Foreign registration · Form 972

Virginia LLC Foreign Registration in Louisiana

To do business in Louisiana, an LLC formed in Virginia registers there on Form 972, with $190 in state fees. Louisiana also asks for Virginia's Certificate of Fact of Existence/Registration ($6), no older than 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Commercial Division using your Virginia records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Virginia and Louisiana each ask for

	Virginia formed here	Louisiana registering here
Document	Virginia Certificate of Fact of Existence/Registration	Form 972, Application of Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$6	$190 at order (filing fee $185 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Virginia: online as an instant PDF from the Clerk's Information System	Filed with Louisiana
Paid expedite		24-hour $35, 2 to 4 hour $60
Office	Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk	Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division
Official page	scc.virginia.gov	sos.la.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Annual Registration Fee, $50, every year	Annual Report, $35, every year
Due	Last day of the LLC's anniversary month	On or before the anniversary date of registration in Louisiana
Agent	Your Virginia registered agent	Our Louisiana registered agent

From Virginia to Louisiana, step by step

Order the Virginia certificate
The Certificate of Fact of Existence/Registration ($6) is ordered from Virginia separately; it is not part of our Louisiana order. An instant Virginia certificate reaches Louisiana only hours old, well inside the limit of 90 days.
We prepare and file Form 972
It lists us as your Louisiana registered agent, next to your Virginia name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Virginia issues the certificate instantly, so the Louisiana filing can go in the same day. Once Louisiana approves it, the Virginia company can do business there.

Louisiana costs for Virginia companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$190
Certificate of Fact of Existence/Registration, paid to Virginia	$6
Our service, with a year of Louisiana registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Virginia certificate included	$395

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

Your Virginia name and Louisiana's rules

We check your exact Virginia name against Louisiana's records before filing.

Agents: Louisiana and Virginia

Virginia and Louisiana both call it a registered agent. Louisiana papers come to us; Virginia's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in Virginia and Louisiana

Each year your LLC files Virginia's Annual Registration Fee ($50) and Louisiana's Annual Report ($35). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Virginia plus Louisiana comes to $234 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Virginia to Louisiana

A corporation formed in Virginia files Form 326 with Louisiana ($160 in state fees). After that come Virginia's Annual Report + Annual Registration Fee ($50) and Louisiana's Annual Report ($30). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Louisiana company in Virginia

An LLC formed in Louisiana that registers with Virginia files Form LLC1052 with $100 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25) dated within one year. See that filing.

Questions Virginia owners ask about Louisiana

Does my Virginia company need to register in Louisiana?

Yes, once a Virginia business operates there; Louisiana law lists 10 activities that do not count on their own.

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

$389 at checkout plus $6 to Virginia for the Certificate of Fact of Existence/Registration, $395 in all (checkout is $190 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Virginia's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Louisiana wants Virginia's Certificate of Fact of Existence/Registration ($6), no more than 90 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Virginia and Louisiana?

$234 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $50 to Virginia and $35 to Louisiana for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Louisiana?

A Virginia company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Louisiana can add a civil penalty of up to $1,000.

Does Louisiana require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Louisiana LLC instead?

Yes, but Virginia keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Louisiana's Annual Report ($40), and the original keeps Virginia's Annual Registration Fee.

What does a Louisiana company file to register in Virginia?

It files Form LLC1052 with $100 in state fees, plus Louisiana's good standing certificate.

Official sources

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