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How to Get a Certificate of Good Standing in West Virginia

West Virginia calls it the Certificate of Existence and charges $10. Here is how to order it and what must be current first.

At a glance

Document name
Certificate of Existence
State fee
$10Checked Aug 15, 2026 · sos.wv.gov
Online ordering
Yes
Typical turnaround
West Virginia processes this certificate in 5 to 10 business days however it is ordered, including online. Nothing is issued on the spot. Faster service is a paid addition to the same $10 order: $25 for 24 hours, $250 for two hours, $500 for one hour. The Secretary of State will not issue any certificate until payment is received
Issuing office
West Virginia SOS ↗

How to order it

  1. Clear any past-due filings first. Check your entity status with the West Virginia SOS and resolve the requirements below. Tax clearance may be a separate document.
  2. Order it online. Search your LLC in the West Virginia portal, request the certificate, and download it. Link in the table above.
  3. Pay the $10 fee. Confirm payment methods and the total in the official portal; extra fees may apply.
  4. Use it inside the recipient's window. The certificate has no state expiration, but banks and other states usually want one dated within the last 30 to 90 days. Order it close to when you need it.

Would rather not deal with the agency yourself?

CorpNet orders the certificate for you
$69 service fee, plus the West Virginia state fee shown above · A filing service, not a registered agent. Ordering it yourself is cheaper and the steps above are the whole process.
Visit site ↗

Or Bizee orders it for $99 plus the state fee.

Full ordering details for West Virginia

West Virginia charges $10 and names the document by origin: Certificate of Existence for a domestic LLC, Certificate of AUTHORIZATION for a foreign one, both priced by W. Va. Code 59-1-2(a)(5). Order through the Business Entity Search at apps.wv.gov, choosing Order Certificate of Existence/Authorization. Standard processing is 5 to 10 business days; expediting costs $25 for 24 hours, $250 for two hours or $500 for one hour on top of the $10. Note the statute prices a corporation's certificate of good standing at the same $10, so the fee does not identify the document. Certified copies are $15 for a charter document plus $5 per additional amendment.

Important to know about West Virginia

  • The WV LLC annual report ($25, due June 30) must be current. Missing the 11:59 PM deadline on June 30 triggers a $50 administrative late fee.
  • A separate Letter of Good Standing from the WV Tax Division covers state tax compliance. This is different from the SOS Certificate of Existence and is often required for state contracting, licensing, or dissolution.
  • Most LLCs doing business in West Virginia also need a Business Registration Certificate ($30, one time) from the Tax Division, one for each fixed business location. The Certificate of Existence does not cover it.

Ordering this to register in another state?

A certificate of good standing from West Virginia is what the new state asks for when your West Virginia LLC registers to do business there. Pick the state you are expanding into to see its exact filing, fee, and process.

Rather hand off the whole move? Northwest Registered Agent registers your LLC in the new state for $225 plus that state's fees, orders this certificate for you, and includes registered agent service there.

Find your state-to-state guide · Registering an out-of-state LLC into West Virginia instead?

Related guides

Sources 7 pages

The official pages behind the figures on this page, with the date we last read each one. How we check.

Fees and costs

Deadlines and processing

Forms and filing

This page provides general information based on publicly available West Virginia Secretary of State requirements. It is not legal advice. Names, fees, and procedures can change. Verify with the West Virginia SOS before ordering.