Maryland Registered Agent
When You Want More
If you’re forming a corporation or limited liability company (LLC) in Maryland, you’ve probably seen the term “resident agent” listed on your formation documents. Pursuant to state code (§ 2-108), all corporations and LLCs authorized to do business in Maryland are required to designate a resident agent (aka registered agent). The resident agent serves as your business’ point of contact in the state to accept all legal notices on behalf of your business. All entities registering to do business in Maryland must appoint a Maryland resident agent.
With our Maryland 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 Maryland Registered Agents:
Get Maryland Registered Agent Service
Instant Online
Service
Sign up & immediately get a secure account where you’ll find:
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Maryland business forms
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Annual report reminders
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All your scanned & stored documents
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Easy access to all our business services
Do Business
the Right Way
See why the pros choose Northwest:
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Same price every year
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Free limited mail forwarding
- Free 60-day trial of Phone Service
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Privacy by Default®
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Lifetime support from our Corporate Guides®
Maryland Registered Agent Service
$ 125 Per Year
Hire Us What Do Maryland Registered Agents Do?
At a minimum, your Maryland registered agent should maintain a dedicated physical location in the state (a registered office) where he or she can accept documents on behalf of your business. In other words, your registered agent’s address acts as the official place where any service of process and official mail for your Maryland LLC, Maryland corporation or Maryland 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 Maryland Registered Agents?
Per Maryland Statute §2–108, all businesses must have a Maryland registered agent. As your business’ official point of contact with the state of Maryland, your registered agent will accept subpoenas, lawsuits, or other legal documents hand-delivered by a process server or county sheriff. Also, your Maryland registered agent will be responsible for official mail from the Maryland State Department of Assessment and Taxation (SDAT) like annual report forms and other important documents.
In order to receive any official mail or legal documents, your Maryland registered agent must be available during normal business hours. Due to the importance of the documents for which your Maryland registered agent is responsible, they should also be extremely organized and have a system in place to securely manage any legal documents they receive on behalf of your business.
Bottom line: You should find a Maryland registered agent you can trust.
How Do I Change My Maryland Registered Agent?
There are two ways to change your registered agent in Maryland.
- Hire us and we’ll complete the change of agent form for you for free.
- Do it yourself and file a Change Resident Agent form with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division. The filing fee is $25.
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 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.
Maryland Registered Agent FAQs
Why Do I Need A Maryland 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 Maryland?
Yes, you can be your own registered agent in Maryland. 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 Maryland 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 Maryland?
We scan all documents locally from our office in Oakland, MD.
Will You Let Me Know When My Maryland Annual Report Is Due?
Absolutely! If you own an LLC or corporation in Maryland, you’ll need to complete your MD annual report. As part of our registered agent service, we’ll not only send you a reminder, but we’ll make sure you have access to all the forms and instructions you need to stay compliant.
Can I Use Your Maryland Registered Office Address For Everything On My Business Filing?
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 Maryland?
Service on your registered agent is legal proof that you were notified. Regardless of whether you actually receive the documents your Maryland registered agent signs for, once they accept the documents, you’ve been notified. This is a serious responsibility that we do not take lightly. This is how it works:
- A process server, the county sheriff, or any third party will walk into our office and hand us the documents (service of process), which we sign for.
- The process server then gives an affidavit (a receipt of service) to the court as confirmation that they “served” us.
Note: If you’ve hired Northwest, you’ve received your documents long before the process server hands in their affidavit to the court—because we scanned them to your online account within minutes of having been served.
What Happens If My Maryland Registered Agent Doesn’t Fulfill Their Responsibilities?
Your business could suffer greatly if your registered agent loses important legal documents. A lost legal document could result in legal actions being taken against your business with you knowing about it.
In this scenario, a judge may rule a default judgment against your business. If annual reports aren’t filed, the state could dissolve your business, and again, you might not know about it until it’s too late. But if you hire our registered agent service, you can rest assured that you’ll be notified immediately if your company is served with a lawsuit or needs to file a report with the state of Maryland.
How Do I Search For A Maryland Registered Agent?
You can do a Maryland business name search.
- Type in the name of the company you’re searching for.
- In the results, you’ll find the registered agent’s name and registered office street address.
If you want to legally notify a business through their Maryland registered agent service, just send a certified letter directly to the registered agent name and registered office address.
How Do I Resign From Being A Registered Agent In Maryland?
In Maryland, to resign as a registered agent, you need to submit a Statement of Resignation of Resident Agent to the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation. For a more detailed walkthrough, you can refer to our guide on how to resign as a registered agent in Maryland.
How To Order Maryland 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 Maryland registered agent service once your business registration filing with SDAT is complete.
About a year later, we’ll send you an invoice for another year of Maryland 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 Maryland registered agent service or paying a bill but for keeping up with Maryland corporate compliance.
Information Your Maryland Registered Agent Should Help You Understand:
- Business filings are submitted to Maryland’s State Department of Assessments and Taxation.
- Domestic and foreign LLCs and corporations cost $100 to file. Corporations must also submit an “organization and capitalization fee” that starts out at $20 and increases based on your total par value.
- Annual reports get mailed to your Maryland registered agent in January or February of every year, and are due on April 15th. Annual reports for both domestic and foreign LLCs cost $300. The annual report is commonly combined with the state’s personal property tax return, so the total fee you pay for your combined filing can be much more.
At Northwest, we can also form your LLC or form your corporation in Maryland 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®.