Illinois Registered Agent
When You Want More
An Illinois registered agent is appointed by a corporation or LLC to receive service of process and official notifications on behalf of that business. Illinois state law requires that every business entity designate a registered agent as a means of ensuring the state has a reliable way to contact the business. The registered agent must maintain a physical office within Illinois and keep regular business hours. An Illinois registered agent can be either an individual resident or another business entity.
With our registered agent service, get Privacy by Default®, business address, free mail forwarding, free Phone Service for 60 days, and local Corporate Guides®—only at Northwest.
Everything You Need To Know About Illinois Registered Agents:

What Do Illinois Registered Agents Do?
At minimum, your Illinois registered agent will:
- Accept legal documents and official mail on behalf of your Illinois business and deliver them to you as fast as possible.
- Maintain a physical address (no P.O. boxes) in the state of Illinois where they can accept legal documents (service of process) and official mail like tax notices. This location is called a registered office.
- Keep normal business hours.
In other words, your registered agent’s address acts as the official place where any service of process and official mail for your Illinois LLC, Illinois corporation or Illinois 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.
What Are the Legal Requirements for Illinois Registered Agents?
In accordance with Illinois Statutes (805 ILCS 5/5.05 – for corporations, and 805 ILCS 180/1-35 – for LLCs), the following is required of an Illinois registered agent:
- Must be a state resident or a company that provides registered agent services.
- Must maintain a registered office (a physical address in Illinois).
- Must accept legal documents (service of process) during normal business hours.
- If a business’s registered agent is unable to be contacted, the Illinois Secretary of State will be served on the business’s behalf, and let’s face it, the Secretary of State is unlikely to be speedy about notifying your business.
- The State of Illinois requires the registered agent whether your business is a limited liability company (LLC) or corporation.
How Do I Change My Illinois Registered Agent?
There are two ways to change your registered agent in Illinois.
- Hire us and we’ll complete the change of agent form for you for free.
- Do it yourself and file a Statement of Change of Registered Agent form with the Illinois Secretary of State.
What Makes Northwest Different From Other Services?
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 10 documents per year for FREE. We can also scan additional mail at a per document rate of $15.
- Unlimited Mail Forwarding: Expecting much more business mail? For $20 a month, we also offer unlimited Illinois mail forwarding. Our unlimited option includes an Illinois business address with a unique suite number—great for listing on your website, establishing a business presence, or giving a home or online business a more professional appearance. We even accept Amazon Verification Cards, but we can not be your Amazon return address since our offices aren’t equip to hold anything beyond regular sized mail.
- 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.
Illinois Registered Agent FAQs
Why Do I Need An Illinois Registered Agent?
- State law requires all legitimate, registered businesses to appoint one.
- The secretary of state will reject your business filing if you don’t appoint a registered agent.
- A registered agent requirement gives the public and the state a reliable way to contact your business.
Can I Be My Own Registered Agent In Illinois?
Yes, you can be your own registered agent in Illinois. However, after considering the registered agent requirements most business owners elect to hire a registered agent service instead. Why? Well although being your own registered agent will cost you $0, an Illinois registered agent’s name and address becomes part of the public record. Additionally, the registered agent is required to be available to accept service of process during normal business hours 5 days a week.
Where Is Northwest’s Registered Office In Illinois?
All of our Illinois clients’ documents are accepted and scanned on-site at our registered office in Springfield, IL.
Will You Let Me Know When My Illinois Annual Report Is Due?
Definitely! If you own an LLC or corporation in Illinois, you’ll need to file your IL annual report each year. As part of our registered agent service, we’ll not only send you a reminder, but we’ll give you the form you need to file and instructions on how to file it.
Can I Use Your Illinois Registered Office Address For Everything On My State Business Filing?
Absolutely! We’re the only national registered agent service that allows our clients to list our address for everything on a filing to help keep your address private.
Can I Have My Business’s Mail Delivered To Your Illinois Office?
While you can use our address, we are not a return depot for online or Amazon sellers, though we’d love to accept your foosball tables. We don’t want ALL of your business mail. It’s not what we do. And it wouldn’t serve you well. You wouldn’t have unique address or suite number. Any mail we receive on your behalf would come to to Northwest Registered Agent, care of you.
But we understand that businesses and clients sometimes reach out to you through your registered agent. Through us. That’s why we give you 5 FREE scans of regular business mail a year. You can request any additional documents to be forwarded at a per document rate of $15.
Do I Hire A Registered Agent Before Or After I Start My Business In Illinois?
You should hire us first and then form your LLC or corporation. The Secretary of State’s Corporations Division will reject your business registration filing if you don’t already have a registered agent service. You’ll find all the forms and instructions you need to complete your filing instantly after you place an order.
How Do Illinois Registered Agents Get Served?
Serving a registered agent is legal proof of notification. Whether you receive the documents your Illinois registered agent signs for or not, once they accept the documents, you’ve legally been notified. This is a serious responsibility and we don’t take it lightly. Here’s how it works:
- A process server, the county sheriff, or any third party will walk into our Springfield office and hands us the documents (service of process), then we sign for them.
- The process server then gives an affidavit (a receipt of service) to the court which states that they “served” us.
- If you’ve hired us, long before the server hands in their affidavit to the court, you’ve received your documents because we scanned them to your online account within minute of having been served.
How Do I Search For An Illinois Registered Agent?
- Perform an Illinois business name search.
- Type in the name of the company you’re searching for.
- Find the registered agent’s name and registered office street address in the search results.
If you want to legally notify a business through their Illinois registered agent service, just send a certified letter directly to the registered agent at their registered office address.
How Do I Resign From Being A Registered Agent In Illinois?
InIllinois, to resign as a registered agent, you need to submit a Statement of Change of Registered Agent form with the Illinois Secretary of State. For a more detailed walkthrough, you can refer to our guide on how to resign as a registered agent in Illinois.
How To Order Illinois Registered Agent Service:
You sign up online, clicking on one of the buttons or links that says “HIRE US.”
We collect the first year of the registered agent service fee up front.
For new businesses, we’ll become your Illinois registered agent service once your business registration filing with the state is complete.
About a year later, we’ll send you an invoice for another year of Illinois registered agent service. If you want to keep using us, great; if you don’t, you can easily cancel.
With offices in every state, we make it easy to add registered agent services anywhere in the country. We don’t farm out work (or your info) to other companies—wherever you are, WE are your registered agent.
We make your account a real go-to resource for you, not just for Illinois registered agent service or paying a bill but for keeping up with Illinois corporate compliance.
Information Your Illinois Registered Agent Should Help You Understand:
- Business documents are filed with the Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services.
- Domestic and foreign LLCs cost $150 to form or register.
- Domestic and foreign corporations cost a minimum of $175 (potentially more, thanks to the state’s initial franchise tax).
- Nonprofits cost $50 to form or register.
- The state has an annual report and franchise tax. LLCs pay a flat $75 while corporations pay a minimum of $75. Nonprofit annual report filings are $10.
At Northwest, we can also form your LLC or form your corporation in Illinois for $100 plus state fees. As part of our commitment to Privacy by Default®, we put our business address on your filings to better protect your privacy. And you always have the support of our Corporate Guides®.