West Virginia Secretary of State – WV SOS Business Search

West Virginia Secretary of State Business and Licensing Division
Address: Secretary of State, Bldg. 1, Suite 157-K, 1900 Kanawha Blvd. East, Charleston, WV 25305-0770
Telephone: 1(304) 558-8000
Fax: 1(304) 558-0900
Website: www.apps.sos.wv.gov
E-Mail: business4.wv.gov/contact
Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM to 5 PM

Lookup a Business Entity

Step 1 – Start

Search business entities (Corporation, LLC, Limited Partnership) in West Virginia by going to the Secretary of State’s Website. You may lookup by Name, Registered Agent, and Officer (President, CEO, VP, Treasurer, etc.)

You may also perform an Advanced Search which allows you to query by County, State, Organization Type, Business Type, Charter Type, Effective Date, Active/Inactive Status, and Business Purpose.

After you have made your selection you will be brought to the Results Page (As Seen Below).

Step 2 – Choose Your Entity

You can now look for your corporation while previewing its Name, ID Number, Effective Date, Termination Date & Reason (if exists), Charter, and Class (Profit/Non-Profit). You may also sort the listings by Name, DBA, Name Change, and Registrations/Reservations. To view all the information about the business, you will want to click on the blue text link that is under the ‘Name’ column. This will bring you to the Information Page (As Seen Below).

Step 3 – Retrieve Information

You have now completed your search and may be able to view all the information about the entity including its Organization Type, Effective Date, Filing Date, Non-Profit Status, Business Purpose, State of Formation, Stock Info (including number of shares & Par Value), Registered Agent (Name & Address), and all Officers (President, VP, Treasurer, etc.).

If you scroll down to the bottom of the page you may also view all previously filed annual reports.

Step 4 – Steps to form your new Business in West Virginia

• Business name availability search (above)
• Internet domain availability search for website and email.
• Choose your entity type (LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp, Partnership, or Non-Profit Org)
• Obtain IRS EIN Number (employer identification number).  Create New IRS EIN Number
• Create Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws that include describing the business purpose of the entity, naming the registered agent, directors, registered address, operating guidelines, dissolution provisions, and other information.
• Determine if the new entity requires any federal, state, or local business licenses.
• Determine payroll tax requirements.
• Determine federal, state, and local tax filing requirements.
• Establish the business physical and/or mailing address, phone number, voicemail, website, email address, and business cards.