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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 1 · Virginia

Virginia LLC Formation Walkthrough (2026): 7 Stages and the 2 Best LLC Services

If you want help with forming an LLC in Virginia in 2026, phone VA Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), in that order. Think of it as 7 stages with a $100 price tag from the state, plus the Annual Registration Fee every year.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Key facts up front

Formation fee
$100
Verify it at law.lis.virginia.gov, which we opened in October 2026
Annual Registration Fee
$50 a year
Calendar note, straight from the state: last day of the LLC's anniversary month
What the state collects in three years
$200
Service fees not counted
Stages
7
Each one explained

What you will get from this walkthrough

  • The official Virginia fee and form
  • What the agent rule says
  • Upkeep that repeats
  • Which services we recommend and why

Our shortlist for Virginia

Cost over three years leads, then work taken off your desk, year-two price, Virginia fit and honest pricing (scoring page).

Our call

1. VA Registered Agent.org: best for owners who expect to remain in Virginia

Our first call$199 in year one, $99 after

VA Registered Agent.org is our first call in Virginia: the formation costs $199, and each later year of agent service is $99.

Over three years it costs less than Mainstay Filing, and three-year cost is 32% of the ranking.

Expect to prepare the Annual Registration Fee yourself every year.

What you get

  • Formation paperwork handled
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • The agent renews at $99
  • A free first agent year
  • $199 above the state fee

What to watch

  • No Annual Registration Fee service is on offer
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
Visit VA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. Mainstay Filing: best for one bill for filing and upkeep

All fifty statesYear one $199; renewal $199; state fee separate

Our second call, Mainstay Filing: you pay $199 a year and that one fee covers the filing, a registered agent and the annual registration fee; year two is $199 as well.

Across three years it trails VA Registered Agent.org by $200.

The Annual Registration Fee is part of the job, and Virginia's $50 fee is billed to you at cost.

What you get

  • Filing made with the state
  • Registered agent all year long
  • Annual registration fee filed for you
  • The EIN application comes with it
  • State fee at cost

What works

  • Renews for $199
  • A flat $199 every year
  • Nothing extra for the EIN application

What to watch

  • A yearly premium of $100 over VA Registered Agent.org
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The services compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1VA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit VA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Listed prices, viewed November 13, 2026. The $100 state fee comes on top of each row.

How a Virginia LLC gets formed

  1. Stage 1

    Confirm nobody else owns the name

    Open the business name search run by the State Corporation Commission (SCC). If someone in Virginia already holds the name, your filing could bounce.

    Decide on a plan B name in case the first is gone.

  2. Stage 2

    Get a registered agent in place

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A Virginia resident who is a member, manager or officer of the LLC (or of an entity that manages it) or a member of the Virginia State Bar, or a corporation, LLC or registered LLP authorized in Virginia.

    The address has to be a registered office in Virginia that is the agent's business office. A P.O. box is accepted only in a town of under 2,000 people with no street address.

    You can hire whichever recommended service you like for this.

    Check it yourself: Verify it at law.lis.virginia.gov, which we opened in October 2026

  3. Stage 3

    Pick your route

    The state takes $100 regardless. If you hire a service from our list, add $199.

  4. Stage 4

    The paper to file is the Articles of Organization of a Virginia Limited Liability Company

    Once the State Corporation Commission (SCC) accepts the Articles of Organization of a Virginia Limited Liability Company (Form LLC-1011) and $100, the LLC exists. The law behind it is Va. Code § 13.1-1010.

    Check it yourself: Verify it at law.lis.virginia.gov, which we opened in October 2026

  5. Stage 5

    Ask the IRS for an EIN

    State approval first, IRS number second. Pick Mainstay Filing and this stage is done for you.

  6. Stage 6

    Put your ownership deal on paper

    The operating agreement is where the owners of a Virginia LLC write down who owns what and how they decide things. You keep it with the company records; the state never sees it.

  7. Stage 7

    Stay in good standing in Virginia

    Pencil the Annual Registration Fee into your calendar: $50, every year, due last day of the LLC's anniversary month. Filing late costs $25.

    Check it yourself: Verify it at scc.virginia.gov, which we opened in October 2026

The bill

Line itemPayeeSum
Setting up the LLCThe state$100
Annual Registration FeeThe state$50 every year
Penalty for filing lateThe state$25
Optional serviceThe provider$199 in the first year
Three years of state feesThe state$200
Add the filing fee, two later reports and any minimum tax and you have the state's three-year total. The pages listed below show where each figure came from.

How we scored the Virginia picks

On three-year bill (32% of the score) finished first, with right behind.

VA Registered Agent.org wins the cost score at $397 over three years, against $200 more at Mainstay Filing.

Common questions

How much will Virginia charge me to start an LLC?

Virginia bills $100. $199 more puts someone else in charge of the filing.

Which form creates the LLC?

The paper you want is the Articles of Organization of a Virginia Limited Liability Company (Form LLC-1011); the State Corporation Commission (SCC) receives it.

Is a registered agent required?

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

What does Virginia require each year?

What comes back around is the Annual Registration Fee ($50, every year, due last day of the LLC's anniversary month).

Can I form the LLC without a service?

You can. The state takes $100 at filing, and the LLC still needs a registered agent on record.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

VA Registered Agent.org ranks first and Mainstay Filing follow; VA Registered Agent.org wins on three-year bill.

Where we got the facts

  1. Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source: go straight to law.lis.virginia.gov, checked October 2026.
  2. Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source: go straight to scc.virginia.gov, checked October 2026.
  3. Va: go straight to law.lis.virginia.gov, checked August 2026.
  4. Virginia formation fee: Filing fee, official source: go straight to law.lis.virginia.gov, checked October 2026.
  5. Virginia registered agent statute: go straight to law.lis.virginia.gov, checked October 2026.
  6. We opened VA Registered Agent.org's pricing page on November 13, 2026 for the prices
  7. We opened Mainstay Filing's Virginia service page on November 13, 2026 for the prices