Virginia requires that each Virginia LLC or Virginia corporation each have a Registered Agent in Virginia.  Without a proper Registered Agent in Virginia on file with the State of Virginia , your legal entity will not be in compliance with the law and will be at risk for cancellation.

What is a Virginia Registered Agent?
Many new business owners do not even know what a Virginia Registered Agent is.  The Registered Agent in Virginia is a person or entity who is the Virginia LLC or Virginia corporation's statutory agent.  This means that it is the official agent who is authorized to accept legal papers and tax documents on behalf of the Virginia LLC or Virginia corporation.

Virginia needs to be sure that there is some legal person located within the state that can accept legal and other papers for the LLC or corporation.  The name and address of the Registered Agent in Virginia is a matter of public record and so anyone can look up the Virginia Registered Agent information for a Virginia LLC or Virginia corporation.

Who Can Be a Virginia Registered Agent?
 The Virginia LLC or Virginia corporation itself cannot be its own Registered Agent in Virginia.  The Virginia Registered Agent must be permanently and physically located in Virginia. If you are an owner of your Virginia LLC or Virginia corporation (or a director) and have your permanent resident address in Virginia, you can serve as your business entity's Registered Agent in Virginia.  Some owners choose to serve as their business entity's Registered Agent in Virginia.  Others choose to hire a registered agent service for one or some of the following reasons:

• Privacy.  Many business owners of a Virginia LLC or Virginia corporation do not want their name and personal address to be a matter of public record.

• No Physical Address in Virginia. Many business owners do not have a permanent and physical address in Virginia.  PO Boxes and pure mailing address services are not allowed to be registered offices for a Registered Agent in Virginia.

• Changing Addresses.  If a business owner plans on moving or does not know if he/she will remain at an address for the indefinite future, he/she may prefer to use a Virginia Registered Agent service for stability and to avoid the necessary filing requirements later when the address changes.

• Availability During Normal Business Hours.  The Virginia Registered Agent must be available during normal business hours on the weekdays to accept paperwork that might be delivered to the registered agent address in Virginia.  If a business owner does not keep regular hours or will not be generally available during business hours at the Virginia registered agent address, he/she should use a registered agent service.

• Choose to Have A Professional Registered Agent Handle the Obligation.   Many business owners realize that they have enough to worry about in getting their business started and profitable.  By retaining a Virginia registered agent service, there is one less obligation to worry about. 

A Virginia Registered Agent's obligation is to be available to accept documents and papers on behalf of your business entity and to promptly forward such documents and papers to the principal office of the LLC or corporation.  A Registered Agent in Virginia is not serving as a lawyer or other advisor for the Virginia LLC or Virginia corporation and is not required to review any documents merely by because it is the Virginia registered agent.  The Virginia Registered Agent plays a required and statutorily appointed administration role for your business entity.

If you purchase Registered Agent Services from VirginiaBusinessFormation.com, you can rest assured that you will have a professional registered agent in Virginia for your Virginia LLC or Virginia corporation.