Foreign registration · Form LLF-1

Michigan LLC Foreign Registration in West Virginia

An LLC formed in Michigan that wants to do business in West Virginia files Form LLF-1, with $151 in state fees. West Virginia also wants Michigan's Certificate of Good Standing ($10). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division using your Michigan records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

What Michigan and West Virginia each ask for

	Michigan formed here	West Virginia registering here
Document	Michigan Certificate of Good Standing	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	Michigan: online, emailed to the MiLogin for Business account	Filed with West Virginia
Paid expedite		next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25, 2-hour $250, 1-hour $500
Office	Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Corporations Division	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division
Official page	michigan.gov	sos.wv.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Statement, $25, every year	Annual Report, $25, every year
Due	February 15	July 1 each year
Late yearly filing	$10 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your Michigan resident agent	Our West Virginia agent for service of process

From Michigan to West Virginia, step by step

Order the Michigan certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($10) is ordered from Michigan separately; it is not part of our West Virginia order. West Virginia wants the Michigan 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 Michigan name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The Michigan certificate comes first; then the West Virginia filing goes in. After approval, your Michigan LLC is registered with West Virginia.

West Virginia costs for Michigan companies

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

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

Your Michigan name and West Virginia's rules

West Virginia accepts your Michigan 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 Michigan name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. If another West Virginia company uses the Michigan name, an alternate name is allowed. We search West Virginia's records for Michigan's name on file before anything is filed.

Your West Virginia agent and the Michigan one

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

Yearly filings: West Virginia and Michigan

Each year your LLC files Michigan's Annual Statement ($25) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). With our $149 agent for service of process renewal, Michigan plus West Virginia comes to $199 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Michigan to West Virginia

A corporation formed in Michigan files Form CF-1 with West Virginia ($101 in state fees). After that come Michigan's Annual Report, Form CSCL/CD-2500 ($25) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

The other way: West Virginia into Michigan

An LLC formed in West Virginia that registers with Michigan files Form CSCL/CD 760 with $50 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 30 days. See that filing.

Questions Michigan owners ask about West Virginia

Does my Michigan company need to register in West Virginia?

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

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

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

Do I need Michigan's certificate of good standing?

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

What are the yearly costs for Michigan and West Virginia?

$199 a year: our $149 agent for service of process renewal, $25 to Michigan and $25 to West Virginia for the yearly reports.

Does West Virginia require a registered agent?

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

Will West Virginia accept my Michigan name?

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

How do I withdraw from West Virginia later?

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

Official sources

People also search

LLC into West Virginia, by home state (48)

Michigan into other states (47)

The same move for a corporation