Foreign registration · Form LLF-1

Maine LLC Foreign Registration in West Virginia

To do business in West Virginia, an LLC formed in Maine registers there on Form LLF-1, with $151 in state fees. West Virginia also wants Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division using your Maine records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

Maine vs West Virginia: the paperwork

	Maine formed here	West Virginia registering here
Document	Maine Certificate of Existence	Form LLF-1, West Virginia Application for Certificate of Authority of Limited Liability Company
State fee	$30	$151 at order (filing fee $150 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Maine: online, downloaded from the company's information summary page	Filed with West Virginia
Paid expedite		next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25, 2-hour $250, 1-hour $500
Office	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division
Official page	apps3.web.maine.gov	sos.wv.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $85, every year	Annual Report, $25, every year
Due	June 1	July 1 each year
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your Maine registered agent	Our West Virginia agent for service of process

How Maine companies register with West Virginia

Order the Maine certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($30) is ordered from Maine separately; it is not part of our West Virginia order. West Virginia wants the Maine certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file Form LLF-1
It lists us as your West Virginia agent for service of process, next to your Maine name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The Maine certificate comes first; then the West Virginia filing goes in. After approval, your Maine LLC is registered with West Virginia.

West Virginia costs for Maine companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$151
Certificate of Existence, paid to Maine	$30
Our service, with a year of West Virginia agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, Maine certificate included	$380

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

Will your Maine name work for West Virginia?

West Virginia accepts your Maine 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 Maine name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. If another West Virginia company uses the Maine name, an alternate name is allowed. We check your exact Maine name against West Virginia's records before filing.

Your West Virginia agent and the Maine one

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

Yearly filings: West Virginia and Maine

Each year your LLC files Maine's Annual Report ($85) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). With our $149 agent for service of process renewal, Maine plus West Virginia comes to $259 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Maine to West Virginia

A corporation formed in Maine files Form CF-1 with West Virginia ($101 in state fees). After that come Maine's Annual Report ($85) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

The other way: West Virginia into Maine

An LLC formed in West Virginia that registers with Maine files Form MLLC-12 with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Maine owners ask about West Virginia

Does my Maine company need to register in West Virginia?

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

How much does the West Virginia registration cost?

$350 at checkout plus $30 to Maine for the Certificate of Existence, $380 in all (checkout is $151 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Maine's certificate of good standing?

Yes: West Virginia wants Maine's Certificate of Existence ($30), 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 Maine's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25.

What are the yearly costs for Maine and West Virginia?

$259 a year: our $149 agent for service of process renewal, $85 to Maine and $25 to West Virginia for the yearly reports.

Does West Virginia require a registered agent?

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

Will West Virginia accept my Maine name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Maine 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 Maine keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files West Virginia's Annual Report ($26), and the original keeps Maine's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from West Virginia later?

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

Official sources

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