Maryland

Foreign registration · no form number

West Virginia LLC Foreign Registration in Maryland

Maryland registers an LLC from West Virginia as a foreign LLC on a paper registration (no form number), with $104.50 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maryland also wants West Virginia's Certificate of Existence ($10), dated within 60 days. We file it with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division using your West Virginia records and act as your resident agent there for the first year.

West Virginia and Maryland side by side

	West Virginia formed here	Maryland registering here
Document	West Virginia Certificate of Existence	Foreign Limited Liability Company Registration (no form number)
State fee	$10	$104.50 at order (filing fee $100 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	West Virginia: in about 5 to 10 business days, with 24-hour, 2-hour and 1-hour expedite options	Filed on Maryland's paper form
Required expedite		$50 at order (7 business days)
Office	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division	Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division
Official page	sos.wv.gov	egov.maryland.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $26, every year	Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1), $300, every year
Due	July 1 each year	April 15
Turnaround	Certificate takes a few days	Required expedite processing: 7 business days
Agent	Your West Virginia agent for service of process	Our Maryland resident agent

From West Virginia to Maryland, step by step

Order the West Virginia certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from West Virginia separately; it is not part of our Maryland order. With West Virginia taking days and Maryland counting 60 days from issue, the order is timed for both.
We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your Maryland resident agent, with your West Virginia name and formation date and the certificate attached. The West Virginia certificate takes days to arrive, so the Maryland filing waits for it. Once Maryland approves it, the West Virginia company can do business there.

Maryland costs for West Virginia companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$104.50
Required expedite (7 business days), paid at order	$50
Certificate of Existence, paid to West Virginia	$10
Our service, with a year of Maryland resident agent service	$199
First-year total, West Virginia certificate included	$363.50

Will your West Virginia name work for Maryland?

Maryland can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Agents: Maryland and West Virginia

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

Yearly filings: Maryland and West Virginia

Each year your LLC files West Virginia's Annual Report ($26) and Maryland's Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1) ($300). With our $149 resident agent renewal, West Virginia plus Maryland comes to $475 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, West Virginia to Maryland

A corporation formed in West Virginia files its own registration with Maryland ($104.50 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same). After that come West Virginia's Annual Report ($25) and Maryland's Form 1 — Business Entity Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return ($300). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Maryland into West Virginia

An LLC formed in Maryland that registers with West Virginia files Form LLF-1 with $151 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status ($20). See that filing.

Common questions: West Virginia to Maryland

Does my West Virginia company need to register in Maryland?

Yes, once a West Virginia business operates there; Maryland law lists 8 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the Maryland registration cost?

$353.50 at checkout plus $10 to West Virginia for the Certificate of Existence, $363.50 in all (checkout is $104.50 in state fees, the $50 required expedite and our $199).

Do I need West Virginia's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Maryland wants West Virginia's Certificate of Existence ($10), no more than 60 days old at filing.

How long does the Maryland registration take?

7 business days with Maryland's required expedite, plus a few days for West Virginia's certificate before filing.

What are the yearly costs for West Virginia and Maryland?

$475 a year: our $149 resident agent renewal, $26 to West Virginia and $300 to Maryland for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Maryland?

A West Virginia company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does Maryland require a registered agent?

Yes: the West Virginia agent for service of process stays, and ours covers Maryland for year one.

Can I form a new Maryland LLC instead?

Yes, but West Virginia keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Maryland's Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1) ($300), and the original keeps West Virginia's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Maryland later?

West Virginia companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation of a Foreign LLC (no state fee); until then, Maryland's report stays due alongside West Virginia's filings.

Official sources

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