Foreign registration · no form number

West Virginia Corporation Foreign Registration in Delaware

Delaware registers a corporation from West Virginia as a foreign corporation on a registration (no form number), with $245 in state fees. Delaware may ask for West Virginia's Certificate of Existence ($10). We file it with the Department of State, Division of Corporations using your West Virginia records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What West Virginia and Delaware each ask for

	West Virginia formed here	Delaware registering here
Document	West Virginia Certificate of Existence	Qualification Certificate of a Foreign Corporation (no form number)
State fee	$10	$245 at order
How it is handled	West Virginia: in about 5 to 10 business days, with 24-hour, 2-hour and 1-hour expedite options	Filed with Delaware
Paid expedite		24-hour $50, same-day $100, 2-hour $500, 1-hour $1,000
Office	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division	Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations
Official page	sos.wv.gov	corp.delaware.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $25, every two years	Foreign Corporation Annual Report, $125, every year
Due	July 1 each year	June 30
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$125 late fee
Agent	Your West Virginia agent for service of process	Our Delaware registered agent

From West Virginia to Delaware, step by step

We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your Delaware registered agent, with your West Virginia name and formation date. If Delaware wants the West Virginia certificate, it is ordered first. Once Delaware approves it, the West Virginia company can do business there.

Your West Virginia name and Delaware's rules

Delaware can hold a name for 120 days for $75 before you file.

Your Delaware agent and the West Virginia one

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

Yearly filings: Delaware and West Virginia

West Virginia wants the Annual Report every two years ($25); Delaware wants the Foreign Corporation Annual Report every year ($125). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, West Virginia to Delaware

An LLC formed in West Virginia files its own registration with Delaware ($200 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10)). After that come West Virginia's Annual Report ($26) and Delaware's Annual LLC Tax ($300). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Delaware company in West Virginia

A corporation formed in Delaware that registers with West Virginia files Form CF-1 with $101 in state fees. See that filing.

Questions West Virginia owners ask about Delaware

Does my West Virginia company need to register in Delaware?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

Delaware calls it qualification for West Virginia corporations; other states say certificate of authority.

How much does the Delaware registration cost?

$444 at checkout; Delaware may also want West Virginia's Certificate of Existence, at extra cost.

What are the yearly costs for West Virginia and Delaware?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), West Virginia's report ($25, every two years) and Delaware's report ($125).

Does Delaware require a registered agent?

Yes: the West Virginia agent for service of process stays, and ours covers Delaware for year one, with a street address there.

Can I form a new Delaware corporation instead?

Yes, but West Virginia keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Delaware's Annual Franchise Tax Report ($50), and the original keeps West Virginia's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Delaware later?

West Virginia companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal of Foreign Corporation; until then, Delaware's report stays due alongside West Virginia's filings.

What does a Delaware company file to register in West Virginia?

It files Form CF-1 with $101 in state fees.

Official sources

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