Virginia Registered Agent
When You Want More
A Virginia registered agent is an individual or company that maintains a physical address in the state of Virginia and is willing to accept service of process and other legal documents on behalf of a Virginia business. Corporations and LLCs cannot serve as their own registered agents in Virginia.
With our Virginia 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 Virginia Registered Agents:
Get Virginia Registered Agent Service
Instant Online
Service
Sign up & immediately get a secure account where you’ll find:
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Virginia 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®
Virginia Registered Agent Service
$ 125 Per Year
Hire Us What Do Virginia Registered Agents Do?
Your Virginia registered agent, at minimum, maintains a physical address in Virginia (called a registered office) and accepts legal documents on your business’s behalf.
In other words, your registered agent’s address acts as the official place where any service of process and official mail for your Virginia LLC, Virginia corporation or Virginia 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 Virginia Registered Agents?
According to Virginia state code (§ 13.1-1015), a registered agent must:
- Be able to accept legal documents.
- Have a physical, registered office address located within the state of Virginia. No P.O. Boxes.
- Be a Virginia resident or domestic company. Business entities cannot be their own registered agents in Virginia.
How Do I Change My Virginia Registered Agent?
There are two ways to change your registered agent in Virginia.
- 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 Office and/or Registered Agent form with the Virginia SOS. There is no fee to file this form.
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.
Virginia Registered Agent FAQs
Why Do I Need A Virginia Registered Agent?
- All businesses registered with the Virginia State Corporation Commission must appoint a registered agent.
- The Virginia Corporation Commission will reject your filing if you do not appoint a registered agent.
- The state government and general public must have a reliable way to contact your Virginia business with legal notices and other types of important mail.
Can I Be My Own Registered Agent In Virginia?
Yes, you can be your own registered agent in Virginia. 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, a Virginia 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 Virginia?
We scan all documents locally from our office in Virginia Beach, VA.
Can I Use Your Virginia Registered Office Address For Everything On My Business Filing?
Yes. We’re the only national registered agent service that allows our clients to list our address for everything when you’re doing a filing to keep you private address off public records.
Can I Have My Business’s Mail Delivered To Your Virginia Office?
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 Virginia?
You hire us first and then do your business registration filing with the Corporation Commission. The state won’t allow you to form an LLC or corporation without a Virginia registered agent. That way, you can take advantage of all the forms and instructions you need to complete your filing instantly after you sign up.
How Do Virginia Registered Agents Get Served?
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 Find A Virginia Company's Registered Agent?
- Perform a Virginia business name search.
- Use the name of the company you’re trying to look up.
- Look at the VA registered agent’s name and registered address.
If you want to legally notify a business through their registered agent, simply send a letter as certified mail to the registered agent at their registered office address.
How Do I Resign From Being A Registered Agent In Virginia?
In Virginia, to resign as a registered agent, you need to submit a Statement of Resignation of Registered Agent online, by mail or in-person to the Virginia State Corporation Commission. For a more detailed walkthrough, you can refer to our guide on how to resign as a registered agent in Virginia.
How To Order Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia registered agent service or paying a bill but for keeping up with Virginia corporate compliance.
Information Your Virginia Registered Agent Should Help You Understand:
- Business documents are filed with the Virginia State Corporation Commission.
- Domestic and foreign LLCs cost $100 to file.
- Domestic corporations cost a minimum of $75 to file (there’s a charter fee included that increases if you have more than 25K shares). Foreign corporations are $100 to file.
- Domestic and foreign nonprofits pay $75 to form or register.
- Your business will also file an annual report each year. LLCs pay $50, and nonprofits pay $25. Corporations, both domestic and foreign, pay a minimum of $100 and more for large numbers of authorized shares.
At Northwest, we can also form your LLC or form your corporation in Virginia 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®.