Minnesota

Foreign registration · Form CF-1

Minnesota Corporation Foreign Registration in West Virginia

A corporation formed in Minnesota that wants to do business in West Virginia files Form CF-1, with $101 in state fees. West Virginia may ask for Minnesota's Certificate of Good Standing ($5). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division from your Minnesota records, then serve as your agent for service of process there for year one.

Minnesota and West Virginia side by side

	Minnesota formed here	West Virginia registering here
Document	Minnesota Certificate of Good Standing	Form CF-1, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$5	$101 at order (filing fee $100 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Minnesota: online, issued as soon as it is paid for and kept in the online account for 90 days	Filed with West Virginia
Paid expedite		next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25, 2-hour $250, 1-hour $500
Office	Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division
Official page	sos.mn.gov	sos.wv.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Renewal, no fee, every year	Annual Report, $25, every two years
Due	December 31	July 1 each year
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Standard processing: standard processing takes 5 to 10 business days at no extra cost
Agent	Your Minnesota registered agent	Our West Virginia agent for service of process

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

Your Minnesota name and West Virginia's rules

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

Agents: West Virginia and Minnesota

West Virginia calls it an agent for service of process; Minnesota says registered agent. West Virginia papers come to us; Minnesota's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in Minnesota and West Virginia

Minnesota wants the Annual Renewal every year (no fee); West Virginia wants the Annual Report every two years ($25). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Minnesota to West Virginia

An LLC formed in Minnesota files Form LLF-1 with West Virginia ($151 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($5)). After that come Minnesota's Annual Renewal (no fee) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). See the LLC filing.

The other way: West Virginia into Minnesota

A corporation formed in West Virginia that registers with Minnesota files Minnesota's registration (no form number) with $220 in state fees. See that filing.

Questions Minnesota owners ask about West Virginia

Does my Minnesota company need to register in West Virginia?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

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

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

What are the yearly costs for Minnesota and West Virginia?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Minnesota's report (no fee) and West Virginia's report ($25, every two years).

Does West Virginia require a registered agent?

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

Will West Virginia accept my Minnesota name?

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

Can I form a new West Virginia corporation instead?

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

How do I withdraw from West Virginia later?

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

Official sources

People also search

Corporation into West Virginia, by home state (48)

Minnesota into other states (41)

The same move for an LLC