Foreign registration · Form LLF-1

Wisconsin LLC Foreign Registration in West Virginia

To do business in West Virginia, an LLC formed in Wisconsin registers there on Form LLF-1, with $151 in state fees. West Virginia also wants Wisconsin's Certificate of Status ($10). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division from your Wisconsin records, then serve as your agent for service of process there for year one.

Wisconsin vs West Virginia: the paperwork

	Wisconsin formed here	West Virginia registering here
Document	Wisconsin Certificate of Status	Form LLF-1, West Virginia Application for Certificate of Authority of Limited Liability Company
State fee	$10	$151 at order (filing fee $150 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Wisconsin: online, emailed as soon as it is requested	Filed with West Virginia
Paid expedite		next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25, 2-hour $250, 1-hour $500
Office	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division
Official page	dfi.wi.gov	sos.wv.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5), $25, every year	Annual Report, $25, every year
Due	End of the calendar quarter containing the LLC's anniversary date	July 1 each year
Late yearly filing	$25 late fee	$50 late fee
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Standard processing: standard processing takes 5 to 10 business days at no extra cost
Agent	Your Wisconsin registered agent	Our West Virginia agent for service of process

How Wisconsin companies register with West Virginia

Order the Wisconsin certificate
The Certificate of Status ($10) is ordered from Wisconsin separately; it is not part of our West Virginia order. West Virginia wants the Wisconsin certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file Form LLF-1
It lists us as your West Virginia agent for service of process, next to your Wisconsin name and formation date, with the certificate attached. With the certificate issued on the spot, nothing from Wisconsin delays the West Virginia filing. After approval, your Wisconsin LLC is registered with West Virginia.

First-year cost, Wisconsin to West Virginia

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$151
Certificate of Status, paid to Wisconsin	$10
Our service, with a year of West Virginia agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, Wisconsin certificate included	$360

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

Will your Wisconsin name work for West Virginia?

West Virginia accepts your Wisconsin name if it includes limited liability company, limited company, L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC, with limited abbreviated Ltd. and company abbreviated Co.. If the Wisconsin name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. If another West Virginia company uses the Wisconsin name, an alternate name is allowed. We search West Virginia's records for Wisconsin's name on file before anything is filed.

Agents: West Virginia and Wisconsin

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

Staying in good standing in Wisconsin and West Virginia

Each year your LLC files Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($25) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). With our $149 agent for service of process renewal, Wisconsin plus West Virginia comes to $199 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Wisconsin to West Virginia

A corporation formed in Wisconsin files Form CF-1 with West Virginia ($101 in state fees). After that come Wisconsin's Domestic Business Corporation Annual Report ($25) and West Virginia's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

Registering a West Virginia company in Wisconsin

An LLC formed in West Virginia that registers with Wisconsin files Form 521 with $100 in state fees; no West Virginia certificate is needed. See that filing.

Common questions: Wisconsin to West Virginia

Does my Wisconsin company need to register in West Virginia?

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

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

$350 at checkout plus $10 to Wisconsin for the Certificate of Status, $360 in all (checkout is $151 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Wisconsin's certificate of good standing?

Yes: West Virginia wants Wisconsin's Certificate of Status ($10), current at filing.

How long does the West Virginia registration take?

West Virginia's standard processing takes 5 to 10 business days at no extra cost; Wisconsin's certificate is an instant download, so there is no wait before filing. Paid expedite: next-day $25, same-day (in person) $25.

What are the yearly costs for Wisconsin and West Virginia?

$199 a year: our $149 agent for service of process renewal, $25 to Wisconsin and $25 to West Virginia for the yearly reports.

Does West Virginia require a registered agent?

Yes: the Wisconsin registered agent stays, and ours covers West Virginia for year one.

Will West Virginia accept my Wisconsin name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Wisconsin name at home. West Virginia names must include limited liability company, limited company, L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC, with limited abbreviated Ltd. and company abbreviated Co..

Can I form a new West Virginia LLC instead?

Yes, but Wisconsin keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files West Virginia's Annual Report ($26), and the original keeps Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5).

How do I withdraw from West Virginia later?

Wisconsin companies leave by filing a withdrawal application; until then, West Virginia's report stays due alongside Wisconsin's filings.

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