Maryland

Foreign registration · Form LLF-1

Maryland LLC Foreign Registration in West Virginia

An LLC formed in Maryland that wants to do business in West Virginia files Form LLF-1, with $151 in state fees. West Virginia also wants Maryland's Certificate of Status ($20). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division from your Maryland records, then serve as your agent for service of process there for year one.

Maryland and West Virginia side by side

	Maryland formed here	West Virginia registering here
Document	Maryland Certificate of Status	Form LLF-1, West Virginia Application for Certificate of Authority of Limited Liability Company
State fee	$20	$151 at order (filing fee $150 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Maryland: online through Maryland Business Express, emailed right away	Filed with West Virginia
Paid expedite		next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25, 2-hour $250, 1-hour $500
Office	Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division
Official page	businessexpress.maryland.gov	sos.wv.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1), $300, every year	Annual Report, $25, every year
Due	April 15	July 1 each year
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Standard processing: standard processing takes 5 to 10 business days at no extra cost
Agent	Your Maryland resident agent	Our West Virginia agent for service of process

How Maryland companies register with West Virginia

Order the Maryland certificate
The Certificate of Status ($20) is ordered from Maryland separately; it is not part of our West Virginia order. West Virginia wants the Maryland 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 Maryland name and formation date and the certificate attached. With the certificate issued on the spot, nothing from Maryland delays the West Virginia filing. After approval, your Maryland LLC is registered with West Virginia.

First-year cost, Maryland to West Virginia

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$151
Certificate of Status, paid to Maryland	$20
Our service, with a year of West Virginia agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, Maryland certificate included	$370

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

Your Maryland name and West Virginia's rules

West Virginia accepts your Maryland 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 Maryland 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 Maryland company. We search West Virginia's records for Maryland's name on file before anything is filed.

Your West Virginia agent and the Maryland one

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

Staying in good standing in Maryland and West Virginia

Each year your LLC files Maryland's Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1) ($300) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). With our $149 agent for service of process renewal, Maryland plus West Virginia comes to $474 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Maryland to West Virginia

A corporation formed in Maryland files Form CF-1 with West Virginia ($101 in state fees). After that come Maryland's periodic report ($300) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

The other way: West Virginia into Maryland

An LLC formed in West Virginia that registers with Maryland files Maryland's registration (no form number) with $104.50 in state fees and a $50 required expedite, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Maryland to West Virginia

Does my Maryland company need to register in West Virginia?

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

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

$350 at checkout plus $20 to Maryland for the Certificate of Status, $370 in all (checkout is $151 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Maryland's certificate of good standing?

Yes: West Virginia wants Maryland's Certificate of Status ($20), 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; Maryland's certificate is an instant download, so there is no wait before filing. Paid expedite: next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25.

What are the yearly costs for Maryland and West Virginia?

$474 a year: our $149 agent for service of process renewal, $300 to Maryland and $25 to West Virginia for the yearly reports.

Does West Virginia require a registered agent?

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

Will West Virginia accept my Maryland name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Maryland 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 Maryland keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files West Virginia's Annual Report ($26), and the original keeps Maryland's Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1).

How do I withdraw from West Virginia later?

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

Official sources

People also search

LLC into West Virginia, by home state (48)

Maryland into other states (47)

The same move for a corporation