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How to Get a Certificate of Good Standing in South Carolina

South Carolina calls it the Certificate of Existence and charges $10. Here is how to order it and what must be current first.

At a glance

Document name
Certificate of Existence
State fee
$10Checked Aug 15, 2026 · sos.sc.gov
Online ordering
Yes
Typical turnaround
Ordered online through Business Entities Online. South Carolina publishes no issuance time and no mail turnaround
Issuing office
South Carolina SOS ↗

How to order it

  1. Clear any past-due filings first. Check your entity status with the South Carolina SOS and resolve the requirements below. Tax clearance may be a separate document.
  2. Order it online. Search your LLC in the South Carolina portal, request the certificate, and download it. Link in the table above.
  3. Pay the $10 fee. Confirm payment methods and the total in the official portal; extra fees may apply.
  4. Use it inside the recipient's window. The certificate has no state expiration, but banks and other states usually want one dated within the last 30 to 90 days. Order it close to when you need it.

Would rather not deal with the agency yourself?

CorpNet orders the certificate for you
$69 service fee, plus the South Carolina state fee shown above · A filing service, not a registered agent. Ordering it yourself is cheaper and the steps above are the whole process.
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Full ordering details for South Carolina

South Carolina calls it a Certificate of Existence for a South Carolina LLC and a Certificate of Authorization for an out-of-state LLC. The fee is $10, set by law, with no separate online price. Order it through Business Entities Online. The certificate says all fees, taxes and penalties owed to the state are paid only when the Secretary of State's records show the payment and missing it would affect the LLC's standing.

Important to know about South Carolina

  • South Carolina LLCs file no annual report with the Secretary of State, so there is no SOS filing to keep current. That is not the whole picture: SC Code 33-44-208 puts unpaid state taxes and penalties on the face of the certificate, and an LLC that has elected corporate treatment owes the Department of Revenue an annual return. The prerequisite is a Revenue one, not a Secretary of State one.
  • The Department of Revenue's Certificate of Compliance ($60) confirms your state tax returns are filed and paid. The Secretary of State's Certificate of Existence only reflects fees and taxes in its own records, so it does not replace a tax compliance letter.
  • The Secretary of State warns about mailings that ask for hundreds of dollars for documents it sells directly. A Certificate of Existence costs $10 when you order it from the state through Business Entities Online.

Ordering this to register in another state?

A certificate of good standing from South Carolina is what the new state asks for when your South Carolina LLC registers to do business there. Pick the state you are expanding into to see its exact filing, fee, and process.

Find your state-to-state guide · Registering an out-of-state LLC into South Carolina instead?

Related guides

Sources 5 pages

The official pages behind the figures on this page, with the date we last read each one. How we check.

Fees and costs

Deadlines and processing

Forms and filing

This page provides general information based on publicly available South Carolina Secretary of State requirements. It is not legal advice. Names, fees, and procedures can change. Verify with the South Carolina SOS before ordering.