Foreign registration · Form CF-1

Virginia Corporation Foreign Registration in West Virginia

West Virginia registers a corporation from Virginia as a foreign corporation on Form CF-1, with $101 in state fees. West Virginia may ask for Virginia's Certificate of Good Standing ($6). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division using your Virginia records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

Virginia and West Virginia side by side

	Virginia formed here	West Virginia registering here
Document	Virginia Certificate of Good Standing	Form CF-1, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$6	$101 at order (filing fee $100 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Virginia: online as an instant PDF from the Clerk's Information System	Filed with West Virginia
Paid expedite		next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25, 2-hour $250, 1-hour $500
Office	Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division
Official page	scc.virginia.gov	sos.wv.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report + Annual Registration Fee, $50, every year	Annual Report, $25, every two years
Due		July 1 each year
Late yearly filing	$10 late fee	$50 late fee
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Standard processing: standard processing takes 5 to 10 business days at no extra cost
Agent	Your Virginia registered agent	Our West Virginia agent for service of process

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

Will your Virginia name work for West Virginia?

If another West Virginia company uses the Virginia name, an alternate name is allowed. We check your exact Virginia name against West Virginia's records before filing.

Your West Virginia agent and the Virginia one

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

Staying in good standing in Virginia and West Virginia

Virginia wants the Annual Report + Annual Registration Fee every year ($50); West Virginia wants the Annual Report every two years ($25). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Virginia to West Virginia

An LLC formed in Virginia files Form LLF-1 with West Virginia ($151 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Fact of Existence/Registration ($6)). After that come Virginia's Annual Registration Fee ($50) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). See the LLC filing.

Common questions: Virginia to West Virginia

Does my Virginia company need to register in West Virginia?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

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

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

What are the yearly costs for Virginia and West Virginia?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Virginia's report ($50) and West Virginia's report ($25, every two years).

Does West Virginia require a registered agent?

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

Will West Virginia accept my Virginia name?

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

Can I form a new West Virginia corporation instead?

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

How do I withdraw from West Virginia later?

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

Official sources

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