South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0008

Washington LLC Foreign Registration in South Carolina

South Carolina registers an LLC from Washington as a foreign LLC on Form F0008, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also wants Washington's Certificate of Existence ($20), dated within 30 days. We file it with the Secretary of State using your Washington records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

Washington vs South Carolina: the paperwork

	Washington formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	Washington 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	Washington: online as an instant Express download, also emailed	Filed with South Carolina
Office	Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	ccfs.sos.wa.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 30 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $70, every year	No annual report
Due	Last day of the entity's anniversary month
Agent	Your Washington registered agent	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

From Washington to South Carolina, step by step

Order the Washington certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($20) is ordered from Washington separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. An instant Washington certificate reaches South Carolina only hours old, well inside the limit of 30 days.
We prepare and file Form F0008
It lists us as your South Carolina agent for service of process, next to your Washington name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Washington issues the certificate instantly, so the South Carolina filing can go in the same day. Once South Carolina approves it, the Washington company can do business there.

First-year cost, Washington to South Carolina

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

Your Washington name and South Carolina's rules

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

Your South Carolina agent and the Washington one

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

Staying in good standing in Washington and South Carolina

Washington wants the Annual Report every year ($70); South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Washington to South Carolina

A corporation formed in Washington files Form F0002 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($20)). After that come Washington's Annual Report ($70) 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 Washington

An LLC formed in South Carolina that registers with Washington files Washington's registration (no form number) with $200 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Washington to South Carolina

Does my Washington company need to register in South Carolina?

Yes, once a Washington 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 Washington for the Certificate of Existence, $329 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Washington's certificate of good standing?

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

What are the yearly costs for Washington and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Washington's report ($70) and no South Carolina yearly report.

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

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

Does South Carolina require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new South Carolina LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

Washington 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 Washington's filings stay in place.

Official sources

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