What is a registered agent?
Registered agentFormation
A registered agent is whoever your company names on its state filing as the party authorized to receive legal and official documents on its behalf. Every state requires one, and the name and address go on the public record the moment you form.
The role exists so there is always a known place to reach a business. A company is not a person and cannot be handed a lawsuit in the street, so the state insists on an address where someone will take delivery and pass it on.
What the agent actually receives
- Service of process, meaning lawsuits, subpoenas and court summonses
- Notices from the Secretary of State, including annual report reminders
- State tax correspondence, in many states
- Anything else the state or a court needs your company to have seen
It is not a general mailing address. Your customers, your bank and your suppliers do not write to your registered agent, and an agent is not a substitute for a business address.
What every state requires of one
- A physical street address in the state where the company is registered. A PO box is not acceptable anywhere.
- Availability during normal business hours, so a process server can hand something over in person.
- Either an individual who lives in the state, or a company authorized to do business there.
About a dozen states split agents into commercial and non-commercial. A commercial agent registers its address with the state once and gets an identifier, so your filing references that instead of retyping an address. It changes the paperwork, not the job.
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Written by the lawyers who built Arabella. This is legal information, not legal advice for your situation, and reading it does not make us your lawyers. For a real dispute or a high-stakes decision, talk to a licensed attorney. More questions.