How Do I Choose A Registered Agent In Va

Before filing your Manufactures of Organization with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (discussed in the next lesson), y'all need to designate a Registered Agent for your Virginia LLC.

A Virginia Registered Agent is a person or company who agrees to take legal mail (known as "service of procedure") on behalf of your Virginia LLC in case your business gets sued.

The Virginia State Corporation Commission may also use your Registered Agent'due south address as your LLC'southward point of contact for official notices sent to your business.

As per Department thirteen.1-1015, your LLC's Registered Agent must take a physical street address located in Virginia. A Virginia Registered Agent address tin't be a PO Box address.

Your Virginia Registered Agent should also be available (by and large speaking) during normal business hours (9am – 5pm) in case Service of Procedure arrives. Service of Process for an LLC includes the delivery of legal documents such as complaints, summons, and subpoenas.

Additionally, if your LLC's Registered Agent will be an individual person, that person must be a resident of Virginia.

Your Virginia LLC's Registered Agent is a primal component to how the court and legal systems work. By requiring all Virginia LLCs to have (and continuously maintain) a Registered Agent on file with the state, the delivery of legal mail and court documents tin be properly tracked.

This is like to how 'certified mail service return receipt' works, but in the legal globe, this is how process servers – (people delivering court and legal documents) – create a record that something was delivered.

Special offer: If yous rent Northwest to form your LLC ($39 + state fee), they'll include their Registered Agent service complimentary for the 1st twelvemonth.

Can I be my own Registered Amanuensis in Virginia?

Yes, you can be your Virginia LLC'due south Registered Agent, as long every bit you are a Virginia resident, a Member or Manager of the LLC, and have a street accost located in the state.

You actually have three options when forming an LLC in Virginia:

Option i: You tin can be your LLC's Registered Agent in Virginia if you lot are an LLC Member or Manager. (are there risks?)

Option ii: Another LLC Member, LLC Manager, or employee of your LLC can be your LLC's Registered Agent.

Pick three: Y'all can hire a Virginia Registered Amanuensis Service, too known as a Commercial Registered Agent.

Registered Agent Information is Public Tape in Virginia

While you practise accept the selection to be your Virginia LLC's Registered Amanuensis, you may non desire to have your accost listed in the public records.

The data y'all enter in your Articles of System becomes public record with the Virginia Land Corporation Commission.

Not only is this data searchable by the public, simply other websites download the country's records and republish them on their own website. So things begin to multiply equally other public record websites accept that same information and list it on their website again (and the process repeats itself).

Pretty soon your address is listed on various websites and people can easily observe information technology by doing a google search.

There is a solution though if yous'd like to continue your address off public records. We'll discuss this beneath.

What's the all-time Virginia Registered Agent to choose?

Option #i You lot:

If you are a resident of Virginia, are an LLC Member or Managing director, take a street address located in the land, are available during business hours, and don't mind your accost being on public record, then you can exist your LLC'south Registered Agent.

Choice #two Another LLC Member, LLC Manager, or LLC employee:

An LLC Member, LLC Director, or LLC employee can exist your LLC'southward Registered Agent. They also need to exist a resident of Virginia, have a street address located in the land, be available during business concern hours, and don't mind having their accost being on public record.

Annotation: In Virginia, a friend or family member tin can't be the Registered Agent for your LLC. You may have seen this as an option in other states, notwithstanding, this isn't immune in Virginia.

(related commodity: LLC Member vs LLC Manager)

Option #3 Registered Amanuensis Service:

If you don't have a street address in Virginia (or you'd rather not employ it for this purpose), you lot can rent a Commercial Registered Agent in Virginia.

Commercial Registered Agent in Virginia

Note: The terms "Registered Agent Service" and "Commercial Registered Amanuensis" mean the same thing. Nosotros will employ them interchangeably.

A Virginia Registered Agent Service specializes in receiving Service of Process (legal postal service) on behalf of your LLC.

Most Registered Amanuensis Services in Virginia cost between $100 and $300 per year.

The Virginia Registered Agent we recommend is Northwest Registered Amanuensis ($125 per yr).

Why we recommend Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest Registered Amanuensis is our personal recommendation (and the service we use ourselves) because they've been in business for over 20 years, have great customer service, and they let you use their address in your entire LLC filing in order to keep your address off public tape.

How to keep your address off public records:

Many filers in Virginia beginning businesses from their home. For this reason, it's important to know that all addresses that are listed in your LLC's Articles of Organization (Registered Agent Address and Master Role Accost) become listed on public records.

If you were thinking of using your dwelling house address, just would rather go on it off public records, you can hire a Registered Amanuensis that will allow yous to use their accost throughout your Articles of Arrangement. Northwest Registered Agent offers this unique service at no additional toll. Their Registered Agent services are $125 per twelvemonth and they'll permit you use their address throughout your Articles of Organization.

Any mail that is sent to your LLC will be scanned by them and uploaded to your online account.

Special discounted pricing for LLC University® readers

Northwest normally charges $100 + state fees to form an LLC. However, we've negotiated a discounted rate (lx% off) for LLC University® readers.

Risks of being your own Registered Agent in Virginia

As mentioned above, you tin can exist your own Registered Agent in Virginia.

Besides the address privacy we mentioned, are there any other risks to being your own Registered Agent?

In short, there are risks. They are not extremely likely to occur, but if they exercise, you could lose your liability protection and the Virginia State Corporation Commission has the power to administratively shut downwards your Virginia LLC if y'all're not in compliance with the state laws.

This can happen if you don't "continuously maintain" (always have) a Registered Agent on file, or if the State Corporation Commission is unsuccessful in reaching your LLC's Registered Agent.

Additionally, if a process server (the person who delivers court documents and notices of lawsuits) is unsuccessful in reaching your Virginia Registered Agent (or is unsuccessful in serving your LLC through the Country Corporation Commission), a court case can proceed in your absenteeism and yous might not fifty-fifty know virtually it. Or worse, the court could enter a default judgment against your LLC if yous aren't there to defend yourself.

A few reasons a process server might not be able to reach your Virginia LLC'due south Registered Amanuensis:

yous (some other LLC Member, LLC Manager, or LLC employee) are not there during business hours
you lot/they are on vacation or out of town
you/they moved and you forgot to file a Change of Registered Amanuensis with the Virginia State Corporation Commission

Side by side Step: Virginia LLC Filing Form (Articles of Organization)

Once you decide who volition serve as your Virginia LLC's Registered Agent, yous can and so proceed to the side by side lesson: Virginia LLC Filing Forms.

If you plan on hiring a Virginia Registered Agent Service (a Commercial Registered Agent), please exercise so before going to the side by side pace. You'll need their accost for your Articles of Organization.

Matt Horwitz

Founder & Educator, LLC University®

Matt Horwitz has been the leading skillful on LLC education for the past decade. He founded LLC University in 2010 after realizing people needed simple and actionable instructions to start an LLC that other companies weren't offering. He'south cited by Entrepreneur Magazine, Yahoo Finance, and the US Bedchamber of Commerce, and was featured past CNBC and InventRight.

Matt holds a Bachelor's Degree in business from Drexel University with a concentration in concern police. He performs extensive enquiry and analysis to convert land laws into unproblematic instructions anyone can follow to form their LLC - all for free! Read more about Matt Horwitz and LLC University.