South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form F0008

West Virginia LLC Foreign Registration in South Carolina

To do business in South Carolina, an LLC formed in West Virginia registers there on Form F0008, with $110 in state fees. South Carolina also asks for West Virginia's Certificate of Existence ($10), no older than 30 days. We file it with the Secretary of State using your West Virginia records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

West Virginia and South Carolina side by side

	West Virginia formed here	South Carolina registering here
Document	West Virginia Certificate of Existence	Form F0008, Application for a Certificate of Authority by a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$10	$110 at order
How it is handled	West Virginia: in about 5 to 10 business days, with 24-hour, 2-hour and 1-hour expedite options	Filed with South Carolina
Office	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division	South Carolina Secretary of State
Official page	sos.wv.gov	businessfilings.sc.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 30 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $26, every year	No annual report
Due	July 1 each year
Agent	Your West Virginia agent for service of process	Our South Carolina agent for service of process

How West Virginia companies register with South Carolina

Order the West Virginia certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from West Virginia separately; it is not part of our South Carolina order. With West Virginia taking days and South Carolina counting 30 days from issue, the order is timed for both.
We prepare and file Form F0008
It lists us as your South Carolina agent for service of process, next to your West Virginia name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The West Virginia certificate takes days to arrive, so the South Carolina filing waits for it. Once South Carolina approves it, the West Virginia company can do business there.

South Carolina costs for West Virginia companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$110
Certificate of Existence, paid to West Virginia	$10
Our service, with a year of South Carolina agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, West Virginia certificate included	$319

Will your West Virginia name work for South Carolina?

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

Your South Carolina agent and the West Virginia one

West Virginia and South Carolina both call it an agent for service of process. South Carolina papers come to us; West Virginia's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in West Virginia and South Carolina

West Virginia wants the Annual Report every year ($26); South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, West Virginia to South Carolina

A corporation formed in West Virginia files Form F0002 with South Carolina ($110 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10)). After that come West Virginia's Annual Report ($25) 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 West Virginia

An LLC formed in South Carolina that registers with West Virginia files Form LLF-1 with $151 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10). See that filing.

Common questions: West Virginia to South Carolina

Does my West Virginia company need to register in South Carolina?

Yes, once a West Virginia 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 $10 to West Virginia for the Certificate of Existence, $319 in all (checkout is $110 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need West Virginia's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Carolina wants West Virginia's Certificate of Existence ($10), no more than 30 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for West Virginia and South Carolina?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), West Virginia's report ($26) and no South Carolina yearly report.

What if I don't register with South Carolina?

A West Virginia company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does South Carolina require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new South Carolina LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from South Carolina later?

West Virginia 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 West Virginia's filings stay in place.

Official sources

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