Foreign registration · Form LLF-1

Pennsylvania LLC Foreign Registration in West Virginia

West Virginia registers an LLC from Pennsylvania as a foreign LLC on Form LLF-1, with $151 in state fees. West Virginia also wants Pennsylvania's Subsistence Certificate ($40). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division using your Pennsylvania records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

Pennsylvania vs West Virginia: the paperwork

	Pennsylvania formed here	West Virginia registering here
Document	Pennsylvania Subsistence Certificate	Form LLF-1, West Virginia Application for Certificate of Authority of Limited Liability Company
State fee	$40	$151 at order (filing fee $150 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Pennsylvania: online through Business Filing Services, or by mail on the copy and certificate request form	Filed with West Virginia
Paid expedite		next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25, 2-hour $250, 1-hour $500
Office	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division
Official page	file.dos.pa.gov	sos.wv.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Name endings	the term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state	limited liability company, limited company, L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC, with limited abbreviated Ltd. and company abbreviated Co.
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $7, every year	Annual Report, $25, every year
Due	September 30	July 1 each year
Agent	Your Pennsylvania registered office	Our West Virginia agent for service of process

How Pennsylvania companies register with West Virginia

Order the Pennsylvania certificate
The Subsistence Certificate ($40) is ordered from Pennsylvania separately; it is not part of our West Virginia order. West Virginia wants the Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once Pennsylvania's certificate is in hand, West Virginia's filing goes in. After approval, your Pennsylvania LLC is registered with West Virginia.

First-year cost, Pennsylvania to West Virginia

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$151
Subsistence Certificate, paid to Pennsylvania	$40
Our service, with a year of West Virginia agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, Pennsylvania certificate included	$390

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

Your Pennsylvania name and West Virginia's rules

West Virginia accepts your Pennsylvania 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.. Pennsylvania's list (the term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state) is not the same, but an ending such as “limited liability company” works in both states. If West Virginia's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Pennsylvania company. We check your exact Pennsylvania name against West Virginia's records before filing.

Agents: West Virginia and Pennsylvania

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

Yearly filings: West Virginia and Pennsylvania

Each year your LLC files Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). With our $149 agent for service of process renewal, Pennsylvania plus West Virginia comes to $181 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Pennsylvania to West Virginia

A corporation formed in Pennsylvania files Form CF-1 with West Virginia ($101 in state fees). After that come Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

The other way: West Virginia into Pennsylvania

An LLC formed in West Virginia that registers with Pennsylvania files Form DSCB:15-412 with $250 in state fees; no West Virginia certificate is needed. See that filing.

Common questions: Pennsylvania to West Virginia

Does my Pennsylvania company need to register in West Virginia?

Yes, once a Pennsylvania 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 $40 to Pennsylvania for the Subsistence Certificate, $390 in all (checkout is $151 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Pennsylvania's certificate of good standing?

Yes: West Virginia wants Pennsylvania's Subsistence Certificate ($40), 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 Pennsylvania's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25.

What are the yearly costs for Pennsylvania and West Virginia?

$181 a year: our $149 agent for service of process renewal, $7 to Pennsylvania and $25 to West Virginia for the yearly reports.

Does West Virginia require a registered agent?

Yes: the Pennsylvania registered office stays, and ours covers West Virginia for year one.

Will West Virginia accept my Pennsylvania name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Pennsylvania 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.; “limited liability company” works in both states.

Can I form a new West Virginia LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from West Virginia later?

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

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