Foreign registration · Form CF-1

Massachusetts Corporation Foreign Registration in West Virginia

A corporation formed in Massachusetts that wants to do business in West Virginia files Form CF-1, with $101 in state fees. West Virginia may ask for Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($12). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division using your Massachusetts records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

Massachusetts and West Virginia side by side

	Massachusetts formed here	West Virginia registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Form CF-1, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$12	$101 at order (filing fee $100 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed with West Virginia
Paid expedite		next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25, 2-hour $250, 1-hour $500
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	sos.wv.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $125, every year	Annual Report, $25, every two years
Due	Within 2.5 months after the close of the corporation's fiscal year	July 1 each year
Late yearly filing	$25 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our West Virginia agent for service of process

How Massachusetts companies register with West Virginia

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

Will your Massachusetts name work for West Virginia?

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

Your West Virginia agent and the Massachusetts one

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

Staying in good standing in Massachusetts and West Virginia

Massachusetts wants the Annual Report every year ($125); West Virginia wants the Annual Report every two years ($25). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to West Virginia

An LLC formed in Massachusetts files Form LLF-1 with West Virginia ($151 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25)). After that come Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). See the LLC filing.

Common questions: Massachusetts to West Virginia

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in West Virginia?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does it cost to register a Massachusetts corporation in West Virginia?

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

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and West Virginia?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Massachusetts's report ($125) and West Virginia's report ($25, every two years).

Does West Virginia require a registered agent?

Yes: the Massachusetts resident agent stays, and ours covers West Virginia for year one.

Will West Virginia accept my Massachusetts name?

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

Can I form a new West Virginia corporation instead?

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

How do I withdraw from West Virginia later?

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

Official sources

People also search

Corporation into West Virginia, by home state (48)

Massachusetts into other states (42)

The same move for an LLC