South Carolina

Ohio

Foreign registration · Form 617

South Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in Ohio

To do business in Ohio, an LLC formed in South Carolina registers there on Form 617, with $99 in state fees. Ohio 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 statutory agent there for the first year.

What South Carolina and Ohio each ask for

	South Carolina formed here	Ohio registering here
Document	South Carolina Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Form 617, Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$10	$99 at order
How it is handled	South Carolina: online	Filed with Ohio
Paid expedite		2-business-day $100, 1-business-day $200
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	Ohio Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	ohiosos.gov
Yearly filing	No annual report	No annual report
Agent	Your South Carolina agent for service of process	Our Ohio statutory agent

How South Carolina companies register with Ohio

We prepare and file Form 617
It names us as your Ohio statutory agent, with your South Carolina name and formation date. No South Carolina paperwork holds up the Ohio filing. Once Ohio approves it, the South Carolina company can do business there.

Your South Carolina name and Ohio's rules

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

Agents: Ohio and South Carolina

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

Yearly filings: Ohio and South Carolina

South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs; Ohio has no annual report for LLCs. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, South Carolina to Ohio

A corporation formed in South Carolina files Form 530A with Ohio ($99 in state fees, the same). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Ohio into South Carolina

An LLC formed in Ohio that registers with South Carolina files Form F0008 with $110 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($5) dated within 30 days. See that filing.

Common questions: South Carolina to Ohio

Does my South Carolina company need to register in Ohio?

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

How much does the Ohio registration cost?

$298 at checkout, with nothing to pay South Carolina.

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

No, Ohio takes Form 617 without it.

How long does the Ohio registration take?

Ohio's standard processing takes 3 to 7 business days; nothing comes from South Carolina first. Paid expedite: 2-business-day $100, 1-business-day $200.

What if I don't register with Ohio?

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

Does Ohio require a registered agent?

Yes: the South Carolina agent for service of process stays, and ours covers Ohio for year one, with a street address there.

Can I form a new Ohio LLC instead?

Yes, but South Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one has no Ohio yearly report, and South Carolina has no yearly report for the original.

How do I withdraw from Ohio later?

South Carolina companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company; until then, both the Ohio registration and South Carolina's filings stay in place.

Official sources

People also search

LLC into Ohio, by home state (48)

South Carolina into other states (47)

The same move for a corporation