What is a Registered Agent?
![A man with a title Registerd Agent in the background](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbizee-website-assets%2FVideo-Do-I-Need-a-Registered-Agent.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Your Washington Registered Agent provides various services, including the acceptance of formal documents and correspondence from the Washington Secretary of State.
Your LLC must have a Registered Agent at all times. You’ll appoint one when you first start your business. You can also replace your existing Washington Registered Agent at a later date, provided there is a smooth transition between the old and new agents.
Registered Agent Requirements
Note that the address for your Washington Registered Agent does not need to be the same as your Washington LLC business address.
What Washington Registered Agents Does
A Registered Agent’s main function is to accept official documentation and correspondence.
This includes:
Having a Registered Agent also allows you to prove to the state that your business exists.
Bizee Provides Free Washington Registered Agent Service for the First Year
Bizee provides complete Washington Registered Agent service for any LLC formed in the state. Even better, if you form your LLC through Bizee, your Registered Agent is completely free for the first year and only $119 a year after that.
Bizee is authorized to conduct business in Washington and able to legally act as your Registered Agent. Here’s what our Washington Registered Agent services include:
- A digital dashboard where you can access, store and retrieve any information we’ve received for your business
- An always-available Washington Registered Agent who can receive correspondence, documents and legal proceedings on your LLC's behalf
- Email notification whenever we receive documents for your business
- Automatic forwarding of all legal correspondence, documentation and information directly to you
Appointing a Registered Agent for Your LLC
When you're forming an LLC in Washington, you must appoint a Registered Agent at that time. You can change the agent at any time after that. Here’s how.
Assign a Registered Agent When You Form Your LLC
Your business needs to have a Registered Agent as soon as it’s formed. You can do this two ways:
Assign a Different Registered Agent After Formation
You can change your mind and assign someone else to be your Washington Registered Agent after you’ve formed your LLC. There are a couple of ways to achieve this.
Washington Registered Agent Search
In certain situations, it may be useful to know the name of the Registered Agent that represents another LLC in Washington.
This information is available in the state's business database. If you can’t find the Registered Agent information there, you can request it from the Secretary of State.
What Happens If You Don’t Have a Registered Agent?
If you don’t assign or provide details of a Registered Agent to the Secretary of State, there are several possible ramifications, including:
Acting as Your Own Registered Agent
If you have a business office in the state of Washington, you can elect to be the Registered Agent for your Washington LLC. We don’t recommend this as there can be some drawbacks to this approach:
Other Useful Resources
FAQs About Washington Registered Agents
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