Foreign registration · Form CF-1

Maine Corporation Foreign Registration in West Virginia

To do business in West Virginia, a corporation formed in Maine registers there on Form CF-1, with $101 in state fees. West Virginia may ask for Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division using your Maine records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

What Maine and West Virginia each ask for

	Maine formed here	West Virginia registering here
Document	Maine Certificate of Existence	Form CF-1, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$30	$101 at order (filing fee $100 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Maine: online, downloaded from the company's information summary page	Filed with West Virginia
Paid expedite		next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25, 2-hour $250, 1-hour $500
Office	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division
Official page	apps3.web.maine.gov	sos.wv.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $85, every year	Annual Report, $25, every two years
Due	June 1	July 1 each year
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your Maine registered agent	Our West Virginia agent for service of process

From Maine 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 Maine name and formation date. If West Virginia wants the Maine certificate, it is ordered first. Once West Virginia approves it, the Maine company can do business there.

Will your Maine name work for West Virginia?

If West Virginia's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Maine company. We check your exact Maine name against West Virginia's records before filing.

Your West Virginia agent and the Maine one

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

Staying in good standing in Maine and West Virginia

Maine wants the Annual Report every year ($85); West Virginia wants the Annual Report every two years ($25). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Maine to West Virginia

An LLC formed in Maine files Form LLF-1 with West Virginia ($151 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($30)). After that come Maine's Annual Report ($85) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). See the LLC filing.

The other way: West Virginia into Maine

A corporation formed in West Virginia that registers with Maine files Form MBCA-12 with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. See that filing.

Questions Maine owners ask about West Virginia

Does my Maine company need to register in West Virginia?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does the West Virginia registration cost?

$300 at checkout; West Virginia may also want Maine'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 Maine's certificate if West Virginia asks for it. Paid expedite: next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25.

What are the yearly costs for Maine and West Virginia?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Maine's report ($85) and West Virginia's report ($25, every two years).

Does West Virginia require a registered agent?

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

Will West Virginia accept my Maine name?

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

Can I form a new West Virginia corporation instead?

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

How do I withdraw from West Virginia later?

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

Official sources

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