The 6 steps to change your registered agent in South Carolina. Source: South Carolina Secretary of State.
How to File
1
Obtain Consent from New Registered Agent
Before filing any paperwork, ensure your new registered agent agrees to serve and has a physical South Carolina address. Get written consent if using a professional service.
2
Complete Form CL-7 (Statement of Change)
Download and complete Form CL-7 from the South Carolina Secretary of State website at https://www.sos.sc.gov. This form is used to report changes to your LLC's registered agent information.
3
Include Required Information
Provide your LLC's name, file number, current registered agent details, new registered agent's name and complete South Carolina address, and the effective date of the change.
4
Pay the Filing Fee
Include a $10 filing fee with your Form CL-7. Payment can be made by check or money order payable to 'Secretary of State' if filing by mail, or by credit card if filing online.
5
File with the Secretary of State
Submit the completed form and fee to the South Carolina Secretary of State either online through their portal at https://www.sos.sc.gov, by mail to PO Box 11350, Columbia, SC 29211, or in person at their office.
6
Update Your Records
Once processed, update your internal LLC records and notify banks, vendors, and other parties of your new registered agent information to ensure proper document delivery.
Ready to file your annual report?
Go directly to the South Carolina Secretary of State portal.
Your current registered agent is moving out of South Carolina or closing their business
You want to switch from being your own registered agent to hiring a professional service
Your registered agent is no longer providing reliable service or missing important documents
You're relocating your business and need a registered agent in a different South Carolina location
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each state publishes about filing deadlines, fees, and the consequences of missing them, with the sources this page cites. It cannot tell you what your own company owes: the date turns on when and where you formed, states change these rules between our reviews, and in several states an entity-level tax falls due in a year when no report does. Confirm your own dates with the filing office named on this page before you rely on one here, because the penalty for missing a deadline can be administrative dissolution of the company.
Frequently Asked Questions
Changes to your registered agent in South Carolina typically process within 5 to 10 business days if you file by mail with the South Carolina Secretary of State's Office, or 1 to 3 business days if you file online through their SC Business Filings portal. The expedited service option costs $50 and reduces processing time to 24 hours, which is valuable if you need immediate confirmation for compliance purposes. You'll submit Form LLC-12 (Application for Change of Registered Agent) along with the $25 standard filing fee. This processing window is critical because your LLC remains legally responsible for any notices or legal documents delivered to your old registered agent until the change is officially recorded, creating potential liability gaps if you don't account for this timeline. To protect your business, file your agent change form immediately upon selecting a new agent, then verify the change has been processed through the Secretary of State's online business search tool before assuming your old agent is no longer responsible for your company's legal notices.
Changing your registered agent in South Carolina costs $10 in filing fees when you submit Form CL-7 (Statement of Change) to the South Carolina Secretary of State's Business Filings Division. This flat $10 fee is the only state charge required. There are no additional administrative fees, processing surcharges, or hidden costs. You'll mail the completed Form CL-7 along with your $10 check to the Secretary of State's office in Columbia. The change typically takes 5 to 7 business days to process once received. This low cost makes it affordable to update your agent information whenever your circumstances change, such as when switching from a professional registered agent service to an in-house employee or vice versa. The minimal expense means you can maintain compliance without significant financial burden. Visit the South Carolina Secretary of State's website to download Form CL-7, verify the current mailing address, and confirm processing times before submitting your request.
Yes, you can serve as your own registered agent in South Carolina if you meet two requirements: you must be at least 18 years old and maintain a physical street address (not a PO box) within the state where you can receive legal documents during business hours.
However, this creates a significant practical burden. As your own registered agent, you're personally responsible for accepting service of process, annual report notices, and compliance documents from the South Carolina Secretary of State. Missing a deadline or failing to receive critical litigation papers can result in a default judgment against your LLC without your knowledge.
Many South Carolina LLC owners choose professional registered agent services ($75 to $150 annually) specifically to avoid this liability and maintain operational privacy. If you decide to act as your own agent, file Form LLCAG-1 with the Secretary of State's office to designate yourself.
To proceed, visit scsos.gov and review the current registered agent requirements before making your final decision.
No, changing your registered agent won't affect your LLC's good standing status in South Carolina. The South Carolina Secretary of State treats registered agent changes as routine administrative updates that don't trigger compliance reviews or penalties. However, failing to maintain a registered agent or having an unreliable agent who misses service of process documents could jeopardize your standing. If your agent doesn't receive and forward legal notices, tax documents, or dissolution papers from the Secretary of State, you risk missing critical deadlines, potentially resulting in involuntary dissolution or administrative suspension. To change your agent, file Form LLC-12 (Application to Change Registered Agent and/or Registered Office) with the South Carolina Secretary of State's Business Filings division. Next, verify your new agent's contact information is accurate in the Secretary of State's database to ensure uninterrupted service of documents. The South Carolina Secretary of State publishes no standard processing time for this filing.
South Carolina allows both online and mail filing for registered agent changes through the Secretary of State's Business Filings Division. Online filing through https://www.sos.sc.gov is the faster option, providing immediate confirmation and typically processing within 1-2 business days, while mail submissions to the Secretary of State's office in Columbia take 5-7 business days. You'll file Form LLC-12 (Change of Registered Agent/Office) either method. Online filing costs $25, identical to the mail filing fee. The practical advantage of online filing is that your new registered agent becomes officially active sooner, ensuring uninterrupted receipt of legal documents and compliance notices, critical since missing registered agent notices can result in administrative dissolution. If you mail your filing, include a check payable to "Secretary of State" with your completed Form LLC-12. To proceed immediately, visit the Secretary of State's online portal, create an account if needed, and upload your Form LLC-12 with payment information for same-day submission.
Sources
Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified South Carolina sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so.
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Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.
