South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form DSCB:15-412

South Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in Pennsylvania

To do business in Pennsylvania, an LLC formed in South Carolina registers there on Form DSCB:15-412, with $250 in state fees. Pennsylvania needs nothing from South Carolina: no Certificate of Existence. We file it with the Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations from your South Carolina records, then serve as your registered office there for year one.

South Carolina vs Pennsylvania: the paperwork

	South Carolina formed here	Pennsylvania registering here
Document	South Carolina Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Form DSCB:15-412, Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$10	$250 at order
How it is handled	South Carolina: online	Filed with Pennsylvania
Paid expedite		same-day $100, 3-hour $300, 1-hour $1,000
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	pa.gov
Yearly filing	No annual report	Annual Report, $7, every year
Due		September 30
Agent	Your South Carolina agent for service of process	Our Pennsylvania registered office

From South Carolina to Pennsylvania, step by step

We prepare and file Form DSCB:15-412
It lists us as your Pennsylvania registered office, next to your South Carolina name and formation date. Nothing has to come from South Carolina first, so the Pennsylvania filing can go in right away. After approval, your South Carolina LLC is registered with Pennsylvania.

Your South Carolina name and Pennsylvania's rules

Pennsylvania accepts your South Carolina name if it includes the term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state. We search Pennsylvania's records for South Carolina's name on file before anything is filed.

Your Pennsylvania agent and the South Carolina one

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

Staying in good standing in South Carolina and Pennsylvania

South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs; Pennsylvania wants the Annual Report every year ($7). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, South Carolina to Pennsylvania

A corporation formed in South Carolina files Form DSCB:15-412 with Pennsylvania ($250 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come South Carolina's Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) and Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Pennsylvania company in South Carolina

An LLC formed in Pennsylvania that registers with South Carolina files Form F0008 with $110 in state fees, plus the Subsistence Certificate ($40) dated within 30 days. See that filing.

Questions South Carolina owners ask about Pennsylvania

Does my South Carolina company need to register in Pennsylvania?

Yes, once a South Carolina business operates there; Pennsylvania law lists 12 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the Pennsylvania registration cost?

$449 at checkout, with nothing to pay South Carolina.

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

No, Pennsylvania takes Form DSCB:15-412 without it.

What are the yearly costs for South Carolina and Pennsylvania?

Our registered office renewal ($149 a year), no South Carolina yearly report and Pennsylvania's report ($7).

What if I don't register with Pennsylvania?

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

Does Pennsylvania require a registered agent?

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

Will Pennsylvania accept my South Carolina name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes the term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state.

Can I form a new Pennsylvania LLC instead?

Yes, but South Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7), and South Carolina has no yearly report for the original.

How do I withdraw from Pennsylvania later?

South Carolina companies leave by filing a Statement of Withdrawal of Foreign Registration; until then, Pennsylvania's report stays due alongside South Carolina's filings.

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