Indiana Corporation Foreign Registration in West Virginia

To do business in West Virginia, a corporation formed in Indiana registers there on Form CF-1, with $101 in state fees. West Virginia may ask for Indiana's Certificate of Existence ($15). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division from your Indiana records, then serve as your agent for service of process there for year one.

What Indiana and West Virginia each ask for

	Indiana formed here	West Virginia registering here
Document	Indiana Certificate of Existence	Form CF-1, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$15	$101 at order (filing fee $100 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Indiana: online through INBiz, emailed after payment and kept in the INBiz documents list	Filed with West Virginia
Paid expedite		next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25, 2-hour $250, 1-hour $500
Office	Indiana Secretary of State, Business Services Division	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division
Official page	inbiz.in.gov	sos.wv.gov
Yearly filing	Business Entity Report, $32, every two years	Annual Report, $25, every two years
Due	Last day of the corporation's anniversary month, every 2 years	July 1 each year
Agent	Your Indiana registered agent	Our West Virginia agent for service of process

From Indiana to West Virginia, step by step

We prepare and file Form CF-1
It lists us as your West Virginia agent for service of process, next to your Indiana name and formation date. If West Virginia wants the Indiana certificate, it is ordered first. After approval, your Indiana corporation is registered with West Virginia.

Will your Indiana name work for West Virginia?

If West Virginia's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Indiana company. We search West Virginia's records for Indiana's name on file before anything is filed.

Agents: West Virginia and Indiana

West Virginia calls it an agent for service of process; Indiana says registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for Indiana; ours takes West Virginia's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in Indiana and West Virginia

Indiana wants the Business Entity Report every two years ($32); West Virginia wants the Annual Report every two years ($25). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Indiana to West Virginia

An LLC formed in Indiana files Form LLF-1 with West Virginia ($151 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($15)). After that come Indiana's Business Entity Report ($32) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). See the LLC filing.

Questions Indiana owners ask about West Virginia

Does my Indiana company need to register in West Virginia?

Yes, once an Indiana business operates there; West Virginia registers it as a foreign corporation.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: West Virginia issues one to Indiana corporations once the form is approved.

How much does the West Virginia registration cost?

$300 at checkout; West Virginia may also want Indiana's Certificate of Existence, at extra cost.

How long does the West Virginia registration take?

West Virginia's standard processing takes 5 to 10 business days at no extra cost, plus time for Indiana's certificate if West Virginia asks for it. Paid expedite: next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25.

What are the yearly costs for Indiana and West Virginia?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Indiana's report ($32, every two years) and West Virginia's report ($25, every two years).

Does West Virginia require a registered agent?

Yes: the Indiana registered agent stays, and ours covers West Virginia for year one.

Will West Virginia accept my Indiana name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Indiana name at home.

Can I form a new West Virginia corporation instead?

Yes, but Indiana keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files West Virginia's Annual Report ($25), and the original keeps Indiana's Business Entity Report.

How do I withdraw from West Virginia later?

Indiana companies leave by filing a withdrawal application; until then, West Virginia's report stays due alongside Indiana's filings.

Official sources

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