South Carolina

Foreign registration · no form number

South Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in North Dakota

An LLC formed in South Carolina that wants to do business in North Dakota files an online registration (no form number), with $135 in state fees. North Dakota also wants South Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10). We file it with the Secretary of State using your South Carolina records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What South Carolina and North Dakota each ask for

	South Carolina formed here	North Dakota registering here
Document	South Carolina Certificate of Existence	Foreign Business Limited Liability Company Certificate of Authority Application (no form number)
State fee	$10	$135 at order
How it is handled	South Carolina: online	Filed online with North Dakota
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	North Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	sos.nd.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	No annual report	Annual Report, $50, every year
Due		November 15
Agent	Your South Carolina agent for service of process	Our North Dakota registered agent

From South Carolina to North Dakota, 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 North Dakota order. North Dakota wants the South Carolina certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your North Dakota registered agent, next to your South Carolina name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The South Carolina certificate comes first; then the North Dakota filing goes in. Once North Dakota approves it, the South Carolina company can do business there.

First-year cost, South Carolina to North Dakota

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$135
Certificate of Existence, paid to South Carolina	$10
Our service, with a year of North Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, South Carolina certificate included	$344

Will your South Carolina name work for North Dakota?

North Dakota accepts your South Carolina name if it includes the words limited liability company, or LLC or L.L.C.. If the South Carolina name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. We search North Dakota's records for South Carolina's name on file before anything is filed.

Your North Dakota agent and the South Carolina one

North Dakota 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 North Dakota's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in South Carolina and North Dakota

South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs; North Dakota wants the Annual Report every year ($50). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, South Carolina to North Dakota

A corporation formed in South Carolina files its own registration with North Dakota ($145 in state fees). After that come South Carolina's Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) and North Dakota's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

Registering a North Dakota company in South Carolina

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

Questions South Carolina owners ask about North Dakota

Does my South Carolina company need to register in North Dakota?

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

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

$334 at checkout plus $10 to South Carolina for the Certificate of Existence, $344 in all (checkout is $135 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: North Dakota wants South Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for South Carolina and North Dakota?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), no South Carolina yearly report and North Dakota's report ($50).

What if I don't register with North Dakota?

North Dakota can charge a South Carolina company a civil penalty of up to $5,000.

Does North Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will North Dakota accept my South Carolina name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes the words limited liability company, or LLC or L.L.C..

Can I form a new North Dakota LLC instead?

Yes, but South Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Dakota's Annual Report ($50), and South Carolina has no yearly report for the original.

How do I withdraw from North Dakota later?

South Carolina companies leave by filing an Application for withdrawal of a foreign limited liability company; until then, North Dakota's report stays due alongside South Carolina's filings.

Official sources

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