West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division
Please Note
We are a service company that can help you file with the West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division. We are not associated with this nor any other government agency. We offer paid services and software to help you file. You are not required to purchase our service to file - you may file directly with this agency without using our service.
Contact Information
Bldg. 1, Suite 157-K
1900 Kanawha Blvd. East
Charleston, WV 25305-0770
Phone: 304-558-8000 or 866-767-8683
Web: Home Name search Forms File online
Email: business@wvsos.com
Notes: Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5 PM
Licenses
We track the following licenses with the West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division in order to provide compliance services to our clients. As a client, you see this and other reference data in License Manager in-line with your licenses.
West Virginia Company Name Registration
| Agency: | West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division |
| Fact Checked: | 10/2/20 |
Initial Registration
| Form: | |
| Agency Fee: | $25 |
| Notes: | Name registrations are good for the remainder of the calendar year in which they are filed. |
| Fact Checked: | 10/2/20 |
Registration Renewal
| Form: | |
| Agency Fee: | $10 |
| Due: | Name registrations expire on December 31 of each year. |
| Fact Checked: | 10/2/20 |
West Virginia Private Investigation Agency License
| Agency: | West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division |
| Bond Requirements: | $2,500 |
| Fact Checked: | 11/14/18 |
Initial Registration
| Form: | |
| Agency Fee: | $200 for in-state or $500 for out-of-state private investigator firms. $400 for in-state or $1,000 for out-of-state combined private investigator and security firms. |
| Fact Checked: | 11/8/17 |
Registration Renewal
| Form: | |
| Agency Fee: | $200 for in-state or $500 for out-of-state private investigator firms. $400 for in-state or $1,000 for out-of-state combined private investigator and security firms. |
| Due: | Annually by the date issued. |
| Fact Checked: | 11/8/17 |
West Virginia Private Investigator License
| Agency: | West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division |
| Bond Requirements: | $2,500 |
| Fact Checked: | 11/14/18 |
Initial Registration
| Form: | |
| Agency Fee: | $100 for West Virginia residents, $500 for out-of-state applicants. |
| Fact Checked: | 11/8/17 |
Registration Renewal
| Form: | |
| Agency Fee: | $100 for West Virginia residents, $500 for out-of-state applicants. |
| Due: | Annually by the date issued. |
| Fact Checked: | 11/8/17 |
West Virginia Trade Name Registration
Initial Registration
Trade Name
| Agency: | West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division |
| Form: | |
| Filing Method: | Mail or online. |
| Agency Fee: | $25 |
| Is registration mandatory?: | Filing a trade name registration is required for any person or entity intending to conduct business under an assumed name. |
| County Level Filing: | Individuals, sole-proprietorships, and general partnerships only file at the county level with the county clerk where the principal office is located. All other entities file only at the state level. |
| Does registration prevent others from using the name I choose?: | Registration of a trade name does not offer name protection. |
| Notes: |
|
Registration Renewal
Trade Name
Not required
Corporate Filings
We track the following filings with the West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division in order to provide compliance services to our clients. We share this reference information with the general public as a courtesy. As a registered agent client, you get access to state templates pre-filled with our company information to help you save time looking up information.
Agent of Process
Annual Report
| Agency: | West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division |
| Form: | To request a form, contact the Secretary of State's office. |
| Filing Method: | Mail or online. |
| Agency Fee: | $25 |
| Due: | Annually by July 1. |
| Law: | W.V.C. § 59-1-2a |
| Penalties: | $25 late fee. Administrative dissolution or revocation notice may be mailed for companies that fail to file. |
| Notes: |
|
| Fact Checked: | 1/11/21 |
Application for Certificate of Authority
| Agency: | West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division |
| Form: | |
| Filing Method: | Mail or online. |
| Agency Fee: | $100 |
| Law: | |
| Certified Copy Requirement: | Certified copies not required. |
| Certificate of Good Standing Requirement: | Certificate of existence dated within the tax year. |
| Fact Checked: | 3/25/21 |
Articles of Merger
Certificate of Existence
| Agency: | West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division |
| Form: | |
| Filing Method: | Mail, email, phone, fax, in-person and online. |
| Agency Fee: | $10 |
| Notes: | Use the online system to find your entity and order a certificate of existence. |
| Fact Checked: | 3/23/21 |
Trade Name
| Agency: | West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division |
| Form: | |
| Filing Method: | Mail or online. |
| Agency Fee: | $25 |
| Is registration mandatory?: | Filing a trade name registration is required for any person or entity intending to conduct business under an assumed name. |
| County Level Filing: | Individuals, sole-proprietorships, and general partnerships only file at the county level with the county clerk where the principal office is located. All other entities file only at the state level. |
| Does registration prevent others from using the name I choose?: | Registration of a trade name does not offer name protection. |
| Notes: |
|
Related Government Agencies
Explore other West Virginia government agencies we can help you stay compliant with:
- West Virginia Board of Accountancy
- West Virginia Board of Architects
- West Virginia Board of Landscape Architects
- West Virginia Board of Pharmacy
- West Virginia Board of Professional Surveyors
- West Virginia Board of Registration for Professional Engineers
- West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources - Radiation, Toxics, & Indoor Air Division
- West Virginia Division of Labor
- West Virginia Division of Labor - Licensing Section
- West Virginia Division of Labor - Weights & Measures
- West Virginia Fire Commission - Regulatory and Licensing Division
- West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner
- West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner - Financial Conditions Division - Professional Employer Organization Licensing Unit
- West Virginia Real Estate Commission
- West Virginia Secretary of State - Charitable Organizations Division
- West Virginia State Tax Department
- Workforce West Virginia
