What is a Registered Agent? Do I Need One?

Registered agent services are required for corporations, LLC’s and limited partnerships in every state that the business entity qualifies to do business in. A registered agent accepts service of process and state correspondence, such as notices for business registration renewals and annual reports, on behalf of a company assigned to him or her. Service of process is the formal delivery of legal papers from one party to another party involved in a lawsuit. Most business entities prefer to not be “served” on-site because it can negatively affect the entity’s reputation. Agents are also responsible for business filings and retrievals, including Annual Reports. All filings and retrievals carried out by a registered agent are forwarded to the represented companies.  

In the early stages of business formation the registered agent is identified in the Articles of Incorporation or Articles of Organization. Businesses that do not have registered agent services face losing a “Good Standing” with the State in addition to business license revocation or termination of existence. Registered agents allow a business to be found in the State records if facing a lawsuit. A business entity that registers with the Secretary of State is able to access parts of the state bureaucracy that is required to do business, most importantly the ability to form contracts in the state(s) the entity conducts business in. Business entities can utilize the courts to enforce such contracts. Contracts and the ability to be served a service of process push a business to do well in order to avoid lawsuits in the first place.

It is possible for a business owner to be registered agent for his or her own company, but as a business owner it can be difficult to fulfill registered agent responsibilities and requirements. Registered agents are required to have a physical, public-accessible, registered office address, not a P.O. Box, for the local Secretary of State(s) and other regulatory agencies. It is also required for registered agents to be available during normal business hours to receive paperwork such as service of process papers. Most business owners would prefer to concentrate on their business without the stress that comes with lawsuits and so it is more beneficial to appoint a registered agent.

SunDoc Filings offers registered agent services for businesses in CA, DE and NV. Other states can have SunDoc Filings as their registered agent, but the address for all the document filings and retrievals will be under the address of our partner company NRAI.

To designate SunDoc Filings as registered agent at least one of the following documents is required:

• Application for Certificate of Authority
• Application for Limited Partnership Registration
• Articles of Incorporation
• Articles of Organization for Limited Liability Company
• Certificate of Amendment
• Certificate of Appointment of Registered Agent
• Certificate of Reinstatement

Registered agents can be changed with one of the following documents:

• Annual Reports
• Application for Amended Certificate of Authority
• Certificate of Amended Limited Partnership
• Certificate of Amendment
• Change of Registered Agent/ Office form

Disclaimer:

SunDoc Filings is not a law firm.  The materials available at this web site are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.