EntityWire / States / West Virginia
West Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division
West Virginia business entity search
Look up a West Virginia corporation, LLC, or nonprofit. Federal filings are searched on this page. The West Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division keeps the state registry, and the steps below show how to search it.
Federal filings searched here. The West Virginia registry record is 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) |
| Address | One Stop Business Center, 13 Kanawha Blvd. W., Suite 201, Charleston, WV 25302 |
| Mailing address | West Virginia Secretary of State, 1900 Kanawha Blvd. East, Building 1, Suite 157K, Charleston, WV 25305-0770 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern |
| Official search | Business Entity Search and/or Request for Certificates of Existence |
| 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).
- Open the Business Entity Search at apps.wv.gov/sos/businessentitysearch.
- Enter part of the organization name and select Search.
- Scan the results, which list each matching entity's type, city and status.
- Select Details to see the full address, registered number, creation date and registered agent.
- Buy a $10 Certificate of Existence or Authorization online by credit card if the entity is active and current.
Three numbers, three agencies
Asking for the wrong number is a common reason a search comes back empty.
| Number | Issued by | What it identifies |
|---|---|---|
| Federal EIN | Internal Revenue Service | Identifies the business for federal tax. It is the same number in every state. |
| Registered number (organization ID) | West Virginia Secretary of State, Business and Licensing Division | Identifies the entity's record in the state 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. |
What a West Virginia status means
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Active | The entity is registered and current under the law, so a Certificate of Existence or Authorization can be issued. |
| 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. |
Fees and annual filings
| LLC formation | $100 (Articles of Organization); foreign LLC $150 |
|---|---|
| Corporation formation | $100 (Articles of Incorporation, domestic for-profit); foreign certificate of authority $100 |
| Annual filing | Annual Report (WV Code 59-1-2a) |
| Annual fee, LLC | $25 |
| Annual fee, corporation | $25 |
| When it is due | File between January 1 and June 30 of each year after the calendar year the business registered. |
| Late filing | Missing June 30 can bring a late fee ($50 for profit organizations) and administrative dissolution or revocation. |
| Filed with | Secretary of State, online through the West Virginia One Stop Business Portal |
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.
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
Entity details in the public search show registered agent contact information; whether every entity type must name an agent was not confirmed.
West Virginia businesses on file
The largest organizations with a West Virginia address in the federal filings searched here, biggest first.
- AMERICAN PUBLIC EDUCATION, INC.EIN 01-0724376
- WILLIAMS LEA, LLCEIN 13-3160717
- UNITED BANKSHARES, INC.EIN 55-0641179
- SPECIAL METALS CORPORATIONEIN 25-1445468
- AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR THE BLIND INCEIN 13-5562161
- AACE INTERNATIONALEIN 74-1675154
- SUMMIT FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.EIN 55-0672148
- TROY GROUP, INC.EIN 33-0807798
- CHARLESTON AREA MEDICAL CENTER INCEIN 55-0526150
- WESBANCO INCEIN 55-0571723
- WEST VIRGINIA HIGH TECHNOLOGY CONSORTIUM FOUNDATIONEIN 55-0727658
- CITY HOLDING COMPANYEIN 55-0619957
- CORONADO GLOBAL RESOURCES INC.EIN 83-1780608
- WEST VIRGINIA UNIV FOUNDATION INCEIN 55-6017181
- MARSHALL UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INCORPORATEDEIN 55-6011111
- UNIVERSITY OF CHARLESTONEIN 55-0357039
- COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSOCIATIONEIN 55-0462730
- WOMENCARE INCEIN 55-0691297
- QUALITY INSIGHTS INCEIN 55-0539692
- SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTEREIN 55-0521143
- CORTLAND ACRES ASSOCIATION INCEIN 23-7040648
- VALLEY HEALTH CARE INCEIN 55-0695143
- PRINCETON MEMORIAL COMPANYEIN 55-6024669
- SOUTHWESTERN COMMUNITY ACTION COUNCIL INCEIN 55-0488202
Sources
Facts on this page come from the official pages below, checked 2026-10-06. A fact that could not be confirmed on an official page is left out.