLC instead?

Yes, but South Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Montana's Annual Report ($20), and South Carolina has no yearly report for the original.

How do I withdraw from Montana later?

South Carolina companies leave by filing an Application for Certificate of Withdrawal (foreign limited liability company); until then, Montana's report stays due alongside South Carolina's filings.

Official sources

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The same move for a corporation