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West Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division

West Virginia business entity search

Office facts, status meanings and filing rules for West Virginia. The steps below show how to search West Virginia's official registry.

Federal filings only here. West Virginia registry records are on the official site.

West Virginia registry at a glance

Registry agency
West Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division
Phone
304-558-8000 (toll free 866-767-8683)
Source: sos.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Address
One Stop Business Center, 13 Kanawha Blvd. W., Suite 201, Charleston, WV 25302
Source: sos.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Mailing address
West Virginia Secretary of State, 1900 Kanawha Blvd. East, Building 1, Suite 157K, Charleston, WV 25305-0770
Source: sos.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Hours
Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern
Source: sos.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Official search
Business Entity Search and/or Request for Certificates of Existence →
Source: apps.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Registry number
Registered number (organization ID)

How to search the West Virginia registry

The Business Entity Search and/or Request for Certificates of Existence searches by organization name (any portion).

  1. Open the Business Entity Search at apps.wv.gov/sos/businessentitysearch.Source: apps.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06
  2. Enter part of the organization name and select Search.Source: apps.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06
  3. Scan the results, which list each matching entity's type, city and status.Source: apps.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06
  4. Select Details to see the full address, registered number, creation date and registered agent.Source: apps.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06
  5. Buy a $10 Certificate of Existence or Authorization online by credit card if the entity is active and current.Source: apps.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06

Source: apps.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06

Open the official West Virginia search →

Three numbers, three agencies

Asking for the wrong number is a common reason a search comes back empty.

Federal EIN
Internal Revenue Service
Identifies the business for federal tax. It is the same number in every state.
Source: irs.gov
Registered number (organization ID)
West Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division
Identifies the entity's record in the West Virginia registry.
West Virginia business registration (State Tax Department)
West Virginia State Tax Department
After registering with the Secretary of State, businesses apply to the State Tax Department for a business license; that tax registration is separate from the federal EIN and the Secretary of State registered number.
Source: sos.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06

What a West Virginia status means

Active
The entity is registered and current under the law, so a Certificate of Existence or Authorization can be issued.
Source: sos.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Administratively dissolved / revoked
The state dissolved a domestic entity or revoked a foreign one, for example after it missed the June 30 annual report deadline.
Source: sos.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06

Fees and annual filings

LLC formation
$100 (Articles of Organization); foreign LLC $150
Source: sos.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Corporation formation
$100 (Articles of Incorporation, domestic for-profit); foreign certificate of authority $100
Source: sos.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Annual filing
Annual Report (WV Code 59-1-2a)
Source: sos.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Annual fee, LLC
$25
Source: sos.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Annual fee, corporation
$25
Source: sos.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06
When it is due
File between January 1 and June 30 of each year after the calendar year the business registered.
Source: sos.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Late filing
Missing June 30 can bring a late fee ($50 for profit organizations) and administrative dissolution or revocation.
Source: sos.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Filed with
Secretary of State, online through the West Virginia One Stop Business Portal
Source: sos.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Note
Annual report late fee is $50 for profit organizations and $25 for nonprofits. Online filings add a $1 processing fee. The published fee schedule is dated November 18, 2019.
Source: sos.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06

As published by the West Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division, checked 2026-10-06. Fees change, and the official schedule decides.

Forming or running a business in West Virginia

Registered agent
Entity details in the public search show registered agent contact information; whether every entity type must name an agent was not confirmed.
Source: apps.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06
Name availability
Check whether a name is available in West Virginia →
Business forms and fees
Official West Virginia business forms and fees →
Source: sos.wv.gov · checked 2026-10-06

West Virginia businesses on file

All 35 West Virginia businesses on file →

Sources

A fact that could not be confirmed on an official page is left out.

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