Business Division Test

Important Notice to all Business & Licensing Filers from the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office

All WV Secretary of State’s Offices are continuing to perform and process all Business & Licensing functions in an timely fashion, providing a similar customer experience prior to implementing the COVID-19 precautions.

Almost all business filings can be done online through the WVSOS business portal – www.business4wv.com. The online process is quick, efficient and secure. Many online business filings are processed immediately and the other filings take less than a few days to complete. Expedited services are available for those that need documents processed in a hurry.

If assistance is needed, please contact one of Business and Licensing staff at 304-558-8000 to assist in any of the online processes. If a specific filing unavailable online, we are still accepting and processing mail.

Our Licensing customers such as notary commissions, apostille, marriage celebrants, athlete agents, scrap metal dealers and trademarks may file online through the new Online Licensing System at https://erls.wvsos.gov/

Service of Process can be mailed to:

WV Secretary of State’s Office
State Capitol Building
Charleston, WV 25305

One Stop Business Portal

Filing required business registrations with all the state agencies is now fast and easy through One Stop Business Portal.

File Secretary of State, State Tax Department, WorkForce West Virginia (Unemployment Compensation) and Department of Labor filings online through the state's one stop portal.

Visit the one stop portal often for news and updates for required filing deadlines.

Expedite Service

Expedite service is now available for Business Division filings.

Available in 24-hour, 2-hour and 1-hour expedite times, this service is available for an additional fee (in addition to the regular filing fee, where applicable) for both paper and online filings.

Visit the Expedite Service section for more information and to download the order request form.

File Annual Reports

We encourage you to take advantage of our One Stop Business Portal for filing your company’s annual report.

The One Stop Business Portal provides an accurate and secure gateway for you to manage your business transactions with the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office.

Beginning in 2019, filing Annual Reports utilizing the One Stop Business Portal will be mandatory.

Notary Public

Notary Public commissions are issued by Secretary of State. Start the process here to apply for a Notary Public commission to notarize documents in West Virginia.

E-Notarization is a relatively new method of notarizing documents now available.

Learn more about notary public commissioning here.

Private Investigators/Security Guards

Any person or group of people performing investigative or security guard functions in the state are required to be licensed through Secretary of State.

This office maintains a registry of all state licensed private investigators and security guards.

Learn more about Private Investigator and Security Guard licensing in the section below.

Commissioner for West Virginia

Commissioner for West Virginia appointments are issued by Secretary of State. Start the process here to apply for an appointment as a Commissioner for West Virginia to acknowledge signatures performed in or out of the state by persons residing in or out of this state covering deeds, leases and other writings pertaining to West Virginia property for recording in West Virginia.