Registered Agent
FoundationsA Registered Agent is a person or business entity designated to accept legal documents — lawsuits, state notices, annual report reminders, tax correspondence — on behalf of your LLC or corporation. Every US state requires any registered business entity to maintain a registered agent with a physical street address (not a PO box) in that state, available during normal business hours.
How it works. When you form your LLC, you name a registered agent on the formation documents. If your company is sued, the process server delivers the summons to your registered agent’s address, not your home or office. The agent then forwards the documents to you — often digitally, within hours. A professional registered agent service typically costs $50–$150 per year per state and provides an extra layer of privacy: the agent’s address (not yours) appears on the public state record.
For non-US residents forming a US LLC, a professional registered agent is not optional — it’s a requirement. You cannot serve as your own agent if you lack a physical address in the formation state. Most LLC formation services bundle registered agent service for the first year.
Example. A Canadian founder forms a Delaware LLC. She hires a national registered-agent service that charges $125/year. The service receives her annual franchise-tax notice and a notice of a legal claim from a vendor. Both are scanned and emailed to her the same day. Her personal address never appears on Delaware’s public business search.
Choosing a reliable registered agent is part of every US company formation. Read the complete setup guide in how to form a US LLC as a non-resident.