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

Physical address:
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.

A laptop placed on a desk with our License Manager software on display

West Virginia Company Name Registration

Agency:West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division
Foreign Qualification is Prerequisite:Not Set
Exam Required?Not Set
Registered Agent (Special Agency) Required?Not Set

Initial Registration

Form:

Form NR-2: Application to Register a Company Name

Agency Fee:

$25

Notes:

Name registrations are good for the remainder of the calendar year in which they are filed.

Registration Renewal

Form:

Form NR-2: Application to Register a Company Name (Renewal)

Agency Fee:

$10

Due:

Name registrations expire on December 31 of each year.

West Virginia Entity Registration

Agency:West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division
Foreign Qualification is Prerequisite:Not Set
Exam Required?Not Set
Registered Agent (Special Agency) Required?Not Set

West Virginia Name Reservation

Agency:West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division
Foreign Qualification is Prerequisite:Not Set
Exam Required?Not Set
Registered Agent (Special Agency) Required?Not Set

Initial Registration

Form:

Form NR-1: Name Reservation

Agency Fee:

$15

Notes:

Names are reserved for 120 days.

Renewal Not Required

Not required



Name reservations cannot be renewed.

West Virginia Private Investigation Agency License

Agency:West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division
Foreign Qualification is Prerequisite:Not Set
Bond Requirements:

$2,500

Exam Required?Not Set
Registered Agent (Special Agency) Required?Not Set

Initial Registration

Form:

Initial Application for License as a Private Investigator

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.

Registration Renewal

Form:

Renewal Application for License as a Private Investigator

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.

West Virginia Private Investigator License

Agency:West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division
Foreign Qualification is Prerequisite:Not Set
Bond Requirements:

$2,500

Exam Required?Not Set
Registered Agent (Special Agency) Required?Not Set

Initial Registration

Form:

Initial Application for License as a Private Investigator

Agency Fee:

$100 for West Virginia residents, $500 for out-of-state applicants.

Registration Renewal

Form:

Renewal Application for License as a Private Investigator

Agency Fee:

$100 for West Virginia residents, $500 for out-of-state applicants.

Due:

Annually by the date issued.

West Virginia Trade Name Registration

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:

All entities file at the state level.

Does registration prevent others from using the name I choose?

Registration of a trade name does not offer name protection.

Agency:West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division
Law:

WV Code § 47-8-4

Foreign Qualification is Prerequisite:Not Set
Exam Required?Not Set
Registered Agent (Special Agency) Required?Not Set

Initial Registration
Trade Name

Form:

Application for Trade Name

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:

All entities file 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:
  • Publication of registration is not required in West Virginia.

Renewal Not Required

Not required



Registrations do not currently expire.

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.

Annual Report

Agency:West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division
Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$25 + $1 online filing fee

Due:

Annually by June 30. Reports may be filed as early as January 1.

Law:

WV Code § 59-1-2a

Penalties:

There is a $25 late fee for filing after June 30. Your business also risks being dissolved or revoked.

Notes:
  • Anyone with authority may file.
  • Original signatures are not required.

Agent of Process

Agency:West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division
Notes:

The West Virginia Secretary of State e-mails your annual report reminders to the e-mail you provide them. They are not sent to your registered agent. If we receive correspondence from the West Virginia Secretary of State related to your annual report, we will scan and notify you of your mail just like any other document we receive for you.


Application for Certificate of Authority

Agency:West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division
Form:

Form CF-1: Application for Certificate of Authority

Filing Method:

Mail or online.

Agency Fee:

$100

Law:

WV Code § 31D-15-1501

Certified Copy Requirement:

Certified copies not required.

Certificate of Good Standing Requirement:

Certificate of existence dated within the tax year.


Trade Name

Form:

Application for Trade Name

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:

All entities file 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:
  • Publication of registration is not required in West Virginia.

Certificate of Existence

Agency:West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division
Form:

Certificate of Existence

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.


Articles of Merger

Agency:West Virginia Secretary of State - Business and Licensing Division
Form:

The state does not issue a form for mergers.

Agency Fee:

$25 for the first two companies + $15 per additional entity.

Notes:

Use the statutory instructions to create a draft of merger documents, then file these documents along with the required fee.


Related Government Agencies

Explore other West Virginia government agencies we can help you stay compliant with:


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