Tennessee

South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0008

Tennessee LLC Foreign Registration in South Carolina

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

Tennessee and South Carolina side by side

	Tennessee formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	Tennessee Certificate of 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	Tennessee: online or by mail	Filed with South Carolina
Office	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	sos.tn.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 30 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $300, every year	No annual report
Agent	Your Tennessee registered agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

How Tennessee companies register with South Carolina

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

South Carolina costs for Tennessee companies

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

Your Tennessee name and South Carolina's rules

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

Your South Carolina agent and the Tennessee one

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

Staying in good standing in Tennessee and South Carolina

Tennessee wants the Annual Report every year ($300); South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Tennessee to South Carolina

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

The other way: South Carolina into Tennessee

An LLC formed in South Carolina that registers with Tennessee files Form SS-4233 with $300 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Tennessee to South Carolina

Does my Tennessee company need to register in South Carolina?

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

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

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

Do I need Tennessee's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Carolina wants Tennessee's Certificate of Existence ($20), no more than 30 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Tennessee and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Tennessee's report ($300) and no South Carolina yearly report.

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

A Tennessee company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does South Carolina require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new South Carolina LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

Tennessee 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 Tennessee's filings stay in place.

Official sources

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