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LLC SchoolhousePlain LLC lessons, one state at a time.

Session 3 · Virginia

Foreign LLC Registration in Virginia (2026): a 5-Step Lesson and the 2 Best Services

The graded picks for registering an LLC from another state in Virginia this year (2026) are Mainstay Filing ($199) and VA Registered Agent.org ($199), best grade first. Virginia charges $100 to register, and this lesson takes you through it in 5 steps.

Taught by the LLC Schoolhouse editors

Before you begin

State registration fee$100The official page is scc.virginia.gov, last confirmed in October 2026
Home-state certificate365 daysAge limit
Recurring report$50Annual registration fee
State total for years 1 to 3$200Service fees not included
Steps5From start to finish

What you will learn

  • When the rule applies
  • What to file and what it costs
  • What it costs to stay registered
  • Who we would hire to file

Who we would hire in Virginia

We grade cost over three years first, then steps handled, renewal, Virginia fit and clear pricing (report card).
Best grade

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

$199 plus state fee, then $149/year

Mainstay Filing earns the highest mark because a $199 fee for the work plus Virginia's own fee, then $149 a year for the agent.

You pay $100 more than at VA Registered Agent.org over three years and do less of the paperwork yourself.

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

What the price covers

  • The registration filing
  • The registered agent costs nothing in year one
  • One fee in every state

Marks in its favor

  • The first agent year is included
  • Ready for your next state
  • $199 to register

Where it loses points

  • You pay $50 extra a year for the agent
Virginia specialist

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

$199 plus state fee, then $99/year

Taking second place is VA Registered Agent.org, where $199 on top of the state fee to register, then $99 each year.

What the price covers

  • Your Virginia registration is prepared and filed
  • One year of agent service

Marks in its favor

  • A low $99 renewal
  • A year of agent service is included
  • $199 above the state fee

Where it loses points

  • Virginia only; your home state needs its own agent

Our Virginia picks side by side

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2VA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit VA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Taken from each company's pricing on November 13, 2026. The state fee ($100) is not counted.

The Virginia registration, in order

  1. Step
    1

    Check whether registration applies

    If your LLC was formed elsewhere and works in Virginia, it must first register there as a foreign LLC. If the LLC works there without registering: If the LLC might ever need to sue, registering first matters (Va. Code 13.1-1057(A)). Signed contracts keep their force (Va. Code 13.1-1057(C)).

    Where this comes from: The official page is law.lis.virginia.gov, last confirmed in October 2026

  2. Step
    2

    Order the document from your home state

    Virginia asks for certified copy of articles of organization and all amendments, no older than 365 days.

    Order it once the rest of the filing is ready.

  3. Step
    3

    Name your Virginia registered agent

    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.

    Each of our picks includes the registered agent.

    Where this comes from: The official page is law.lis.virginia.gov, last confirmed in October 2026

  4. Step
    4

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

    Pay $100 when you deliver the form to the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk.

    Where this comes from: The official page is scc.virginia.gov, last confirmed in October 2026

  5. Step
    5

    Keep the registration active

    A registered foreign LLC files the annual registration fee ($50), last day of your registration month.

What you will pay

StepWho you payCost
Registering the LLCState$100
Annual registration feeState$50
A service, if you use oneYour service$199 to start
Three years of state feesState$200
The three-year state figure is the filing, the reports due in years two and three and any yearly minimum tax; service fees are separate.

How we graded the Virginia picks

Homework the price handles carries 33% of the report card, and that is where pulled ahead in Virginia.

The company belongs to one state and works in another, which makes one provider for both the strongest choice.

Virginia questions

What will I pay to get an out-of-state LLC registered with Virginia?

$100 for the filing. Our picks add $199.

Which form do I file to register?

Look for the Application for Certificate of Registration to Transact Business in Virginia as a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC1052); you deliver it 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?

If the LLC might ever need to sue, registering first matters (Va. Code 13.1-1057(A)). Signed contracts keep their force (Va. Code 13.1-1057(C)).

What is due after registering?

Your next filing is the annual registration fee at $50.

Which service should handle the registration?

By grade: Mainstay Filing and VA Registered Agent.org. Mainstay Filing is first because you pay $199 plus state fees to register, and the first year with a registered agent is free.

See also

Class references

  1. Homework check for Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source: the facts come from law.lis.virginia.gov, a page we last confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our notes to the original.
  2. Homework check for Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source: the facts come from scc.virginia.gov, a page we last confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our notes to the original.
  3. Homework check for Va: the facts come from law.lis.virginia.gov, a page we last confirmed in August 2026, so you can compare our notes to the original.
  4. Homework check for Virginia formation fee: Filing fee, official source: the facts come from law.lis.virginia.gov, a page we last confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our notes to the original.
  5. Homework check for Virginia registered agent statute: the facts come from law.lis.virginia.gov, a page we last confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our notes to the original.
  6. Homework check for SCC, foreign limited liability company forms and fees: the facts come from scc.virginia.gov, a page we last confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our notes to the original.
  7. Homework check for SCC, foreign business entities FAQ: the facts come from scc.virginia.gov, a page we last confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our notes to the original.
  8. Homework check for SCC, foreign registration checklist: the facts come from scc.virginia.gov, a page we last confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our notes to the original.
  9. Homework check for Code of Virginia § 13.1-1052, application for registration: the facts come from law.lis.virginia.gov, a page we last confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our notes to the original.
  10. Homework check for Code of Virginia § 13.1-1059, activities that are: the facts come from law.lis.virginia.gov, a page we last confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our notes to the original.
  11. Homework check for Code of Virginia § 13.1-1057, consequences of transacting: the facts come from law.lis.virginia.gov, a page we last confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our notes to the original.
  12. Homework check for Code of Virginia 13.1-1051 to 13.1-1059, foreign limited: the facts come from law.lis.virginia.gov, a page we last confirmed in November 2026, so you can compare our notes to the original.
  13. Mainstay Filing Virginia service page: opened and read on November 13, 2026
  14. VA Registered Agent.org pricing page: opened and read on November 13, 2026