How to Start an LLC in Virginia (2026): 7 Steps and the 2 Best LLC Services
Lesson answer for Virginia in 2026: if you want help with starting an LLC, use VA Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), in that order. Below the picks you will find 7 steps in order, starting with the name and ending with the yearly upkeep (filing fee $100).
Prices from each company's own site, read November 12, 2026. Every row excludes the $100 state fee.
Starting an LLC in Virginia, step by step
Step1
Step 1: Pick the LLC's name
Before you file, look the name up in the business records at the State Corporation Commission (SCC); a name already in use can send the filing back.
TipWrite down two backup names before you search.
Step2
Step 2: Name a registered agent
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.
TipEvery service in our picks can act as your registered agent.
You can do this on your own for $100, or hand it to a service we picked for $199 on top.
Step4
Step 4: Submit the Articles of Organization of a Virginia Limited Liability Company
The State Corporation Commission (SCC) receives the Articles of Organization of a Virginia Limited Liability Company (Form LLC-1011) along with $100, under Va. Code § 13.1-1010.
Next, the federal side: an EIN from the IRS, applied for after the Virginia approval. Mainstay Filing handles this application in its package.
Step6
Step 6: Write an operating agreement
An operating agreement is internal. Sign it, keep it with the records, and the state never needs a copy.
Step7
Step 7: Stay in good standing with Virginia
After year one the main job is the Annual Registration Fee ($50, every year, by last day of the LLC's anniversary month). The penalty for filing late is $25.
Official source: Per scc.virginia.gov, last confirmed October 2026
What you will pay
Item
Paid to
Amount
Filing the LLC
The state
$100
Annual Registration Fee
The state
$50 every year
Late report
The state
$25
A service, if you use one
Service
$199 year one
Three years of state fees
The state
$200
For the three-year state total we add the filing fee, the reports in years two and three and any minimum yearly tax.
How we ranked the Virginia picks
On three-year cost, which carries 30%, VA Registered Agent.org scored above Mainstay Filing.
Add up years one to three and VA Registered Agent.org comes to $397; Mainstay Filing is $200 more.
Questions students ask
What does it cost to form an LLC in Virginia?
The state's fee is $100. A service from our picks adds $199 in year one.
Which form creates the LLC?
The state's form is the Articles of Organization of a Virginia Limited Liability Company (Form LLC-1011) (submitted to the State Corporation Commission (SCC)).
Is a registered agent required?
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
What does Virginia require each year?
The Annual Registration Fee: $50, every year, due last day of the LLC's anniversary month.
Can I form the LLC without a service?
Yes, file it yourself ($100) and appoint a registered agent.
Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?
VA Registered Agent.org: formation at $199 over the state fee, then a $99 agent renewal. After it, Mainstay Filing.