Foreign registration · no form number

West Virginia LLC Foreign Registration in Massachusetts

An LLC formed in West Virginia that wants to do business in Massachusetts files a paper registration (no form number), with $520 in state fees. Massachusetts also asks for West Virginia's Certificate of Existence ($10), no older than 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division using your West Virginia records and act as your resident agent there for the first year.

West Virginia and Massachusetts side by side

	West Virginia formed here	Massachusetts registering here
Document	West Virginia Certificate of Existence	Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$10	$520 at order (filing fee $500 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 Massachusetts's paper form
Paid expedite		$20
Office	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division
Official page	sos.wv.gov	sec.state.ma.us
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $26, every year	Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $500, every year
Due	July 1 each year	On or before the anniversary date of registration to do business in Massachusetts
Agent	Your West Virginia agent for service of process	Our Massachusetts resident agent

From West Virginia to Massachusetts, 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 Massachusetts order. With West Virginia taking days and Massachusetts counting 90 days from issue, the order is timed for both.
We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your Massachusetts resident agent, with your West Virginia name and formation date and the certificate attached. Allow for the days West Virginia takes to send the certificate before the Massachusetts filing goes in. Once Massachusetts approves it, the West Virginia company can do business there.

Massachusetts costs for West Virginia companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$520
Certificate of Existence, paid to West Virginia	$10
Our service, with a year of Massachusetts resident agent service	$199
First-year total, West Virginia certificate included	$729

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

Your West Virginia name and Massachusetts's rules

Massachusetts can hold a name for $30 before you file.

Your Massachusetts agent and the West Virginia one

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

Staying in good standing in West Virginia and Massachusetts

Each year your LLC files West Virginia's Annual Report ($26) and Massachusetts's Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($500). With our $149 resident agent renewal, West Virginia plus Massachusetts comes to $675 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

The other way: Massachusetts into West Virginia

An LLC formed in Massachusetts that registers with West Virginia files Form LLF-1 with $151 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25). See that filing.

Questions West Virginia owners ask about Massachusetts

Does my West Virginia company need to register in Massachusetts?

Yes, once a West Virginia business operates there; Massachusetts registers it as a foreign LLC.

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

$719 at checkout plus $10 to West Virginia for the Certificate of Existence, $729 in all (checkout is $520 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: Massachusetts wants West Virginia's Certificate of Existence ($10), no more than 90 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for West Virginia and Massachusetts?

$675 a year: our $149 resident agent renewal, $26 to West Virginia and $500 to Massachusetts for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Massachusetts?

A West Virginia company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Massachusetts can add a civil penalty of up to $500.

Does Massachusetts require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Massachusetts LLC instead?

Yes, but West Virginia keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520), and the original keeps West Virginia's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Massachusetts later?

West Virginia companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal ($100); until then, Massachusetts's report stays due alongside West Virginia's filings.

Official sources

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