Foreign registration · no form number

West Virginia LLC Foreign Registration in Montana

To do business in Montana, an LLC formed in West Virginia registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $70 in state fees. Montana needs nothing from West Virginia: no Certificate of Existence. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Services from your West Virginia records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

West Virginia vs Montana: the paperwork

	West Virginia formed here	Montana registering here
Document	West Virginia Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Certificate of Authority (no form number)
State fee	$10	$70 at order
How it is handled	West Virginia: in about 5 to 10 business days, with 24-hour, 2-hour and 1-hour expedite options	Filed online with Montana
Office	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division	Montana Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	sos.wv.gov	help.sosmt.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $26, every year	Annual Report, $20, every year
Due	July 1 each year	April 15
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$15 late fee
Agent	Your West Virginia agent for service of process	Our Montana registered agent

From West Virginia to Montana, step by step

We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your Montana registered agent, with your West Virginia name and formation date. Nothing has to come from West Virginia first, so the Montana filing can go in right away. Once Montana approves it, the West Virginia company can do business there.

Will your West Virginia name work for Montana?

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

Your Montana agent and the West Virginia one

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

Yearly filings: Montana and West Virginia

Each year your LLC files West Virginia's Annual Report ($26) and Montana's Annual Report ($20). With our $149 registered agent renewal, West Virginia plus Montana comes to $195 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, West Virginia to Montana

A corporation formed in West Virginia files its own registration with Montana ($70 in state fees, the same). After that come West Virginia's Annual Report ($25) and Montana's Annual Report (no fee). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Montana into West Virginia

An LLC formed in Montana that registers with West Virginia files Form LLF-1 with $151 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($5). See that filing.

Common questions: West Virginia to Montana

Does my West Virginia company need to register in Montana?

Yes, once a West Virginia business operates there; Montana does not count a one-off deal finished within 30 days.

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

$269 at checkout, with nothing to pay West Virginia.

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

No, Montana takes the registration without it.

What are the yearly costs for West Virginia and Montana?

$195 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $26 to West Virginia and $20 to Montana for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Montana?

A West Virginia company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Montana can add a penalty of $5 a day, up to $1,000 a year.

Does Montana require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Montana LLC instead?

Yes, but West Virginia keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Montana's Annual Report ($20), and the original keeps West Virginia's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Montana later?

West Virginia companies leave by filing an Application for Certificate of Withdrawal (foreign limited liability company); until then, Montana's report stays due alongside West Virginia's filings.

Official sources

People also search

LLC into Montana, by home state (48)

West Virginia into other states (47)

The same move for a corporation