South Carolina Resident Agent Service

Why South Carolina requires a resident agent

In South Carolina a corporation's resident agent can be an individual who lives in SC, a domestic corporation or nonprofit, or a foreign corporation or nonprofit that has authority to transact business in SC, and every one of them needs a business office that matches the registered office. For LLCs, S.C. Code Ann. § 33-44-108(b) calls the role agent for service of process, and it must be another LLC, a domestic corporation, a foreign company or foreign corporation with authority to do business in SC, or an individual SC resident. S.C. Code Ann. § 33-5-101

What happens if you lapse

• For a domestic corporation with no resident agent or registered office, or one that has not told the SOS about agent or office changes or a resignation, the Secretary of State must begin administrative dissolution. S.C. Code Ann. § 33-14-200(a)(3)-(4)
• Once dissolved administratively, the corporation still exists but can only wind up and liquidate, and it has 60 days after the SOS notice to cure before dissolution. S.C. Code Ann. § 33-14-210(b), (d)
• South Carolina revokes a foreign corporation's certificate of authority when it has no resident agent or registered office in the state or does not tell the SOS about agent or office changes. S.C. Code Ann. § 33-15-300(a)(3)-(4)
• A foreign corporation doing business in SC with no certificate of authority, for example after revocation, cannot maintain a proceeding in an SC court until it obtains one. S.C. Code Ann. § 33-15-102(a)
• A foreign corporation without a certificate of authority that does business in SC owes a civil penalty of $10 for each day, up to $1,000 in a year. S.C. Code Ann. § 33-15-102(d)
• Reinstating after administrative dissolution costs $25 under the corporation fee schedule, the same $25 LLCs pay under § 33-44-1204(a)(11), and you need a Department of Revenue tax-clearance certificate. S.C. Code Ann. § 33-1-220(a)(16); § 33-14-220(a)(4)

Switching to us

We prepare and file the change of resident agent for you. South Carolina charges $10 for an LLC S.C. Code 33-44-1204(a)(9) and $10 for a corporation S.C. Code 33-1-220(a) 'Corporation's statement of change of....

Official South Carolina links

• South Carolina Secretary of State - (803) 734-2158
• Business entity search
• Statutes
• Forms
• Annual report filing

Frequently asked

Do I need a resident agent in South Carolina?

Almost every state does, and the South Carolina rule is set out above with its citation. Where the law leaves a choice, a resident agent is still the practical way to make sure service of process reaches you.

How much does South Carolina resident agent service cost?

$129 a year, with no setup fee, the same price in all 50 states plus DC, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Service of process is received and scanned the same business day.

Can I switch my South Carolina resident agent to ResidentAgents.com?

Yes. Order online and we prepare the change of agent filing for you; the state's filing fee is shown on this page.