Incorporating a corporation in Virginia

If you want to incorporate a corporation, Company Express will research the availability of chosen company name, prepare for you and file with the Secretary of State office all required corporate paperwork and obtain certified copy of filed documents, if it will be requested by the client.  We also will appoint registered agent for your corporation, as required by the state law, and will help with many of your follow-up corporate needs such as amendment filings, written consents, and annual report preparation and filing. You can find below some of the State incorporation requirements:

Corporate Name Requirements

Names of Virginia corporations name may not be confusingly similar to that of any domestic or qualified foreign corporation. Company Express will research your company name to make sure it meets Virginia’s standards.

Permitted designations: Virginia corporate names must contain one of the following words at the end of the name:

• Co.
• Company
• Corp.
• Corporation
• Inc.
• Incorporated
• Limited
• Ltd.

Restricted designations: The use of the following words in corporation’s name will require approval by the state:

• Architect
• Bank
• Cooperative
• Engineer
• Engineering
• National Socialism
• Nazi
• Trust

Filing Requirements

Please note, that we, at Company Express, will handle all required incorporation filing for you. The following information is presented for your information only.

Required documents: Articles of Incorporation filed with the State Corporation Commission.

Turnaround time: About 20-25 business days. 24 hours expedited fings are also available for an additional fee.

Follow-up filings: Not required.

Officers/Directors Information

Minimum number: At least one director is required.

Director Qualifications: No special provisions.

Appearance in articles: Director names and addresses are required to be listed in the Articles of Incorporation

Principal office location / Registered Agent

Corporation’s principal office may be located outside of the state, but local registered agent is required in Virginia.

Annual Reports

Time to file: Corporations must file annual reports with the Virginia State Corporation Commission before the last day of the month that marks the anniversary of incorporation. The state filing fee is based on the number of authorized shares and is between $100 and $1700.

Signatures: Only directors or company officers are authorized to sign annual reports.  Emailed or faxed signatures are accepted.

Filing extensions: Not permitted.