South Carolina

Rhode Island

Foreign registration · Form 450

South Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in Rhode Island

To do business in Rhode Island, an LLC formed in South Carolina registers there on Form 450, with $156 in state fees. Rhode Island also asks for South Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), no older than 60 days. We file it with the Department of State, Business Services Division using your South Carolina records and act as your resident agent there for the first year.

South Carolina and Rhode Island side by side

	South Carolina formed here	Rhode Island registering here
Document	South Carolina Certificate of Existence	Form 450, Application for Registration for a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$10	$156 at order (filing fee $150 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	South Carolina: online	Filed with Rhode Island
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	docs.sos.ri.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	No annual report	Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632), $50, every year
Due		May 1
Agent	Your South Carolina agent for service of process	Our Rhode Island resident agent

From South Carolina to Rhode Island, 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 Rhode Island order. Rhode Island counts 60 days from the day South Carolina issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form 450
It names us as your Rhode Island resident agent, with your South Carolina name and formation date and the certificate attached. The South Carolina certificate comes first; then the Rhode Island filing goes in. After approval, your South Carolina LLC is registered with Rhode Island.

Rhode Island costs for South Carolina companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$156
Certificate of Existence, paid to South Carolina	$10
Our service, with a year of Rhode Island resident agent service	$199
First-year total, South Carolina certificate included	$365

Your South Carolina name and Rhode Island's rules

If Rhode Island's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the South Carolina company. Rhode Island can hold a name for 120 days for $50 before you file.

Agents: Rhode Island and South Carolina

Rhode Island calls it a resident agent; South Carolina says agent for service of process. Your current agent for service of process stays for South Carolina; ours takes Rhode Island's papers and notices.

Yearly filings: Rhode Island and South Carolina

South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs; Rhode Island wants the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632) every year ($50). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, South Carolina to Rhode Island

A corporation formed in South Carolina files Form 150 with Rhode Island ($319 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10)). After that come South Carolina's Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) and Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Corporation (Form 630) ($50). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Rhode Island company in South Carolina

An LLC formed in Rhode Island that registers with South Carolina files Form F0008 with $110 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22) dated within 30 days. See that filing.

Questions South Carolina owners ask about Rhode Island

Does my South Carolina company need to register in Rhode Island?

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

How much does the Rhode Island registration cost?

$355 at checkout plus $10 to South Carolina for the Certificate of Existence, $365 in all (checkout is $156 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: Rhode Island wants South Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for South Carolina and Rhode Island?

Our resident agent renewal ($149 a year), no South Carolina yearly report and Rhode Island's report ($50).

What if I don't register with Rhode Island?

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

Does Rhode Island require a registered agent?

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

Will Rhode Island accept my South Carolina name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its South Carolina name at home.

Can I form a new Rhode Island LLC instead?

Yes, but South Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632) ($50), and South Carolina has no yearly report for the original.

How do I withdraw from Rhode Island later?

South Carolina companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation; until then, Rhode Island's report stays due alongside South Carolina's filings.

Official sources

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