Arizona Statutory Agent

At a minimum, Arizona registered agents must have a physical address in Arizona and accept important legal documents on your business’s behalf—and get them to you. In other words, your registered agent’s address acts as the official place where any service of process and official mail for your Arizona LLC, Arizona corporation or Arizona nonprofit will be sent.

However, the right registered agent service can do much more. At Northwest, we go above and beyond the minimum to ensure top speed, security, privacy and support.

According to Arizona State Code § 29-3115, a statutory agent (also known as a registered agent) must:

• Be able to accept legal documents on behalf of the business.
• Have a physical, registered office address located within the state of Arizona. No P.O. Boxes.
• Must be a state resident or a company that provides registered agent services.

If you plan on starting a business in Arizona, the state requires you to have a statutory agent (sometimes referred to as a registered agent and resident agent elsewhere); otherwise you will be unable to operate or even form your company. A registered agent is the person or business you choose to be the recipient of your official documents for your business, most important of these being service of process.

What is required to be your own statutory agent in Arizona?

The list of requirements for an Arizona statutory agent isn’t long, but it is necessary that the statutory agent have a physical street address in Arizona—they can’t receive mail for your business at a PO Box. The other primary requirement is that they hold regular business hours. This is necessary because if a process server comes knocking, they need to be able to find you. The state wants to know that there is a for sure, designated place where your business can be contacted.

What are the risks of being your own Arizona statutory agent?

Once you put your name on those documents, it’s public knowledge. If you are comfortable having your name and street address searchable to anyone, and are also comfortable with process servers knocking on your door, then being your own statutory agent shouldn’t be a problem. It is also paramount that you maintain regular business hours; process servers need to be able to find you during the day.

How do I become my own statutory agent?

If you are just starting your business, then you can become your own statutory agent right away. When you are filing your formation documents, there is a spot available for you to fill in your statutory agent’s information—simply put your name and street address in that space, and you’re then your business’s statutory agent.

If you have already formed your Arizona LLC or Arizona corporation and wish to become your own statutory agent, the process is pretty straightforward. You will file a Statement of Change form. There are different forms for LLCs and corporations. For LLCs, this is three-page document with a $5 fee. For corporations, there’s a slightly different form with no fee. On both forms, there is a place for you to write your name and street address as the new statutory agent.

• File a Registered Agent Statement of Change form with the Arizona Division of Corporations.
• The change form is available instantly if you place an order with us.
• It’s a simple process, but if you’d like more specifics, visit our guide on how to change your registered agent in Arizona.

At Northwest, we do business the right way. We’re dedicated to getting you your docs fast, protecting your privacy and offering you support. Here’s how:

• Same-Day Scans, Instant Notifications: We accept and scan your docs at our local office the same day. We notify you instantly and reach out to you if your essential mail goes unread.
• Privacy by Default®: We automatically minimize the exposure of and access to your personal data. If we can put our address on a public doc instead of yours, we do. If we don’t have to list your personal info, we don’t. We have tough privacy policies to keep your data safe and private. And we never sell your data.
• Free Limited Mail Forwarding: Of course we’ll get you your state and legal mail. That’s our job. But what if we get some of your regular business mail? It happens a lot—clients and businesses trying to connect with you via your registered agent. We scan 5 documents per year for FREE. We can also scan additional mail at a per document rate of $15.
• Corporate Guides®: Have questions? We have answers. Our guides are business experts whose sole job is to provide phone and email support for all your toughest business questions.