Registering your business with us is a straightforward process, especially if you have what you need on hand to get started. You can register online or by filling out the business registration application and sending it via mail or fax.
What you need before you start your registration
- Your Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN). Don’t have an FEIN? You can get one through the IRS website.
- Business online services primary user’s account information: Name, email, and you’ll need to create a user ID and password (save these to log back in later).
- Business information: Legal business name; primary business address and mailing address (for important tax documents and letters, if different than primary address); for incorporated businesses, date and state of incorporation
- Entity type (ex. corporation, S corporation, limited liability company (LLC), limited liability partnership, etc.). If you’re not sure, the Small Business Administration is a good resource to see which business structure is most appropriate for your business
- Your North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code. Look it up here.
- The tax types you need to register for and the date you’ll begin business for the purposes of each tax type.
- Most common tax types: Retail sales tax (in-state dealers); Use tax (out-of-state dealers with nexus in Virginia, or those choosing to collect sales tax as a courtesy to their Virginia customers); Employer withholding (if you have Virginia employees); Corporation or pass-through entity income taxes.
- Primary contact’s information: Name, email address, and phone number
- Responsible party’s information: Name, Social Security number, home mailing address, email address, and phone number
Ready to register?
You can start the registration process, save a draft, and come back later to complete your registration. Just be sure to save your user ID and password, so you can log back in.
If you're unable to register online, or prefer to register on paper, download the Business Registration Application (Form R-1) to mail in or fax.
Benefits of online registration
By registering online, you’re registered immediately to start doing business in Virginia. When you complete your registration, you’ll receive your Virginia Tax account number for each tax type, your sales tax certificate of registration (if you registered to collect retail sales or use tax), and documents to help you with your next steps (what returns you need to file, when to file, etc.).
You’re also creating a business online services account where you’ll be able to file and pay taxes, send us emails, and manage your Virginia Tax account in the future (update your contact information, add or remove tax types, print your sales tax certificate, and more).
For more information, see Register a Business in Virginia. If you need help registering your business or have questions, call Virginia Tax at 804.367.8037.