Updated September 7, 2026. Quick answer: In South Carolina, this document is called a Certificate of Existence, issued by the Secretary of State. $10.00, per the SC Secretary of State’s Document Request Online page: ‘Certificates of Existence can be obtained directly from the Secretary of State’s Office for a $10.00 fee, which is set by statute.’
What it’s called and who issues it
South Carolina calls this document a Certificate of Existence, issued by the Secretary of State.
The fee
| Standard fee | $10.00 |
| Full fee detail | $10.00, per the SC Secretary of State’s Document Request Online page: ‘Certificates of Existence can be obtained directly from the Secretary of State’s Office for a $10.00 fee, which is set by statute.’ |
| Expedited/rush fee | $10.00 is the only fee this state’s own source names; no separate expedited/rush tier is published. |
| Fee confirmed | $10.00, as sourced in the note above. |
How fast you can get it
The official page describes ordering ‘from home, the office, or on the go,’ implying self-service online ordering.
What makes this state different
South Carolina LLCs have no annual report requirement at all, making the Certificate of Existence one of the only external checkpoints for an SC LLC’s compliance status.
A note on sourcing: The direct .gov fetch confirms the $10 fee and that online self-service ordering exists, but the fetched page content did not itself state a precise turnaround time; the ‘available within 24 hours online / up to 5 business days by mail’ processing detail comes from a secondary source, not confirmed directly on the .gov page this session.
| Fee/process source | Secretary of State |
| Agency business-filings site | South Carolina Secretary of State business filings |
| Confidence | Medium |
Every fee on this page was read directly from the state’s own Secretary of State (or equivalent agency) site or fee-schedule PDF this session, or, where that site blocked automated access, from an archived snapshot of the same official document or independently cross-checked legal-directory sources (disclosed below). General information, not legal advice; states change fees without notice, so confirm the current price at checkout before you pay.