Rhode Island

Foreign registration · Form 450

West Virginia LLC Foreign Registration in Rhode Island

Rhode Island registers an LLC from West Virginia as a foreign LLC on Form 450, with $156 in state fees. Rhode Island also asks for West Virginia's Certificate of Existence ($10), no older than 60 days. We file it with the Department of State, Business Services Division from your West Virginia records, then serve as your resident agent there for year one.

West Virginia vs Rhode Island: the paperwork

	West Virginia formed here	Rhode Island registering here
Document	West Virginia Certificate of Existence	Form 450, Application for Registration for a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$10	$156 at order (filing fee $150 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 with Rhode Island
Office	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division	Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division
Official page	sos.wv.gov	docs.sos.ri.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $26, every year	Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632), $50, every year
Due	July 1 each year	May 1
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$25 late fee
Agent	Your West Virginia agent for service of process	Our Rhode Island resident agent

From West Virginia to Rhode Island, 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 Rhode Island order. With West Virginia taking days and Rhode Island counting 60 days from issue, the order is timed for both.
We prepare and file Form 450
It lists us as your Rhode Island resident agent, next to your West Virginia name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The West Virginia certificate takes days to arrive, so the Rhode Island filing waits for it. After approval, your West Virginia LLC is registered with Rhode Island.

Rhode Island costs for West Virginia companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$156
Certificate of Existence, paid to West Virginia	$10
Our service, with a year of Rhode Island resident agent service	$199
First-year total, West Virginia certificate included	$365

Will your West Virginia name work for Rhode Island?

If Rhode Island's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the West Virginia company. Rhode Island can hold a name for 120 days for $50 before you file.

Your Rhode Island agent and the West Virginia one

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

Staying in good standing in West Virginia and Rhode Island

Each year your LLC files West Virginia's Annual Report ($26) and Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632) ($50). With our $149 resident agent renewal, West Virginia plus Rhode Island comes to $225 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, West Virginia to Rhode Island

A corporation formed in West Virginia files Form 150 with Rhode Island ($319 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10)). After that come West Virginia's Annual Report ($25) and Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Corporation (Form 630) ($50). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Rhode Island company in West Virginia

An LLC formed in Rhode Island that registers with West Virginia files Form LLF-1 with $151 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22). See that filing.

Questions West Virginia owners ask about Rhode Island

Does my West Virginia company need to register in Rhode Island?

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

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

$355 at checkout plus $10 to West Virginia for the Certificate of Existence, $365 in all (checkout is $156 in state fees plus our $199).

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

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

What are the yearly costs for West Virginia and Rhode Island?

$225 a year: our $149 resident agent renewal, $26 to West Virginia and $50 to Rhode Island for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Rhode Island?

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

Does Rhode Island require a registered agent?

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

Will Rhode Island accept my West Virginia name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its West Virginia name at home.

Can I form a new Rhode Island LLC instead?

Yes, but West Virginia keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632) ($50), and the original keeps West Virginia's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Rhode Island later?

West Virginia companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation; until then, Rhode Island's report stays due alongside West Virginia's filings.

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