Tennessee

Foreign registration · Form LLF-1

Tennessee LLC Foreign Registration in West Virginia

To do business in West Virginia, an LLC formed in Tennessee registers there on Form LLF-1, with $151 in state fees. West Virginia also wants Tennessee's Certificate of Existence ($20). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division using your Tennessee records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

Tennessee and West Virginia side by side

	Tennessee formed here	West Virginia registering here
Document	Tennessee Certificate of Existence	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	Tennessee: online or by mail	Filed with West Virginia
Paid expedite		next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25, 2-hour $250, 1-hour $500
Office	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division
Official page	sos.tn.gov	sos.wv.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $300, every year	Annual Report, $25, every year
Due		July 1 each year
Agent	Your Tennessee registered agent	Our West Virginia agent for service of process

How Tennessee companies register with West Virginia

Order the Tennessee certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($20) is ordered from Tennessee separately; it is not part of our West Virginia order. West Virginia wants the Tennessee 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 Tennessee name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once Tennessee's certificate is in hand, West Virginia's filing goes in. After approval, your Tennessee LLC is registered with West Virginia.

First-year cost, Tennessee to West Virginia

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

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

Your Tennessee name and West Virginia's rules

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

Agents: West Virginia and Tennessee

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

Staying in good standing in Tennessee and West Virginia

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

LLC or corporation, Tennessee to West Virginia

A corporation formed in Tennessee files Form CF-1 with West Virginia ($101 in state fees). After that come Tennessee's Annual Report ($20) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

The other way: West Virginia into Tennessee

An LLC formed in West Virginia that registers with Tennessee files Form SS-4233 with $300 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Tennessee to West Virginia

Does my Tennessee company need to register in West Virginia?

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

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

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

Do I need Tennessee's certificate of good standing?

Yes: West Virginia wants Tennessee's Certificate of Existence ($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, once Tennessee's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25.

What are the yearly costs for Tennessee and West Virginia?

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

Does West Virginia require a registered agent?

Yes: the Tennessee registered agent stays, and ours covers West Virginia for year one.

Will West Virginia accept my Tennessee name?

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

How do I withdraw from West Virginia later?

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

Official sources

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