South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0008

South Dakota LLC Foreign Registration in South Carolina

South Carolina registers an LLC from South Dakota as a foreign LLC on Form F0008, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also asks for South Dakota's Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20), no older than 30 days. We file it with the Secretary of State using your South Dakota records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

South Dakota and South Carolina side by side

	South Dakota formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	South Dakota Certificate of Good Standing/Existence	Form F0008, Application for a Certificate of Authority by a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$20	$110 at order
How it is handled	South Dakota: online	Filed with South Carolina
Office	South Dakota Secretary of State	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	sosenterprise.sd.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 30 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $55, every year	No annual report
Due	During the entity's anniversary month each year
Agent	Your South Dakota registered agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

How South Dakota companies register with South Carolina

Order the South Dakota certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20) is ordered from South Dakota separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. South Carolina counts 30 days from the day South Dakota issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form F0008
It lists us as your South Carolina agent for service of process, next to your South Dakota name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once South Dakota's certificate is in hand, South Carolina's filing goes in. Once South Carolina approves it, the South Dakota company can do business there.

First-year cost, South Dakota to South Carolina

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$110
Certificate of Good Standing/Existence, paid to South Dakota	$20
Our service, with a year of South Carolina agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, South Dakota certificate included	$329

Your South Dakota name and South Carolina's rules

South Carolina can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Agents: South Carolina and South Dakota

South Carolina calls it an agent for service of process; South Dakota says registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for South Dakota; ours takes South Carolina's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in South Dakota and South Carolina

South Dakota wants the Annual Report every year ($55); South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, South Dakota to South Carolina

A corporation formed in South Dakota files Form F0002 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20)). After that come South Dakota's Annual Report and South Carolina's Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) filed with DOR. See the corporation filing.

Registering a South Carolina company in South Dakota

An LLC formed in South Carolina that registers with South Dakota files South Dakota's registration (no form number) with $750 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10). See that filing.

Questions South Dakota owners ask about South Carolina

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

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

How much does the South Carolina registration cost?

$309 at checkout plus $20 to South Dakota for the Certificate of Good Standing/Existence, $329 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: South Carolina wants it ($20), no more than 30 days old at filing.

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

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), South Dakota's report ($55) and no South Carolina yearly report.

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

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

Does South Carolina require a registered agent?

Yes: the South Dakota registered agent stays, and ours covers South Carolina for year one.

Can I form a new South Carolina LLC instead?

Yes, but South Dakota keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one has no South Carolina yearly report, and the original keeps South Dakota's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

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

Official sources

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