West Virginia is a great state to conduct business, and filing a DBA with the appropriate authorities will ensure that you can conduct your business under a different name than your legal name. This article has no unnecessary steps or complicated forms. Keep reading if want more information about how to file a DBA in WV.
Important! Please keep in mind that DBA is not a business structure, so it won’t protect you from liabilities, lawsuits, or any other unforeseen situations. DBA stands for Doing Business As. – often precedes the name under which a business operates, which is not the legal name of the business.
Therefore, before starting, make sure you understand the difference between informal business structures such as sole proprietorship and formal ones like corporations and LLCs.
To register or renew the trademark, trade name, or service mark for your company in West Virginia you need to file the application to the Secretary of State. Here is what you need to do:
West Virginia Business Entity Search
Your company’s trade name should be unique and have not been acquired by any other entity in West Virginia. Moreover, this name must also meet the business name requirements of West Virginia.
First, you have to search the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Business Search Website for the DBA, Business, & Fictitious names. Check the portal thoroughly to know whether the name that you wish to have for your business has already been taken by someone or not. Make sure, this name isn’t already in use.
Note: You can also find a complete guide on business name search here.
Once you are done searching, the next step is to review the naming requirements of the state of West Virginia. In general, your DBA should not include:
- LLC, Incorporated, Corp, or any business entity suffix unless the business is actually an LLC, corporation.
- The terms “banking” and/or “insurance,” in case the business is not related to“banking” and/or “insurance.”
- Words such as “engineer” or “engineering,” unless one of the principals is a registered West Virginia professional engineer or the company’s purpose is to practice professional engineering.
Register Your West Virginia DBA
You can file a West Virginia DBA online or by downloading the Form for Sole Proprietorships and General Partnerships, or Form for Corporations, LLCs, LPs, and LLPs and sending it to:
Charleston Office Address :
One-Stop Business Center
1615 Washington Street East
Charleston, WV 25311
Clarksburg Office Address:
North Central WV Business Center
200 West Main Street
Clarksburg, WV 26301
Martinsburg Office Address:
Eastern Panhandle Business Center
229 E. Martin Street
Martinsburg, WV 25401
West Virginia DBA Filing Fee
$25 Filing Fee for corporations, LLCs, LPs, and LLPs
No fee for sole proprietorships and general partnerships
Expediting Fees:
$25 for 24-hour processing
$250 for 2-hour processing
$500 for 1-hour processing
Top Tip:
Instead of doing it yourself, save some time by hiring a reliable formation service like ZenBusiness. You can see editors’ Review on ZenBusiness to decide if it’s the best choice for your company.
The following information must include in the West Virginia trade name form:
- Your business name and adress
- Owners/partners of the business and addresses
- Entity type (eg; LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation)
- Trade name’s description
Renew, Change or Withdraw Your West Virginia DBA
Renew Your Fictitious Name With the State
The West Virginia Assumed Business Name does not expire. So no need for the renewal of DBA in West Virginia.
Change Your Fictitious Name
If you wish to make changes in your West Virginia assumed business name, you need to file for a new DBA in WV.
Withdraw Your Fictitious Name
You can cancel your West Virginia assumed business name online by completing the Form for Sole Proprietorships and General Partnerships or Form for Corporations, LLCs, LPs, and LLPs. You can send these forms to the address mentioned in the DBA filing section.
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