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Formation ClassClass is in session: LLC paperwork, state by state.

Class 3 · West Virginia

Foreign LLC Registration Class, West Virginia (2026): 5 Assignments and the 3 Best Services

Today's class on registering an LLC from another state in West Virginia in 2026 comes with one answer: hire WV Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and West Virginia Registered Agent.co ($199), in that order. Registering takes 5 assignments and a $150 state fee, with $25 due on each later report.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

The quick version

Registration fee$150code.wvlegislature.gov, last read in October 2026
Home-state certificateRequiredRequired when you file
Report fee$25Annual report
What the state collects in three years$200Service fees not included
Assignments5In order

Class objectives

  • Which LLCs must register
  • The form and the fee
  • What staying registered costs
  • The services at the top of the class

If you want someone else to file

Tuition over three years leads, then homework done, year-two tuition, West Virginia fit and readable fees (grading page).
Best overall

1. WV Registered Agent.org: best for a budget registration

$199 and the $150 state fee, then $99 yearly

In West Virginia, WV Registered Agent.org sits at the top of the class: a service fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $99 a year.

Since Mainstay Filing costs more across three years, this service ends up on top.

Covered by the tuition

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • $199 above the state fee
  • No agent fee in year one
  • Then $99 per year

Weak spots

  • The home state needs a different agent
Works in every state

2. Mainstay Filing: best for one provider for both states

$199 and the $150 state fee, then $149 yearly

Second place goes to Mainstay Filing, since registering costs $199 plus state fees, and year one of the agent for service of process costs nothing.

A $100 gap to WV Registered Agent.org over three years decides where it lands.

The agent renews at $149 a year in every state.

Covered by the tuition

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • Covers all fifty states

Strengths

  • $199 to register
  • Ready for the next state too

Weak spots

  • Renewal $50 above WV Registered Agent.org's
Local choice

3. West Virginia Registered Agent.co: best for West Virginia-only registrations

$199 and the $150 state fee, then $99 yearly

West Virginia Registered Agent.co makes a respectable third: a service fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $99 a year.

Its prices match WV Registered Agent.org's, so either works.

Covered by the tuition

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • No agent fee in year one
  • $199 above the state fee
  • Then $99 per year

Weak spots

  • The home state needs a different agent

All the tuition in one table

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1WV Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit WV Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3West Virginia Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit West Virginia Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Listed prices, read November 13, 2026. The $150 state fee is left out of these figures.

Registering with West Virginia, assignment by assignment

  1. Assignment
    1

    See if your LLC must register in West Virginia

    Vocabulary word: a foreign LLC is one formed in a different state. It registers before it does business in West Virginia.

    Textbook page: sos.wv.gov, last read in October 2026

  2. Assignment
    2

    Order the home-state certificate

    Enclose certificate of existence (good standing), dated in the current tax year.

    Leave the certificate until everything else is ready.

  3. Assignment
    3

    Appoint the West Virginia agent for service of process

    The statute says an LLC "may" keep an agent; the Articles ask for one "if any". The statute says an LLC "may" keep an agent, and the Articles of Organization ask for one "if any." If an agent is named, its West Virginia address goes on the state record.

    The grade list covers this role.

    Textbook page: code.wvlegislature.gov, last read in October 2026

  4. Assignment
    4

    Complete, sign and file the West Virginia Application for Certificate of Authority of Limited Liability Company

    the West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division is the office that wants the filing above plus $150.

    Textbook page: code.wvlegislature.gov, last read in October 2026

  5. Assignment
    5

    Stay registered

    The repeat assignment is the annual report, $25, June 30.

Costs, assignment by assignment

Line itemPayeeCost
Foreign registrationPaid to the state$150
Annual reportPaid to the state$25
Service, if you hire oneService$199 for year one
State fees over years one to threePaid to the state$200
The state's fees come from official pages, listed below. Added up over three years they are the filing, two reports and, in a few states, a minimum tax.

Why WV Registered Agent.org is first

Tuition across three years settled first place in West Virginia. It is worth 30% of the grade, and the rest comes from homework the price does, year-two tuition, fit with the state class and fees a student can read.

Count three years and WV Registered Agent.org totals $397, $100 below Mainstay Filing.

What students ask

How much does West Virginia charge a foreign LLC to register?

$150 for the filing. The graded services add $199.

Which form do I file to register?

Fill in the form named in assignment 4 and send it to the West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certificate of existence (good standing), dated in the current tax year.

What is due after registering?

The annual report keeps the registration alive, at $25.

Which services are in this lesson?

3 services get grades: WV Registered Agent.org at $199, Mainstay Filing at $199 and West Virginia Registered Agent.co at $199.

Which service should handle the registration?

WV Registered Agent.org gets the top grade and Mainstay Filing and West Virginia Registered Agent.co follow; WV Registered Agent.org wins on tuition across three years.

Related classes

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. Extra credit: compare what we say about West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing with business4.wv.gov, last read August 2026.
  2. Extra credit: compare what we say about West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing with business4.wv.gov, last read August 2026.
  3. Extra credit: compare what we say about West Virginia yearly filing: Annual report: fee and with sos.wv.gov, last read October 2026.
  4. Extra credit: compare what we say about West Virginia yearly filing: Annual report: fee and with onestop.wv.gov, last read October 2026.
  5. Extra credit: compare what we say about West Virginia report due date with code.wvlegislature.gov, last read August 2026.
  6. Extra credit: compare what we say about W with sos.wv.gov, last read August 2026.
  7. Extra credit: compare what we say about West Virginia formation fee: Filing fee, official source with sos.wv.gov, last read October 2026.
  8. Extra credit: compare what we say about West Virginia formation fee: Filing fee, official source with sos.wv.gov, last read October 2026.
  9. Extra credit: compare what we say about West Virginia registered agent statute with code.wvlegislature.gov, last read October 2026.
  10. Extra credit: compare what we say about West Virginia SOS, register an out-of-state business with sos.wv.gov, last read October 2026.
  11. Extra credit: compare what we say about Form LLF-1, application for certificate of authority with sos.wv.gov, last read October 2026.
  12. Extra credit: compare what we say about W with code.wvlegislature.gov, last read October 2026.
  13. Extra credit: compare what we say about W with code.wvlegislature.gov, last read October 2026.
  14. Extra credit: compare what we say about W with code.wvlegislature.gov, last read October 2026.
  15. Extra credit: compare what we say about West Virginia SOS, cancel or withdraw a foreign with sos.wv.gov, last read October 2026.
  16. Tuition figures from WV Registered Agent.org (pricing page), November 13, 2026
  17. Tuition figures from Mainstay Filing (West Virginia service page), November 13, 2026
  18. Tuition figures from West Virginia Registered Agent.co (pricing page), November 13, 2026