Foreign registration · Form LLF-1

Massachusetts LLC Foreign Registration in West Virginia

An LLC formed in Massachusetts that wants to do business in West Virginia files Form LLF-1, with $151 in state fees. West Virginia also wants Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($25). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division using your Massachusetts records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

Massachusetts and West Virginia side by side

	Massachusetts formed here	West Virginia registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Form LLF-1, West Virginia Application for Certificate of Authority of Limited Liability Company
State fee	$25	$151 at order (filing fee $150 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed with West Virginia
Paid expedite		next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25, 2-hour $250, 1-hour $500
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	sos.wv.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $520, every year	Annual Report, $25, every year
Due	On or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization	July 1 each year
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our West Virginia agent for service of process

How Massachusetts companies register with West Virginia

Order the Massachusetts certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($25) is ordered from Massachusetts separately; it is not part of our West Virginia order. It comes as a short form ($12) or a long form ($25). West Virginia wants the Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once Massachusetts's certificate is in hand, West Virginia's filing goes in. Once West Virginia approves it, the Massachusetts company can do business there.

West Virginia costs for Massachusetts companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$151
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Massachusetts	$25
Our service, with a year of West Virginia agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, Massachusetts certificate included	$375

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

Your Massachusetts name and West Virginia's rules

West Virginia accepts your Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts company. We check your exact Massachusetts name against West Virginia's records before filing.

Agents: West Virginia and Massachusetts

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

Yearly filings: West Virginia and Massachusetts

Each year your LLC files Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). With our $149 agent for service of process renewal, Massachusetts plus West Virginia comes to $694 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to West Virginia

A corporation formed in Massachusetts files Form CF-1 with West Virginia ($101 in state fees). After that come Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

Registering a West Virginia company in Massachusetts

An LLC formed in West Virginia that registers with Massachusetts files Massachusetts's registration (no form number) with $520 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Massachusetts to West Virginia

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in West Virginia?

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

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

$350 at checkout plus $25 to Massachusetts for the Certificate of Good Standing, $375 in all (checkout is $151 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Massachusetts's certificate of good standing?

Yes: West Virginia wants it ($25), 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 Massachusetts's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and West Virginia?

$694 a year: our $149 agent for service of process renewal, $520 to Massachusetts and $25 to West Virginia for the yearly reports.

Does West Virginia require a registered agent?

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

Will West Virginia accept my Massachusetts name?

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

How do I withdraw from West Virginia later?

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

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