Foreign registration · Form LLF-1

Kentucky LLC Foreign Registration in West Virginia

An LLC formed in Kentucky that wants to do business in West Virginia files Form LLF-1, with $151 in state fees. West Virginia also wants Kentucky's Certificate of Existence ($10). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division from your Kentucky records, then serve as your agent for service of process there for year one.

Kentucky and West Virginia side by side

	Kentucky formed here	West Virginia registering here
Document	Kentucky Certificate of Existence	Form LLF-1, West Virginia Application for Certificate of Authority of Limited Liability Company
State fee	$10	$151 at order (filing fee $150 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Kentucky: online as a printable certificate, or by mail or fax	Filed with West Virginia
Paid expedite		next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25, 2-hour $250, 1-hour $500
Office	Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division
Official page	web.sos.ky.gov	sos.wv.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $15, every year	Annual Report, $25, every year
Due	On or before June 30	July 1 each year
Agent	Your Kentucky registered agent	Our West Virginia agent for service of process

How Kentucky companies register with West Virginia

Order the Kentucky certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from Kentucky separately; it is not part of our West Virginia order. West Virginia wants the Kentucky certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file Form LLF-1
It names us as your West Virginia agent for service of process, with your Kentucky name and formation date and the certificate attached. The Kentucky certificate comes first; then the West Virginia filing goes in. After approval, your Kentucky LLC is registered with West Virginia.

West Virginia costs for Kentucky companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$151
Certificate of Existence, paid to Kentucky	$10
Our service, with a year of West Virginia agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, Kentucky certificate included	$360

West Virginia's paid expedite is optional and not in the total.

Will your Kentucky name work for West Virginia?

West Virginia accepts your Kentucky name if it includes limited liability company, limited company, L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC, with limited abbreviated Ltd. and company abbreviated Co.. If the Kentucky name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. If West Virginia's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Kentucky company. We search West Virginia's records for Kentucky's name on file before anything is filed.

Agents: West Virginia and Kentucky

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

Yearly filings: West Virginia and Kentucky

Each year your LLC files Kentucky's Annual Report ($15) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). With our $149 agent for service of process renewal, Kentucky plus West Virginia comes to $189 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Kentucky to West Virginia

A corporation formed in Kentucky files Form CF-1 with West Virginia ($101 in state fees). After that come Kentucky's Annual Report ($15) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

Registering a West Virginia company in Kentucky

An LLC formed in West Virginia that registers with Kentucky files Form FBE with $90 in state fees; no West Virginia certificate is needed. See that filing.

Common questions: Kentucky to West Virginia

Does my Kentucky company need to register in West Virginia?

Yes, once a Kentucky business operates there; West Virginia law lists 12 activities that do not count on their own.

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

$350 at checkout plus $10 to Kentucky for the Certificate of Existence, $360 in all (checkout is $151 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Kentucky's certificate of good standing?

Yes: West Virginia wants Kentucky's Certificate of Existence ($10), current at filing.

How long does the West Virginia registration take?

West Virginia's standard processing takes 5 to 10 business days at no extra cost, once Kentucky's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25.

What are the yearly costs for Kentucky and West Virginia?

$189 a year: our $149 agent for service of process renewal, $15 to Kentucky and $25 to West Virginia for the yearly reports.

Does West Virginia require a registered agent?

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

Will West Virginia accept my Kentucky name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Kentucky name at home. West Virginia names must include limited liability company, limited company, L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC, with limited abbreviated Ltd. and company abbreviated Co..

Can I form a new West Virginia LLC instead?

Yes, but Kentucky keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files West Virginia's Annual Report ($26), and the original keeps Kentucky's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from West Virginia later?

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

Official sources

People also search

LLC into West Virginia, by home state (48)

Kentucky into other states (47)

The same move for a corporation