A North Dakota Registered Agent or North Dakota Registered Agent Service is required by law for every business entity in the state of North Dakota. A registered agent is an individual or business entity that will accept legal papers (documents) on your behalf if it is sued. The registered agent or registered agent service must have a physical street address in North Dakota and be available during regular business hours.
In my North Dakota Registered Agent guide, I’ll walk you through the detailed process of when you should get a registered agent or registered agent service for your North Dakota business, how to pick one, if they are required and how to change one if needed. Typically you’re getting a registered agent when you setup your North Dakota LLC. Check out my guide on how to setup a North Dakota LLC so you can make sure you’re following all the right steps in the process. If you are just looking for the professional service to help you – use Northwest Registered Agent or ZenBusiness.
Best North Dakota Registered Agent Service
ZenBusiness will be the best option for setting up a registered agent service in North Dakota. They can also help you with getting your LLC formed so if you’re looking for the best option, check them out today!
When it’s time to think about getting the best registered agent, you’ll need to setup ZenBusiness or Northwest Registered Agent. Typically I recommend going with ZenBusiness because they will make it easy in North Dakota with the 1000s of business owners they help every month. Both of these services are great but the overall experience with ZenBusiness is top notch and I love working with them.
They will have a great relationship with the North Dakota Secretary of State’s office where you’re going to find that it’s important for you to have a strong relationship with the North Dakota Secretary of State’s office.
You don’t want to be responsible for communicating with them and also have all the requirements to do this on your own so I would recommend just going with ZenBusiness.
What is a North Dakota Registered Agent?
A North Dakota registered agent is no different than any other US state. All of them (except New York) require that you have a registered agent (which is sometimes called a resident agent, statutory agent or alike). Every registered agent is going to be responsible for three to four main things (depending on how you look at them). Those things are:
- A physical location in North Dakota that is open during regular business hours
- Accept service of process (legal documents) on behalf of your business
- Communicate with the North Dakota Secretary of State’s office to receive and forward legal correspondence to the business owner
- Keep the business in compliance with the annual reporting that’s required
A North Dakota registered agent is required by law and doing all of the above as your own registered agent is something you could do but do you really want to?
Imagine being responsible for all that as a business owner along with everything else that goes into growing your business. This is not something you can solve with a PO Box or some type of UPS Store virtual mailbox service. This is a legal requirement by the state of North Dakota to make sure you’re in compliance and following the letter of the law. If you decide to try and use the UPS Store or PO Box as your registered agent address – you’re most likely going to have a business that is dissolved and you’re going to have to do this LLC formation all over again.
Why do I need a North Dakota Registered Agent?
The biggest reason you need to get a North Dakota registered agent is because it’s legally required for you to do it. Each business entity (whether it’s a domestic LLC, foreign LLC, Limited Liability Company, C-Corp, S-Corp, etc.) is going to be required in North Dakota to have a registered agent in place.
One of the main things that you’ll also need is to elect a registered agent’s name and registered agent’s address in the public record. This means that if someone wants to go to the North Dakota Secretary of State’s business name search portal, they will be able to find that information. The implications of this in North Dakota are big because that means anyone will be able to find your name and address if you decide to use your personal information. Could you imagine if someone decided to come to your home and serve you legal documents? The impact of that is big since the entire purpose of why it’s required by law is to help you get some space and privacy so it’s not just your home address.
When should I obtain a North Dakota Registered Agent?
The best time to obtain a North Dakota registered agent is when you are forming your North Dakota LLC business. If you are not going to do this when you’re forming your business entity, you may be in violation of the North Dakota Secretary of State’s law and your business may be dissolved. That is clearly not what you want after going through all this pain to get it done in the first place.
I just recommend you go talk to ZenBusiness or Northwest Registered Agent to get setup during your formation process and have them elect themselves as your registered agent. Typically they are going to provide the first year included in the LLC formation process so I would just do that. Check with them on the latest details of what they are offering in the form of LLC formation and registered agent deals but typically that’s going to be your best option. It beats trying to pull off and be your own registered agent in North Dakota.
Can I Be My Own Registered Agent In North Dakota?
Yes you can be your own registered agent but as we’ve talked about – is this something you should do? Do you really want someone to show up at your house with legal papers for your business when you’re with your family or worse – you’re not there for whatever reason and the North Dakota Secretary of State realizes that and your business becomes dissolved. That’s not good either so let’s play this out as if you’re going to be your own registered agent. What would you be responsible for?
- Have a physical location in North Dakota where you’re at during normal business hours
- You’re able to accept service of process (legal documents) on behalf of your business
- Stay in compliance on an annual basis with all the annual and legal requirements.
How Much Does a Registered Agent Cost?
The cost of a registered agent is going to vary depending on what type of service you use for this. The three main options for you to consider are:
- Be your own registered agent (not recommended)
- Use a law firm in North Dakota with registered agent services (not recommended)
- Work with ZenBusiness or Northwest Registered Agent (recommended)
The cost ranges from $0 to a few hundred dollars per year depending on what type of service you go with. If you do this on your own it is $0 technically but we’ve talked about all the costs that go into doing this on your own. It’s just not worth it in the long term and will end up costing you more in time and emotional energy vs. just using a national registered agent service.
How Do I Elect A Registered Agent In North Dakota?
To elect a registered agent in North Dakota you’re going to need to fill out the Articles of Organization that are required by all LLCs being formed in North Dakota. You will need to go download this from the North Dakota Secretary of State’s Business Forms page.
How Do I Elect A Registered Agent Online in North Dakota?
It is possible to elect your registered agent online by filing the required Articles of Organization and make sure you submit the $135 filing fee that’s required for doing so here.
How Do I Change My Registered Agent In North Dakota?
If you want to change your North Dakota registered agent you’ll just need to file the Registered Agent update form and submit it through the North Dakota Secretary of State’s office with the $10 filing fee that you’d need to get paid by credit card.
You can go to the FirstStop North Dakota Secretary of State site here to do this.
North Dakota Registered Agent FAQ
Does North Dakota require a registered agent?
Yes, North Dakota requires that each LLC have a designated registered agent who is responsible for receiving important legal and tax documents on behalf of the business.
Does registered agent mean owner?
No, registered agent does not mean owner. The term registered agent is just a legal designation for the person or business entity who agrees to receive and manage important documents on behalf of your business.
What is a registered agent service?
A registered agent service is a business entity that provides a physical address and receives important documents on behalf of your business. This can be especially helpful for LLCs that are run from home or have members who live in
Best Registered Agent
The best option for your registered agent service