Rhode Island

Foreign registration · Form LLF-1

Rhode Island LLC Foreign Registration in West Virginia

An LLC formed in Rhode Island that wants to do business in West Virginia files Form LLF-1, with $151 in state fees. West Virginia also wants Rhode Island's Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division using your Rhode Island records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

Rhode Island and West Virginia side by side

	Rhode Island formed here	West Virginia registering here
Document	Rhode Island Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing	Form LLF-1, West Virginia Application for Certificate of Authority of Limited Liability Company
State fee	$22	$151 at order (filing fee $150 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Rhode Island: online in about two business days, the same day in person, or in 5 to 7 business days by mail	Filed with West Virginia
Paid expedite		next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25, 2-hour $250, 1-hour $500
Office	Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division
Official page	sos.ri.gov	sos.wv.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632), $50, every year	Annual Report, $25, every year
Due	May 1	July 1 each year
Late yearly filing	$25 late fee	$50 late fee
Turnaround	Certificate takes a few days	Standard processing: standard processing takes 5 to 10 business days at no extra cost
Agent	Your Rhode Island resident agent	Our West Virginia agent for service of process

From Rhode Island to West Virginia, step by step

Order the Rhode Island certificate
The Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22) is ordered from Rhode Island separately; it is not part of our West Virginia order. It comes as a short form ($22) or a long form ($30). West Virginia wants the Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island name and formation date and the certificate attached. Allow for the days Rhode Island takes to send the certificate before the West Virginia filing goes in. Once West Virginia approves it, the Rhode Island company can do business there.

West Virginia costs for Rhode Island companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$151
Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Rhode Island	$22
Our service, with a year of West Virginia agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, Rhode Island certificate included	$372

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

Your Rhode Island name and West Virginia's rules

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

Your West Virginia agent and the Rhode Island one

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

Staying in good standing in Rhode Island and West Virginia

Each year your LLC files Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632) ($50) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). With our $149 agent for service of process renewal, Rhode Island plus West Virginia comes to $224 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Rhode Island to West Virginia

A corporation formed in Rhode Island files Form CF-1 with West Virginia ($101 in state fees). After that come Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Corporation (Form 630) ($50) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

Registering a West Virginia company in Rhode Island

An LLC formed in West Virginia that registers with Rhode Island files Form 450 with $156 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Rhode Island to West Virginia

Does my Rhode Island company need to register in West Virginia?

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

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

$350 at checkout plus $22 to Rhode Island for the Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing, $372 in all (checkout is $151 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Rhode Island's certificate of good standing?

Yes: West Virginia wants it ($22), 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, plus a few days for Rhode Island's certificate before filing. Paid expedite: next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25.

What are the yearly costs for Rhode Island and West Virginia?

$224 a year: our $149 agent for service of process renewal, $50 to Rhode Island and $25 to West Virginia for the yearly reports.

Does West Virginia require a registered agent?

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

Will West Virginia accept my Rhode Island name?

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

How do I withdraw from West Virginia later?

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

Official sources

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