Montana Registered Agent
When You Want More
A Montana registered agent is a resident or company that maintains a physical address in the state and is willing to accept legal documents on behalf of a business. Montana businesses are required to appoint a registered agent on their formation documents (i.e. articles of incorporation/organization).
With our Montana 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 Montana Registered Agents:
Get Montana Registered Agent Service
Instant Online
Service
Sign up & immediately get a secure account where you’ll find:
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Montana 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
- $20/mo unlimited mail forwarding
- Free 60-day trial of Phone Service
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Privacy protection & lifetime customer support
Montana Registered Agent Service
$ 125 Per Year
Hire us What Do Montana Registered Agents Do?
Essentially a Montana registered agent accepts legal documents (service of process) and official mail at a designated location called a registered office.
In other words, your registered agent’s address acts as the official place where any service of process and official mail for your Montana LLC, Montana corporation or Montana nonprofit will be sent.
According to the Montana Model Registered Agents Act (§ 35-7-114), a registered agent must:
- Be able to accept legal documents.
- Have a physical, registered office address located within the state. No P.O. Boxes.
- Must be a Montana resident or a business that provides registered agent services.
How Do I Change My Montana Registered Agent?
There are two ways to change your registered agent in Montana.
- Hire us and we’ll complete the change of agent form for you for free.
- Do it yourself and file a Registered Agent Statement of Change with the Montana SOS. There is no fee to file this form.
What Makes Northwest Different From Other Services?
Northwest is the choice of professionals for registered agent service. But why? 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 Montana office the same day. We notify you instantly and reach out to you if your essential mail goes unread.
- Privacy by Default®: For every client and every service, we minimize the exposure of and access to your personal data. We never sell your data. We list our own business address on public docs to better keep your personal info safe. Our commitment to privacy puts our clients first.
- Free Limited Mail Forwarding: As your registered agent, we automatically accept and scan your state and legal mail. Sometimes, however, we receive personal or business mail from clients or companies trying to connect with your business. We’ll accept and scan these for you as well—up to 5 documents a year FREE. We’ll also scan additional mail at a per doc rate of $15.
- Unlimited Mail Forwarding: Expecting much more business mail? For $20 a month, we also offer unlimited Montana mail forwarding. Our unlimited option includes a Montana 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.
Montana Registered Agent FAQs
Why Do I Need A Montana 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.
Note: If a company’s Montana registered agent cannot be served after a reasonable attempt, the company’s secretary will be served at the company’s principal address. If your secretary cannot be reached, you may never know you were served.
Can I Be My Own Registered Agent In Montana?
Yes, you can be your own registered agent in Montana. 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 Montana 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 Montana?
We scan all documents locally from our office in downtown Whitefish, MT.
Should I Use Your Registered Office Address In Montana On My Filing?
Your privacy is important to us. We’re the only national registered agent that allows our clients to list our address for everything. So when you do your filing with the state, you can keep your own address off public records.
Can I Have My Business’s Mail Delivered To Your Montana Office?
Yes! Just sign up for our unlimited Montana Mail Forwarding option ($20/month). You’ll get a unique suite number and a Montana business address you can use for mail, advertising and more. 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.
Don’t need a unique suite number? Our Montana registered agent service comes with free limited mail forwarding. We’ll list our business address (no unique suite number) on your public docs to better protect your privacy. And, we’ll scan the occasional business mail we receive—up to 5 documents a year, for FREE. You can request any additional documents to be forwarded at a per document rate of $15.
Should I Hire A Registered Agent Before Or After I Start My Business In Montana?
First, sign up for registered agent service and then do your business registration filing with the secretary of state. The state won’t allow you to form an LLC or corporation without a Montana registered agent. Plus, you’ll find all the forms and instructions you need to complete your filing instantly after you sign up.
How Do Montana Registered Agents Receive Service Of Process?
Serving a registered agent is legal proof that you were notified of an event. It doesn’t matter if the company sees the documents or even gets them from their registered agent. You were notified if your registered agent signs for the documents; this is a responsibility we take seriously.
- A sheriff, process server, or any third party will walk into our office and hand us legal papers (service of process).
- The process server then gives an affidavit to the court stating that they “served” us.
How Do I Search For A Montana Registered Agent?
Send a certified letter to the registered agent’s office address if you would like to legally notify someone through their Montana registered agent service.
- You can start with a Montana business name search on the state’s website
- Type in the company name you are trying to look up.
- Look at the MT registered agent name and registered office street address.
How Do I Resign From Being A Registered Agent In Montana?
In Montana, to resign as a registered agent, you must submit a Statement of Resignation of Registered Agent to the Montana Secretary of State. For a more detailed walkthrough, you can refer to our guide on how to resign as a registered agent in Montana.
How To Order Montana Registered Agent Service:
You sign up online, clicking on one of the buttons or links that says “HIRE US.”
We collect the first year’s fee for registered agent service up front.
For new businesses, once your business registration filing with the Montana Secretary of State is complete, we’ll become your Montana registered agent.
About a year later, we’ll send an invoice for another year of Montana registered agent service. If you want to keep using us, great; if you don’t, you can easily cancel.
It’s easy to add registered agent services in other states if your business expands. We have offices in every state. 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 Montana registered agent service or paying a bill but for keeping up with corporate paperwork formalities like the Montana annual report.
Information Your Montana Registered Agent Should Help You Understand:
As your Montana registered agent, we will receive your annual report notice every year. These will come in January or February, and are due April 15th. We will email and mail these to you and make sure you keep your company in good standing with the secretary of state. We also will receive any service of process or formal documents on your behalf and send you a real time email scan of what we receive. There is no extra charge for any of this.
If you are going to form an LLC or corporation with the Montana Secretary of State, you will need your Montana registered agent to sign your filing. The signatures do not have to be an original signature. The forms are pre-signed in your online account.
Normal filings take about 4-6 business days to process. The Montana Secretary of State offers a $20 expedite service which gets done in 1-2 days, and a 1 hour expedite for $100. We have an account with the state, so if you need something done in 1 hour, we can fax file and pay the $100 expedite, and you’ll have verification in 1 hour. This can be handy for contractors because a lot of big bids require you to prove registration with the state before you can win the bid. You will get an acknowledgment letter back in 1-2 weeks, but you can look yourself up online right away. All Montana state agencies except the Liquor Commission go by the online database.
Annual reports for Montana non profits are due April 15th of every year cost $15 and can be filed online.
At Northwest, we can also form your LLC or form your corporation in Montana 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®.