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Founder Primer

LLC paperwork, boiled down for founders.

Primer 3 · Virginia

Foreign LLC Registration in Virginia (2026): 5 Moves and the 2 Best Services

Best picks for registering an LLC from another state in Virginia in 2026, in order: Mainstay Filing ($199) and VA Registered Agent.org ($199). Virginia wants $100 from a foreign LLC. 5 moves show the rest.
From the Founder Primer desk

Key facts

State fee to register
$100
Official page: scc.virginia.gov (October 2026)
Good-standing proof
365 days
How old it can be
Annual filing
$50
Annual registration fee
State fees, three years
$200
Service fees excluded
Moves in this primer
5
First to last

Primer goals

  • When the rule applies
  • The official form and fee
  • What follows registration
  • Which services we pick and why

If you want someone else to file

Five weighted criteria set the order (see how we score); three-year cost and to-dos cleared count most.

Top mark $199 to register, $149 a year after

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a second state and more

We start with Mainstay Filing: it files the Virginia registration for $199 plus the state's fee, and the first agent year is on the house.

Three years cost $100 more than VA Registered Agent.org, but it clears more of the to-do list, and the marks reward that.

Year two onward, the agent runs $149 annually, and that holds in every state.

Inside the price
  • Filing with the state
  • Registered agent free in year one
  • One fee in any state
In its favor
  • $199 to register
  • All fifty states covered
  • First agent year included
Against it
  • Agent renews at $149, $50 above VA Registered Agent.org
Virginia focus $199 to register, $99 a year after

2. VA Registered Agent.org: best for one extra state

VA Registered Agent.org is a fair second choice: $199 on top of the state fee, then $99 a year.

Inside the price
  • The Virginia registration, prepared and sent
  • One year of agent service
In its favor
  • No agent fee in year one
  • $199 and the state fee
  • Agent renews at $99
Against it
  • No help in other states

The Virginia picks compared

# Service First year From year two Three-year total
1 Mainstay Filing $199 $149/yr $497 Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 VA Registered Agent.org $199 $99/yr $397 Visit VA Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Prices come from each company's own site, read November 13, 2026. Each row still needs Virginia's $100 registration fee.

How registration works in Virginia

  1. Move 1

    Decide if the LLC must register in Virginia

    Term to know: a foreign LLC is formed in another state. It registers before doing business there. Without registration: Virginia courts shut the door on unregistered LLCs as plaintiffs (Va. Code 13.1-1057(A)). Signed contracts keep their force (Va. Code 13.1-1057(C)).

    Where this comes from: Official page: law.lis.virginia.gov (October 2026)

  2. Move 2

    Order the certificate from home

    Attach certified copy of articles of organization and all amendments, from the past 365 days.

    Request it close to filing day.

  3. Move 3

    Appoint a registered agent in Virginia

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a registered office in Virginia that is the agent's business office. A P.O. box is accepted only in a town of under 2,000 people with no street address.

    Any of our picks fills the seat.

    Where this comes from: Official page: law.lis.virginia.gov (October 2026)

  4. Move 4

    Submit the Application for Certificate of Registration to Transact Business in Virginia as a Foreign Limited Liability Company

    the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk takes the form and the $100 fee together.

    Where this comes from: Official page: scc.virginia.gov (October 2026)

  5. Move 5

    Handle Virginia's repeating filing

    File the annual registration fee for $50, last day of your registration month and the registration stays alive.

What you will pay

Line Payee Figure
Registering the LLC State office $100
Annual registration fee State office $50
Optional service Service $199 in year one
State fees for three years State office $200

State amounts are Virginia's official fees (sources below); service prices come from each company's site. Three years of state cost is the filing, the reports in years two and three and any minimum tax.

Why Mainstay Filing is first

To-dos the price takes off you decided first place in Virginia. It is 38% of the mark; the rest is founder outlay over three years, year-two price, fit with the state's rules and pricing you can read at once.

The LLC was formed in one state and works in another, so a provider that serves both scored best.

Common questions

What does Virginia charge a foreign LLC?

$100 to the state. Add $199 if you hire a service.

Which form do I file to register?

Find the Application for Certificate of Registration to Transact Business in Virginia as a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC1052), which goes to the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certified copy of articles of organization and all amendments, issued within 365 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

Virginia courts shut the door on unregistered LLCs as plaintiffs (Va. Code 13.1-1057(A)). Signed contracts keep their force (Va. Code 13.1-1057(C)).

What is due after registering?

Next is the annual registration fee at $50.

Which service should handle the registration?

Pick Mainstay Filing: $199 over the state fee in any state, first-year agent included. Behind it: VA Registered Agent.org.

Next primer

Sources, so you can check us

  1. Verify Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source at law.lis.virginia.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  2. Verify Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source at scc.virginia.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  3. Verify Va at law.lis.virginia.gov. Our copy of it is from August 2026.
  4. Verify Virginia formation fee: Filing fee, official source at law.lis.virginia.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  5. Verify Virginia registered agent statute at law.lis.virginia.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  6. Verify SCC, foreign limited liability company forms and fees at scc.virginia.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  7. Verify SCC, foreign business entities FAQ at scc.virginia.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  8. Verify SCC, foreign registration checklist at scc.virginia.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  9. Verify Code of Virginia § 13.1-1052, application for registration at law.lis.virginia.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  10. Verify Code of Virginia § 13.1-1059, activities that are at law.lis.virginia.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  11. Verify Code of Virginia § 13.1-1057, consequences of transacting at law.lis.virginia.gov. Our copy of it is from October 2026.
  12. Verify Code of Virginia 13.1-1051 to 13.1-1059, foreign limited at law.lis.virginia.gov. Our copy of it is from November 2026.
  13. The Virginia service page from Mainstay Filing, November 13, 2026
  14. The pricing page from VA Registered Agent.org, November 13, 2026