Registered Agent

Virtually all states require corporations, limited liability companies (LLC), nonprofits, limited partnerships (LPs) and limited liability partnerships (LLPs) formed or foreign qualified there to have a registered agent in the state.  The registered agent must have a physical presence and address (no P.O. Boxes allowed) and must be available during normal business hours.

The registered agent is responsible for receiving important legal and tax documents on behalf of the business.  Service of Process (sometimes called notice of litigation), which is the document that initiates a lawsuit, is served to the registered agent for a business.  Proper handling of and timely response to this document are vital, as not doing so can result in significant adverse consequences to the business.  Additionally, the registered agent often receives mail and tax documents from the state on behalf of business.  Timely handling of these documents is also important as states typical impose deadlines for annual report and franchise tax payments.

Service of Process

As part of our Going Green Initiative (to reduce paper waste in the workplace), BizFilings provides paperless Service of Process to our registered agent customers.  BizFilings accepts any legal Service of Process documents for your company, records the document in your company file, scans the document for online viewing in our password-protected Corporate Status Center, and sends an electronic copy to the contact email address on file.  If a hard or original copy is requested, shipping charges of $16.95 will apply.  In addition to helping the environment, electronic delivery of Service of Process enables easy distribution of the document to in-house or external legal counsel as needed.

BizFilings' Service

Selecting the right registered agent for your business goes beyond satisfying a statutory requirement.  The right registered agent can be a partner in helping you promptly and easily address the necessary requirements for your business, which keeps your business in good standing with the state and allows you to concentrate on running and growing your business.  

As your registered agent, BizFilings will help ensure that your company remains compliant with government regulations in any state.  However, unlike other incorporation and registered agent providers, we offer additional values at no charge to you.  As your registered agent, we will:

• Provide professional handling of Service of Process.  This includes:
• Accepting Service of Process on your company's behalf.
• Recording the documents in your company file.
• Scanning the documents and making them available for you to access securely online via BizFilings' Corporate Status Center.
• Sending an electronic copy to the contact email address on file for your company.
• Forward any official documents and tax notices received from the Secretary of State and/or Department of State for your company.
• Provide you with 24/7, secure, online access to your registered agent account via BizFilings' Corporate Status Center, allowing you to view Service of Process, update contact information, and pay renewal invoices online.
• Provide 24/7 access to BizComply (view demo), our online compliance management service, which helps you manage critical company information and alerts you by email of upcoming compliance deadlines.  

Additionally, BizFilings offers annual report filing assistance for registered agent customers in many states.  In these states, BizFilings notifies customers when the annual report for their company is pending, and offers to complete and file the report on the company's behalf.  To learn if your state is included in our annual report filing service, contact BizFilings' customer service team.

Advantages

Appointing BizFilings as your registered agent provides your company the assurance that this important function is handled correctly and efficiently.  The advantages of choosing BizFilings include:

• Exceptional service for a low cost.
• Nationwide network of company-owned offices for accepting Service of Process and receipt of registered agent related mail.
• Professional and efficient document handling, with the logging and forwarding of Service of Process and official state documents to you.  
• Expedient notification of receipt and electronic forwarding of any Service of Process for your company and immediate online access to the Service of Process via BizFilings' Corporate Status Center.
• Online account access, making viewing Service of Process, updating account information, and paying invoices convenient.
• Compliance management assistance with BizComply.  BizFilings' online compliance management tool is provided to registered agent customers at no additional charge.