Register a Virginia Foreign LLC
A Virginia Foreign LLC is a limited liability company formed in another jurisdiction that wants to do business in Virginia. To operate legally, it must register with the State Corporation Commission and pay a $100 fee.
Northwest can do it for you for just $225 + state fees. We'll handle the paperwork, provide a full year of registered agent service, a custom domain, local phone number, email, web hosting, and a local Virginia business address. Everything your business needs to get going in Virginia.
$225 Foreign Registration
Have Northwest Registered Agent expand your business and get more:
- Local experts handle your paperwork
- Local phone line
- Free domain name
- Free website
- Free professional email
How to Register a Foreign LLC in Virginia
You’ll first need foreign qualification to register as a foreign entity in Virginia. You get foreign qualification in Virginia by filling out an Application for Certificate of Registration to Transact Business in Virginia, which costs $100 to file. You’ll turn this form and payment in to Virginia’s State Corporation Commission.
For information on foreign LLCs in general, check out our foreign qualification page. Now, here’s how Virginia foreign LLC registration works:
Unlike many other states, Virginia does not require nor accept the certificate of good standing as proof of a foreign LLC’s existence. Instead, you’ll need a certified copy of your LLC Articles of Organization from the appropriate governing body in your state. The copy’s certification date must be within twelve months of your foreign registration application submission. You’ll also need certified copies of each amendment to the articles and each business merger.
Next, choose a registered agent. Your Virginia Registered Agent can be an individual resident of the state or a registered agent service provider. Whichever option you select, the agent must have a physical address in Virginia and be available to accept lawsuit mail during business hours. As your business expands, it’s convenient to hire a registered agent service, such as Northwest Registered Agent, to support your business’ growth.
To register your foreign LLC in Virginia, you must complete the Application for Certificate of Registration to Transact Business in Virginia as a Foreign LLC form. File it with the State Corporation Commission. On this form, you’ll include:
- The name of your LLC
- Designated name (or doing business as name) if applicable
- Jurisdiction of formation
- The LLC’s date of formation and whether the duration has an expiration or is perpetual
- The LLC’s principal office address in Virginia
- The name of your LLC’s registered agent in Virginia and their relationship to the LLC
- The Virginia registered agent’s office address
- Date and signature of a member, manager, or authorized party
Bear in mind that if the name of your LLC violates Virginia’s naming laws or isn’t available there (it is already in use by another Virginia company), you must pay $10 to register under a doing business as name. This name does not need to include LLC. This rule for fictitious names is unique because limited liability companies must include some variation of LLC in their name under most circumstances.
Now, if you’re all set, you can register your Virginia Foreign LLC with Northwest today.
Once you submit your registration application, you can find a copy of it in your online account and Virginia’s Business Entity Search.
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Virginia Foreign LLC Registration FAQ
No, foreign businesses do not need an address in the state where they do business, that’s what your Virginia registered agent is for. However, you might want a local Virginia business address to look professional and trustworthy, gain a physical foothold in the state, or simply as a way to keep your home address away from prying eyes.
Northwest offers reliable Mail Forwarding and Virtual Office services in Virginia.
- Use a real commercial business address (not a P.O. Box)
- Maintain privacy and never miss important mail and notices
- Access your mail digitally or have it forwarded to you
- Get a real office lease and a local phone number (Virtual Office only)
These services go hand-in-hand with our Registered Agent Service and help keep your business running smoothly, no matter where you’re actually located.
You can amend your Virginia foreign LLC application by filing an Amended Application for Registration as a Foreign Limited Liability Company. You must attach a certified copy of your LLC’s instruments of amendment, correction, or merger to the application. The certified copy of each document must have been filed in its jurisdiction of formation and authenticated within twelve months of filing the amended application.
You may file the amended form online, by mail or in person to the State Corporation Commission. The filing fee is $25.
Generally, you are doing business in Virginia if you have an employee, office, or business warehouse in the state. Although Virginia’s statutes don’t specify what counts as doing business, state law does offer guidance on what is not doing business. Generally, you’re not doing business in Virginia if you are only:
- Maintaining, defending, or settling a legal proceeding
- Holding meetings with members or managers to discuss internal affairs
- Maintaining bank accounts
- Owning real property in Virginia without doing more
- Selling products there through independent contractors
Read our page on What Exactly Does Doing Business in Another State Mean?
All domestic and foreign entities in Virginia must file an annual report. The Clerk’s Office sends the annual report form to your registered agent approximately two months before it is due, and you may file it early. The earliest you can file is as soon as the Commission makes it available and, although there is no annual report fee, there is an annual registration fee of $50.
You must pay this fee by the last day of the month you registered your foreign LLC. For example, if you registered your foreign LLC on May 28, 2025, this fee will be due by May 31, 2026, and each year following.
You can withdraw your foreign LLC in Virginia by filling out the Application for a Certificate of Cancellation to Cancel a Certificate of Registration to Transact Business in Virginia by a Foreign Limited Liability Company and submitting it to the State Corporation Commission. You’ll include a check of $25 made payable to the Commission.
Note: You must ensure that all fines and fees associated with your foreign LLC are paid first. Otherwise, you’ll incur additional fines and penalties.
Virginia LLCs, foreign and domestic, are taxed as pass-through entities by default, meaning the LLC itself doesn’t pay taxes. Instead, the profits pass through the LLC to the members, who report the profits as income on their personal tax returns. LLCs can also file with the IRS to be taxed as corporations.
For more information on Virginia taxes, check out our Virginia tax guide.
You can obtain your certified articles from the issuing body in your LLC’s home state. For example, if you filed your Articles of Organization with Montana’s Secretary of State, you would need to contact Montana’s SOS and pay a $10 filing fee to get a certified copy of your articles.
You can only act as your own agent if you live in Virginia, but most foreign LLC owners hire a professional registered agent service.
A professional registered agent can make your life a lot easier. Not only will they be around during regular business hours to accept important mail for your business, but they can also help you live privately by letting you use their name and address on your registration documents instead of yours.
It costs $100 to file the Application for Certificate of Registration form. There is no additional fee to file online. Online filers have the option of speeding up their filings. For one day service, Virginia will charge you $100. For same day service, expect to pay $200.
You can file your Virginia foreign LLC registration application online, by mail, or in person. Filing by mail or in person requires you to download, print, fill out, and submit the application to the corresponding address.
Online:
Virginia’s CIS Online Business Filings
By mail:
State Corporation Commission
Clerk’s Office
P.O. Box 1197
Richmond, VA 23218-1197
In person:
State Corporation Commission
1300 E Main St, 1st Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
Nope. Instead of a certificate of good standing, Virginia requires certified copies of your LLC Articles of Organization.
Mailed filings can take up to three weeks to be processed. Online filings are generally processed in about three days. You can pay $100 extra for one-day service, or $200 for same-day filing service.
