Foreign Virginia Corporation

How to Obtain a Certificate of Authority in Virginia

If you own a corporation located in another state and want to conduct business in Virginia, you will need a Certificate of Authority in Virginia. This is obtained by registering as a foreign Virginia corporation with the Virginia State Corporation Commission. A foreign Virginia corporation is not to be confused with an out-of-country corporation. Any corporation not actually formed (created) in Virginia is called a foreign corporation.

The filing fee for a foreign Virginia corporation is $75. Foreign Virginia corporations must walk in or mail their filing in to the Virginia SCC. The Application for a Certificate of Authority to Transact Business in Virginia will be processed in about 7 business days unless you pay an additional $100 for next day processing. The forms are available instantly in your online account when you sign up for our Virginia registered agent service.

Signatures on the filing must be original, but you only need the name and address of your Virginia registered agent to be listed on the filing. The filing will be returned to your Virginia registered agent unless you specify another address on the filing.

A Certificate of Good Standing is not required from your home state when filing a Certificate of Authority in Virginia for a foreign Virginia corporation, however, a certified copy of the Articles of Incorporation, including all amendments, is required.

Here is a list of certified copy fees from some of the common states that foreign entities are from:

• Delaware:  $52
• Maryland: $20
• West Virginia: $11

If you want to do the filing for the Certificate of Authority in Virginia yourself: sign up for our registered agent service in Virginia and you’ll find the form for foreign corporation registration in Virginia is available in your client account immediately. There are also some tips on how to submit your documents with the state. You are required to have a Virginia registered agent anyway, so we try to make this an easy process for you, whether you want us to submit your papers or you want to send them to the Virginia Secretary of State yourself.

If you would rather have us do the filing: we only charge $100 plus the Virginia state filing fee to prepare and submit the foreign corporation Certificate of Authority in Virginia form with the Virginia SCC. We will also obtain the certified copies needed from your home state of incorporation to make the filing.

How do I get my foreign Virginia corporation started?

Just sign up for Virginia registered agent service first. You then can look at the foreign corporation registration form in your account online and also at the included filing tips. If you decide not to do the filing yourself, you just click the “add services” tab from your account, and add our filing services for $100 plus the state filing fees. You can see real time status of our work in progress in your online account at all times. Once we are done with your foreign corporation registration in Virginia, we always store the filing into your online account, email it to you, and send you the original filed documents by mail.