The Secretary of State serves as the agent for Service of Process on foreign (out of state) corporations not authorized to do business in South Carolina (S.C. Code 15-9-245).  However, there are situations where the Secretary of State may accept service for other entities.  The Secretary of State strongly advises any person serving process to review the statutes listed below as well as any statute governing the entity to be served prior to delivering process to the Secretary of State.  The Rules of Civil Procedure for the court where the action is filed must also be followed.  

Any process improperly delivered to the Secretary of State will not perfect service on the defendant and will be returned to the plaintiff.  No process will be forwarded until the filing fee is paid as provided in the statute.

Requirements for Service of Process

1. Notice must be file stamped by the Clerk of Court's office in which the document was filed

2. Notice must be filed in duplicate

3. Must supply last known address of corporation to be served

4. Must include the $10.00 filing fee.                     

To read the statute pertaining to Service of Process:

Service of Process Governing Statute