Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Registered Agent?
Virtually all states require corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs), nonprofits, limited partnerships (LPs) and limited liability partnerships (LLPs) to appoint a Registered Agent in the state where the company is formed and any other state in which is transacting business. The Registered Agent is responsible for receiving important legal and tax documents on behalf of the company including: Service of Process (notice of litigation), franchise tax forms, and annual report forms.
The Registered Agent may be an individual or it may be a company approved by the state to serve as agent. It must be located at a street address (not a P.O. Box) in the state where the company is formed or qualified. The Registered Agent’s name and address are included on the formation documents. This information is a matter of public record.
Appointing Rapid Registered Agent, LLC as your Registered Agent provides your company the assurance that this important service is handled correctly and efficiently.
What is Service of Process?
Service of Process (SOP), also sometimes called notice of litigation, is the legal term for the delivery of copies of legal documents such as summons, complaints, subpoenas, orders to show cause, writs, notices to quit the premises and certain other documents. As your Registered Agent, we accept these legal notices on your behalf, rather than having law enforcement officials serve you these documents at your place of business in front of employees and/or customers.
How are Service of Process and other legal documents handled by Rapid Registered Agent, LLC?
Every Service of Process (SOP) we receive is handled promptly and with the utmost professionalism. When we receive an SOP, we scan the documents and immediately send them to you via email. Electronic delivery of SOP is not only faster than mail forwarding, but also enables easy distribution of the document to in-house or external legal counsel as needed. Notices are also sent out (optionally) via text-message and/or fax at no additional charge! If you want the original, it can be sent to you for the cost of the mailing plus a $5 handling charge.
Additionally, government taxation documents, annual reports and other important state mail which is sent to us will be scanned and forwarded it to you. Junk mail will be thrown out. Regular business mail should not be sent to us and will not be forwarded (i.e. don’t use our address for your mailing address).
Why should I use a Registered Agent provider?
There are many reasons why business owners, even owners of one- or two-person businesses, choose to use a Registered Agent provider.
A few of the reasons to use a Registered Agent provider include:
- You prefer to spend your time and attention on building your business. Compliance requirements can be both time- and labor-intensive, often requiring the completion of lengthy and sometimes confusing forms using information from various sources. Most business owners prefer to have an outside source deal with the minutia of compliance so they can focus on building and running their business.
- You want to avoid the risk of non-compliance. Compliance matters are not likely to be your area of expertise, or interest. Rapid Registered Agent LLC’s expertise is in compliance and we are intimately familiar with state and Federal regulations and deadlines. As your compliance partner, we will help you stay in compliance, avoid unnecessary state penalty fees, and maintain your company’s good standing.
- To ensure private receipt of lawsuits and other legal documents. When a company is served with a Service of Process, it is often delivered by local law enforcement. Most business owners do not want police officers showing up in front of customers, employees, or neighbors (in the case of home-based businesses), to serve them notice that their company is being sued. Using a professional Registered Agent ensures you receive any Service of Process promptly, and privately.
- You don’t maintain normal business hours. The Registered Agent for a business must be available during normal business hours to accept important documents as they are delivered. If you set your own hours, you may wish to consider using a professional Registered Agent provider, so that you never miss these important communications.