Everything you need to register a foreign LLC in South Carolina.
State filing fee$110one-time
Registered agent$125/yearbased on Northwest RA
Total, all in$485
South Carolina data last reviewed Aug 22, 2026 · sos.sc.govTotals include the $110 filing fee once, Northwest RA at $125/year, and South Carolina recurring state costs over the selected period.
Foreign Qualification
Filing fee
$110
Form
Application for a Certificate of Authority by a Foreign Limited Liability Company to Transact Business in South Carolina (Form F0008)
Annual obligation
No annual report required
Processing time
South Carolina publishes no processing time for this filing on any page a filer can reach, by any channel, and offers no expedited service
Estimated year 1 cost
$110
Note: South Carolina charges nothing for an annual report because it does not require one, and that is only true while the LLC is taxed as an LLC. If you elect to have it taxed as a corporation, including an S corporation, South Carolina taxes it as one too. The Department of Revenue then wants Form CL-1, the Initial Annual Report of Corporations, within 60 days of starting business in the state, and a licence fee that is never less than $25. An S corporation election is common once a small LLC is profitable, so check how yours is taxed before treating South Carolina as a state with no recurring state filing
South Carolina data last reviewed Aug 22, 2026 · sos.sc.gov
Formation in South Carolina
Formation fee
$110
Annual cost
No annual report
State income tax
Income tax up to 5.21% (2026 tax year)
Privacy
Conditional
Whether your name reaches the public record depends on how you set the LLC up. If you elect manager-managed, South Carolina puts the name and address of each initial manager on the articles of organization. A member-managed LLC names no owner, and South Carolina has no annual report with the Secretary of State to collect one later.
What triggers foreign qualification in South Carolina?
Physical office or place of business
Employees working in the state
Important to know
South Carolina LLCs file no annual report.
Activities that do NOT require registration in South Carolina
The following activities are explicitly carved out by statute. On their own, they do not require a foreign LLC to register in South Carolina.
Maintaining, defending, or settling an action or proceeding
Holding meetings of members or managers, or carrying on internal company affairs
Maintaining bank accounts
Maintaining offices or agents for the transfer, exchange, and registration of the company's own securities
Selling through independent contractors
Soliciting or taking orders that must be accepted outside South Carolina before they become contracts
Creating or acquiring debt, mortgages, or security interests in real or personal property
Securing or collecting debts, enforcing security interests, and holding or maintaining property acquired that way
Conducting an isolated transaction completed within 30 days that is not one of similar transactions
Transacting business in interstate commerce
Owning an interest in a limited liability company organized or doing business in South Carolina, and nothing more
Under S.C. Code Ann. Section 33-44-1003. South Carolina has NO property-ownership safe harbor, and subsection (b) reverses it: owning income-producing real or tangible personal property in South Carolina DOES constitute transacting business. Item (11) protects ownership of an LLC INTEREST, not property, and is easy to misread. No tax disclaimer. The isolated-transaction carve-out carries a 30-day limit.
This page provides general information based on publicly available state requirements. It is not legal advice. Verify with the South Carolina SOS before filing.