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Starting a business in a diffrent state than you live!

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cbostic112

New member
Hello,

I will be starting a business in Virginia soon, but I will be moving to Washington DC in about six months. My business will be online client service driven, and I am planning on having clients in Virginia, DC, and Maryland among other states. If I register my business in Virginia then move to DC will I need to transfer my business license?
 


adjusterjack

Senior Member
You may have to have a business license in your state of residence as well as any state in which you do business.

Check with the Secretaries of State of any state in which you intend to do business. All will be revealed on their websites.
 

Taxing Matters

Overtaxed Member
I will be starting a business in Virginia soon, but I will be moving to Washington DC in about six months. My business will be online client service driven, and I am planning on having clients in Virginia, DC, and Maryland among other states. If I register my business in Virginia then move to DC will I need to transfer my business license?
No. You'll still need whatever Virginia state or local business licenses that are required since you'll still be doing business there. But you'll need to see if you also need licenses for your business in DC, Maryland, and any other state you operate.

If you are going to form a LLC or corporation for your business, you can do that in any state. But it typically only makes sense to organize the LLC or corporation in a state where you are conducting business. So, it might be a good idea to organize it in Virginia since that is where you are starting out and know that's where you'll be doing business. You'd then have to register your LLC or corporation as a "foreign" in DC when you move there and start doing business. You may need to do that with other states in which you do business too. A lot depends on the type of business and how much you are doing in each state. Every state requires registration of a foreign (meaning outside the state) entities when their business activities in the state are substantial enough.
 

Taxing Matters

Overtaxed Member
All will be revealed on their websites.
Not all secretaries of state (SoS) have that information for state licenses; if the state has another agency or agencies that issue licenses the OP needs, he or she may need to find those agency sites. Also SoS sites often will not have information on local licenses that may be needed.
 

FlyingRon

Senior Member
Gosh rather than just making expository speech on the matter, 30 seconds of googling finds this useful webpage:

http://www.bos.virginia.gov/starting.shtml
It has a lot of the stuff you'd like to know about operating a business in Virginia in one place. He's not indicated just what service he intends to perform for his clients, but in most cases a business license is not required. You will have to register and collect sales tax in many cases (and there are some adjuct taxes for certain businesses that need to be paid).

Certainly, would have been nice to have found that page when I was running my business in VA, but I also found a lot of help by going to the local library (in person). Also going to the county to register my fictitious name, also had a lot of related "leaflets" in a rack there.
 

pgers S

New member
A lot depends on the type of business and how much you are doing in each state. Every state requires registration of a foreign (meaning outside the state) entities when their business activities in the state are substantial enough.
I realized that also, but what would be considered business activities especially if you only deal with virtual or digital products? How are online nomad business owners not being forced to own a business in every state they temporarily reside?
 

quincy

Senior Member
I realized that also, but what would be considered business activities especially if you only deal with virtual or digital products? How are online nomad business owners not being forced to own a business in every state they temporarily reside?
pgers S, this thread is from February and belongs to cbostic112.

If you have questions about your own business, please start your own thread. You do not want your concerns confused with those of cbostic112.

Thank you.
 

pgers S

New member
pgers S, this thread is from February and belongs to cbostic112.
You do not want your concerns confused with those of cbostic112.
cbostic112 is owning a business that will be online client service driven, I don't really see how my question is random. The business only deals with virtual services/products. cbostic112 doesn't state anything else. Maybe I am the one who is confused, I don't know.
 

quincy

Senior Member
cbostic112 is owning a business that will be online client service driven, I don't really see how my question is random. The business only deals with virtual services/products. cbostic112 doesn't state anything else.
Your question is not "random" so much as it is not a question asked by cbostic and your question is tacked onto an old thread.
 

quincy

Senior Member
Lol. Sorry guys, I am new to this. I just started today. I'll keep that in mind.
An apology is not necessary.

Your state's Small Business Administration is a good source of information when starting a new business.
 
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