What a registered agent does
A registered agent accepts legal papers and official mail on behalf of your company at a physical address in the state where the company is formed or registered. Wyoming describes the purpose plainly: every business entity needs a registered agent to accept service of process.
In practice the agent handles three kinds of documents:
- Service of process: a summons or complaint when someone sues the company, or a subpoena
- State notices: annual report reminders, tax notices and letters from the Secretary of State
- Other official correspondence addressed to the company at its registered office
The agent's job is to receive these reliably and pass them to you quickly. The agent does not respond to a lawsuit, give legal advice or file your reports unless you buy that as a separate service.
Is a registered agent legally required?
Yes, in almost every state. Each of the five states in the table below requires a registered agent with a physical address in the state, named on the formation document itself. A few states differ: Minnesota requires a registered office address but makes naming an agent optional, and West Virginia lets an LLC go without an agent, in which case the Secretary of State accepts legal papers for it. Your state's page in US LLC by state gives the rule.
| State | Rule | Who may serve |
|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | Each business entity must continuously maintain a registered office and registered agent in the state | A Wyoming resident aged 18 or over, or a business entity authorized in Wyoming, with a physical Wyoming address that is not a PO box, drop box, mail forwarding service or UPS store |
| Delaware | Every business entity must have and maintain a registered agent in Delaware | An individual resident, or a business entity authorized to do business in Delaware, with a Delaware street address |
| New Mexico | The Articles of Organization must name the registered office and initial registered agent | The agent named in the Articles, at a New Mexico street address |
| Florida | Required, with a physical Florida street address and no PO box; formation includes a $25 registered agent designation fee | An agent with a Florida street address |
| Texas | Required on the Certificate of Formation (Form 205) | An organization, or an individual Texas resident, with a Texas street address |
If your company is formed in one state and registers to do business in another, the second state generally requires its own registered agent as well. Wyoming's rule, for example, applies to each business entity on its register, domestic or foreign.
Can you be your own registered agent?
Yes, if you live in the state and have a physical address there. Wyoming's own guidance says you may qualify as your own registered agent, and Delaware and Texas allow an individual resident to serve.
If you live outside the United States, or in a different state, you cannot serve as the agent for a company in that state. A founder in Lahore or Dubai forming a Wyoming LLC needs a Wyoming agent.
Residents who qualify still weigh the downsides of serving themselves:
- Your address goes on the public record as the company's registered office.
- Lawsuit papers can be delivered to that address, in front of family or clients.
- You must be reachable at that address. Missed papers do not stop a case from going ahead.
- Moving house means filing a change with the state.
Registered agent address vs business address
The registered agent address is for legal service and state mail only. It is not a trading address for customers, invoices or bank applications, and some providers refuse it: Mercury, for example, says registered agent addresses are not accepted as a principal place of business. If you need a US address for everyday mail, see our US business address service, which explains the difference in detail.
What happens if you do not have a registered agent
The state can remove your company from good standing and eventually end it, and you may never see a lawsuit filed against you.
Wyoming sets the process out in its LLC Act. If an LLC's agent resigns and the company does not appoint a new one, the Secretary of State sends a notice, and unless the company complies within 60 days its articles are forfeited. Reinstating a Wyoming entity that lost its agent costs $350. Other states have their own versions of this process.
There is also a practical risk. If nobody is receiving papers at the registered office, a claim against your company can move forward without you knowing, and a court may decide it in your absence. For a non-resident founder with no one in the US, the agent is often the only link between the company and the courts.
What our registered agent service includes
Included
- A registered agent with a physical street address in your company's state, named on your formation filing or appointed by a change filing
- Receipt of service of process and state notices at that address
- Scans of received documents uploaded to your portal, with an email alert
- Reminders for your state annual report or tax deadline
- Preparation of the change of agent filing if you are moving to us from another agent
Not included
- General business mail, parcels and a trading address (that is the US business address service)
- Filing your annual report (that is the LLC annual report service)
- Any state fee for a change of agent, passed on at cost
- Legal advice or responding to a lawsuit. If you are served, speak to a licensed attorney in that state.
Government fees
Having a registered agent carries no state fee in itself. The fees arise when you appoint or change one:
| State | Fee |
|---|---|
| Wyoming | $5 per entity to change registered agent |
| New Mexico | $20 to change registered agent or office |
| Florida | $25 registered agent designation, charged at formation |
How it works
- Order: choose the state and tell us whether this is a new company or a switch from another agent.
- Intake and upload: give us the company details and upload a passport copy for the main contact through your portal.
- Appointment: for a new company we name the agent on the formation document; for an existing one our filing team prepares and submits the change of agent filing.
- Confirmation: once the state records the appointment, the updated record is saved to your portal.
- Ongoing service: documents received are scanned to your portal with an email alert, and deadline reminders go out before each state due date.
What we need from you
- The company's exact legal name, state and file number (for existing companies)
- Name, email and phone number of the person who should receive alerts
- Names and addresses of the members, managers or officers
- A passport copy for the main contact
- For a switch: the current agent's name, so the change filing matches the state record
Timelines
Our team starts once your intake is complete. For a new company, the agent is in place when the state approves the formation filing. For a change of agent, the new agent takes effect when the state records the change. States do not publish a separate processing time for this filing that we could confirm, so we track it in your portal rather than promise a date.
Doing it yourself vs using our service
If you live in the state and are happy to have your address public and be available to receive papers, being your own agent costs nothing. If not, you need a commercial agent. Published prices vary: Northwest lists $125 a year, for example. Compare the renewal price, not only the first year.
Our service adds more than the address: scans in the same portal as your other filings, reminders tied to your actual state deadlines, and one team to contact when a notice arrives. You can see our current price at checkout or on the pricing page. Our US compliance plan bundles the agent renewal with the annual report and Form 5472.
For Wyoming-specific rules, including the state's commercial registered agent law, see the Wyoming registered agent page.
Sources
- Wyoming Secretary of State: How to create a Wyoming company (revised June 2026)
- Wyoming Secretary of State: How to find or become a registered agent
- Wyoming Statutes: W.S. 17-28-101, registered office and registered agent
- Wyoming Statutes: W.S. 17-29-705, administrative forfeiture
- Wyoming Secretary of State: Business fees
- Delaware Division of Corporations: How to form a new business entity
- New Mexico Statutes: NMSA 53-19-8, articles of organization
- New Mexico Statutes: NMSA 53-19-63, fees
- Florida Division of Corporations: LLC filing instructions
- Florida Division of Corporations: LLC fees
- Texas Secretary of State: Form 205 Certificate of Formation
- Mercury: Eligibility and requirements for opening an account
- Northwest Registered Agent: Registered agent service
Fees, deadlines and rules on this page were last checked on 27 September 2026.