Foreign registration · Form DSCB:15-412

West Virginia LLC Foreign Registration in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania registers an LLC from West Virginia as a foreign LLC on Form DSCB:15-412, with $250 in state fees. Pennsylvania needs nothing from West Virginia: no Certificate of Existence. We file it with the Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations from your West Virginia records, then serve as your registered office there for year one.

West Virginia and Pennsylvania side by side

	West Virginia formed here	Pennsylvania registering here
Document	West Virginia Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Form DSCB:15-412, Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$10	$250 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 Pennsylvania
Paid expedite		same-day $100, 3-hour $300, 1-hour $1,000
Office	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations
Official page	sos.wv.gov	pa.gov
Name endings	limited liability company, limited company, L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC, with limited abbreviated Ltd. and company abbreviated Co.	the term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $26, every year	Annual Report, $7, every year
Due	July 1 each year	September 30
Agent	Your West Virginia agent for service of process	Our Pennsylvania registered office

How West Virginia companies register with Pennsylvania

We prepare and file Form DSCB:15-412
It names us as your Pennsylvania registered office, with your West Virginia name and formation date. No West Virginia paperwork holds up the Pennsylvania filing. After approval, your West Virginia LLC is registered with Pennsylvania.

Your West Virginia name and Pennsylvania's rules

Pennsylvania accepts your West Virginia name if it includes the term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state. West Virginia's list (limited liability company, limited company, L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC, with limited abbreviated Ltd. and company abbreviated Co.) is not the same, but an ending such as “limited liability company” works in both states. We check your exact West Virginia name against Pennsylvania's records before filing.

Your Pennsylvania agent and the West Virginia one

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

Staying in good standing in West Virginia and Pennsylvania

Each year your LLC files West Virginia's Annual Report ($26) and Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7). With our $149 registered office renewal, West Virginia plus Pennsylvania comes to $182 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, West Virginia to Pennsylvania

A corporation formed in West Virginia files Form DSCB:15-412 with Pennsylvania ($250 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come West Virginia's Annual Report ($25) and Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Pennsylvania company in West Virginia

An LLC formed in Pennsylvania that registers with West Virginia files Form LLF-1 with $151 in state fees, plus the Subsistence Certificate ($40). See that filing.

Common questions: West Virginia to Pennsylvania

Does my West Virginia company need to register in Pennsylvania?

Yes, once a West Virginia business operates there; Pennsylvania law lists 12 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the Pennsylvania registration cost?

$449 at checkout, with nothing to pay West Virginia.

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

No, Pennsylvania takes Form DSCB:15-412 without it.

What are the yearly costs for West Virginia and Pennsylvania?

$182 a year: our $149 registered office renewal, $26 to West Virginia and $7 to Pennsylvania for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Pennsylvania?

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

Does Pennsylvania require a registered agent?

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

Will Pennsylvania accept my West Virginia name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes the term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state; “limited liability company” works in both states.

Can I form a new Pennsylvania LLC instead?

Yes, but West Virginia keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7), and the original keeps West Virginia's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Pennsylvania later?

West Virginia companies leave by filing a Statement of Withdrawal of Foreign Registration; until then, Pennsylvania's report stays due alongside West Virginia's filings.

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