Ohio

Foreign registration · Form CF-1

Ohio Corporation Foreign Registration in West Virginia

West Virginia registers a corporation from Ohio as a foreign corporation on Form CF-1, with $101 in state fees. West Virginia may ask for Ohio's Certificate of Good Standing ($5). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division using your Ohio records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

What Ohio and West Virginia each ask for

	Ohio formed here	West Virginia registering here
Document	Ohio 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	Ohio: online or by mail	Filed with West Virginia
Paid expedite		next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25, 2-hour $250, 1-hour $500
Office	Ohio Secretary of State, Business Services	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division
Official page	cogs.ohiosos.gov	sos.wv.gov
Yearly filing	No annual report	Annual Report, $25, every two years
Due		July 1 each year
Agent	Your Ohio statutory agent	Our West Virginia agent for service of process

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

Your Ohio name and West Virginia's rules

If another West Virginia company uses the Ohio name, an alternate name is allowed. We search West Virginia's records for Ohio's name on file before anything is filed.

Your West Virginia agent and the Ohio one

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

Yearly filings: West Virginia and Ohio

Ohio has no annual report for corporations; West Virginia wants the Annual Report every two years ($25). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Ohio to West Virginia

An LLC formed in Ohio files Form LLF-1 with West Virginia ($151 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($5)). See the LLC filing.

Registering a West Virginia company in Ohio

A corporation formed in West Virginia that registers with Ohio files Form 530A with $99 in state fees. See that filing.

Common questions: Ohio to West Virginia

Does my Ohio company need to register in West Virginia?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does it cost to register an Ohio corporation in West Virginia?

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

What are the yearly costs for Ohio and West Virginia?

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

Does West Virginia require a registered agent?

Yes: the Ohio statutory agent stays, and ours covers West Virginia for year one.

Will West Virginia accept my Ohio name?

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

Can I form a new West Virginia corporation instead?

Yes, but Ohio keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files West Virginia's Annual Report ($25), and Ohio has no yearly report for the original.

How do I withdraw from West Virginia later?

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

Official sources

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