COVID-19 Procedures: All business with the Commission should be through electronic filing systems, email, or by telephone. For public health safety, in-person visits to SCC offices are suspended. Filings or other deliveries are permitted by drop off at main entrance. On-site staff is minimal and processing of such deliveries may be delayed.
Conversion of Business Entity Type
A change of the business entity type, also called business entity conversion, is the process of converting your current business entity into another business entity, without having to form a new entity or dissolve your current entity. The Commonwealth of Virginia allows conversions for the following entity types:
| FROM (CONVERTING ENTITY) | TO (CONVERTED ENTITY) |
|---|---|
| Limited Liability Company | Stock Corporation |
| Limited Liability Company | Business Trust |
| Stock Corporation | Limited Liability Company |
| Nonstock Corporation | Limited Liability Company |
| General Partnership | Limited Liability Company |
| Limited Partnership | Limited Liability Company |
| Business Trust | Stock Corporation |
Creating Articles of Entity Conversion
The articles must be in the English language, typewritten or legibly printed in black, using the following guidelines:
- use solid white paper
- size 8 1/2" x 11"
- one-sided
- no visible watermarks or background logos
- minimum 1.25" top margin and 0.75” all other sides
We have produced guides to help you prepare the articles of entity conversion. You must prepare your articles as a separate document, using the forms below as a guide only, inserting appropriate information and omitting all inapplicable text (like the header, seal of the Commission, and the italicized portions). NOTE: A marked-up version of this guide will not be accepted.
| DESCRIPTION | GUIDE FORM |
|---|---|
| Guide of Articles of Entity Conversion (Virginia limited liability company converting to a Virginia stock corporation) | LLC1085-CORP-DOC LLC1085-CORP-PDF |
| Guide for Articles of Entity Conversion (Virginia stock corporation converting to a Virginia limited liability company) | SCC722.12-LLC-DOC SCC722.12-LLC-PDF |
Articles of Organizations, Formation or Trust for the Converted Entity
Articles of Organization, Incorporation, or Trust for the converted entity must also be prepared as part of the business entity conversion. The forms for these filings can be found below:
| FORM TITLE | SCC FORM #/FORMAT |
|---|---|
| Articles of Organization of a Virginia Limited Liability Company | |
| Articles of Incorporation of a Virginia Stock Corporation | |
| Articles of Incorporation of a Virginia Nonstock Corporation | SCC819-DOC SCC819-PDF |
| Articles of Trust of a Domestic Business Trust | BTA1212-DOC BTA1212-PDF |
Filing your Entity Conversion
Once you've prepared your Articles of Entity Conversion and the Articles of Organization, Incorporation or Trust for the converted entity, it's time to file with the Clerk's Office.
Filing online is the most efficient way to do business with the Clerk's Office. Visit the Clerk's Information System (CIS) to file articles of entity conversion in real time. You can also view the CIS Help Page for how-to guides, answers to frequently asked questions, and helpful videos.