Registered Agent

To incorporate or form an LLC in any state, you do not need to visit that state. You also do not need to have an office in that state. However, you do need to have an “agent” called a “Registered Agent” in the state of incorporation. This is because the legal jurisdiction of that state stops at its borders. Not having an agent in the state would mean that your company could not be served with a lawsuit in that state. To solve this problem, states require a Registered Agent be named for the primary purpose of being on-call to receive and forward lawsuits to the company’s contact person. Named in the formation filing, a Commercial Registered Agent is designated to receive a company’s Service of Process (Summons and Complaint in a lawsuit) on behalf of the company represented and to forward official state correspondence, such as tax notices. This agent must be located, and available, at the provided address in that state. A Registered Agent is required for a company to remain in existence. The Registered Agent can also be helpful as a liaison between the Secretary of State and the company to provide services and assist with administrative questions.