Ohio

Foreign registration · Form 617

West Virginia LLC Foreign Registration in Ohio

To do business in Ohio, an LLC formed in West Virginia registers there on Form 617, with $99 in state fees. Ohio asks nothing of West Virginia here, not even the Certificate of Existence. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Services using your West Virginia records and act as your statutory agent there for the first year.

West Virginia and Ohio side by side

	West Virginia formed here	Ohio registering here
Document	West Virginia Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Form 617, Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$10	$99 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 with Ohio
Paid expedite		2-business-day $100, 1-business-day $200
Office	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division	Ohio Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	sos.wv.gov	ohiosos.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $26, every year	No annual report
Due	July 1 each year
Agent	Your West Virginia agent for service of process	Our Ohio statutory agent

From West Virginia to Ohio, step by step

We prepare and file Form 617
It lists us as your Ohio statutory agent, next to your West Virginia name and formation date. Nothing has to come from West Virginia first, so the Ohio filing can go in right away. After approval, your West Virginia LLC is registered with Ohio.

Will your West Virginia name work for Ohio?

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

Your Ohio agent and the West Virginia one

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

Yearly filings: Ohio and West Virginia

West Virginia wants the Annual Report every year ($26); Ohio has no annual report for LLCs. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, West Virginia to Ohio

A corporation formed in West Virginia files Form 530A with Ohio ($99 in state fees, the same). See the corporation filing.

Registering an Ohio company in West Virginia

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

Common questions: West Virginia to Ohio

Does my West Virginia company need to register in Ohio?

Yes, once a West Virginia business operates there; Ohio law lists 11 activities that do not count on their own.

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

$298 at checkout, with nothing to pay West Virginia.

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

No, Ohio takes Form 617 without it.

How long does the Ohio registration take?

Ohio's standard processing takes 3 to 7 business days; nothing comes from West Virginia first. Paid expedite: 2-business-day $100, 1-business-day $200.

What are the yearly costs for West Virginia and Ohio?

Our statutory agent renewal ($149 a year), West Virginia's report ($26) and no Ohio yearly report.

What if I don't register with Ohio?

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

Does Ohio require a registered agent?

Yes: the West Virginia agent for service of process stays, and ours covers Ohio for year one, with a street address there.

Can I form a new Ohio LLC instead?

Yes, but West Virginia keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one has no Ohio yearly report, and the original keeps West Virginia's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Ohio later?

West Virginia companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company; until then, both the Ohio registration and West Virginia's filings stay in place.

Official sources

People also search

LLC into Ohio, by home state (48)

West Virginia into other states (47)

The same move for a corporation