In Virginia the business register is not run by a Secretary of State. The State Corporation Commission handles it, and inside the SCC the Clerk's Office takes filings for LLCs and corporations. Its online system is the Clerk's Information System, or CIS. Anyone can search records there, and filing is done after you log in to a CIS account.
The yearly duty is also different in name. Virginia calls it an annual registration fee, and it is due in the month your company was formed, not on one date for everyone. The guide on Secretary of State vs Department of State explains why names of these offices vary so much.
How to search the Virginia SCC records
The CIS entity search is open to the public. A plain name search works for most people. If you already have the SCC entity ID, use that instead for one exact match. CIS also lets you search by principal name, which helps when you know a person but not the company.
| Official business search | cis.scc.virginia.gov/EntitySearch/Index (cis.scc.virginia.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| You can search by | business name, entity or file number, officer or owner name (Principal Name), registered agent, Filing Number, Designee Name (scc.virginia.gov, checked ) |
For a narrow list, open the advanced filters. You can filter by entity type, document type, jurisdiction, status, name type, industry code, formation date and the principal or registered office address. Each entity page shows its ID, type, formation date, status, principal office and registered agent.
Virginia SCC fees
An LLC costs $100 to form with Form LLC1011, the Articles of Organization. Holding a name first costs $10. A foreign corporation that wants to register its name for one year pays $25.
| Form an LLC | $100 (scc.virginia.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Reserve a name | $10 (scc.virginia.gov, checked ) |
| Annual or biennial report | LLC: $50 annual registration fee (scc.virginia.gov, checked ) |
| Good standing certificate | $6 for each certificate issued under Va. Code 13.1-1067 or 13.1-1099 (corporation provisions) (law.lis.virginia.gov, checked ) |
Rather not file it yourself? Ask our private filing service about forming or reporting in Virginia. State fees are separate.
Corporation fees in Virginia depend on how many shares the company authorizes, so the SCC fee page is the place to check the exact charge before you file.
The Virginia annual registration fee
Each year a Virginia LLC pays a $50 annual registration fee to the SCC. The deadline is the last day of the month in which the company was organized or registered in Virginia. A company formed in March, for example, pays by the end of March each year.
The fee, the due date, late penalties and the filing steps are in our Virginia annual report guide.
Corporations pay an annual registration fee too, but theirs is based on authorized shares. Our annual report guide shows the steps in most states.
Naming a Virginia company
Section 13.1-1012 of the Virginia Code lists the words an LLC name must carry. You can choose limited company or limited liability company, or a short form such as L.C., LC, L.L.C. or LLC.
| LLC name must include | "limited company" or "limited liability company" or the abbreviations L.C., LC, L.L.C., LLC (law.lis.virginia.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Reservation fee | $10 (scc.virginia.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation lasts | 120 days (scc.virginia.gov, checked ) |
A name reservation holds your choice for 120 days and costs $10. It is useful when you want to settle the name before the paperwork is ready.
Certificates from the SCC
The Virginia Code charges $6 for each certificate issued under the corporation sections, 13.1-1067 and 13.1-1099. For an LLC we did not confirm the fee or the exact name the SCC uses for its standing certificate, so read the SCC page before ordering. Our page on the certificate of good standing covers why banks and other states ask for one.
What it costs, where to order it and what blocks it are in our Virginia good standing guide.
Contacting the State Corporation Commission
| Office | Virginia State Corporation Commission (scc.virginia.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Division | Clerk's Office (Clerk's Information System, CIS) (cis.scc.virginia.gov, checked ) |
We do not list a phone line here, because none was confirmed in our sources. Use the contact details on the SCC Clerk's Office page, and keep your entity ID close when you write or call. A status check needs no call at all: the CIS entity page shows it.
Sources
- www.scc.virginia.gov/businesses/about-the-clerks-office/bus-service-of-process/: office name. Checked .
- cis.scc.virginia.gov/EntitySearch/Index: division, business search. Checked .
- www.scc.virginia.gov/businesses/business-faqs/cis-faq/: search fields. Checked .
- law.lis.virginia.gov/vacodefull/title13.1/chapter10/article5/: LLC name endings, certificate fee. Checked .
- www.scc.virginia.gov/businesses/business-faqs/business-entity-names/: name reservation fee, name reservation term. Checked .
- www.scc.virginia.gov/businesses/forms-and-fees/virginia-limited-liability-companies/: LLC filing fee. Checked .
- www.scc.virginia.gov/businesses/business-faqs/annual-registration-fees/: report fee. Checked .