How to Find the Best Registered Agent in Louisiana

The registered agent you appoint will be the point of contact between the business and the Louisiana Secretary of State.

Service of process and receiving official documents from the state are the primary responsibility of a registered agent.

The important documents an agent will receive include the following:

• Articles of Organization – the formation documents for Louisiana LLCs
• Articles of Incorporation – submitted by corporations upon formation
• Annual report fee– due every year by the formation anniversary
• Certificate of Good Standing – banks require the document to open new business accounts
• Annual franchise tax – expected by the 15th day of the calendar year

Other business structures include:

• Sole proprietorships
• Partnerships
• Nonprofit

The last section of form 365 will ask you to provide information about the appointed registered agent.

• Registered agent address
• Registered agent name

The registered agent you appoint will sign the form to consent to the appointment.

You will complete the appropriate form and submit it to the Louisiana Secretary of State.

• Domestic LLC
• Domestic Corporation
• Foreign LLC
• Nonprofit

The new agent you appoint will need to sign the change of registered agent form and have it notarized.

Switching registered agents in Louisiana costs $25 or $30 if you pay by credit card.

It will take approximately five business days for the Louisiana Secretary of State to process the change.

You must write a statement of resignation and send two copies to the Louisiana Secretary of State.

The statement you submit must include specific information.

• Business name
• Date
• The registered agent’s name
• The registered office address
• Statement of resignation
• Signature

The Louisiana Secretary of State charges $25 to resign as a registered agent.

• You guarantee you stay in good standing

The Louisiana annual report is due on the business formation anniversary every year, making it easy to miss.

Submitting the fee late can lead to losing good standing in Louisiana, and the state can dissolve the business.

By appointing a registered agent, you gain access to an automatic compliance calendar that helps ensure you don’t miss a due date.

• Keep your nonpublic address private

If you work from home or a private office, using those addresses as business addresses means personal information becomes a public record.

Private citizens can search Louisiana Business Filings by business name, registration number, or agent.

When you appoint an outside agent, you can use the service’s address rather than your nonpublic address as the business address.

• You gain peace of mind

An agent’s role is to accept legal documents and official correspondence, which isn’t always good news.

The agent or service you appoint will intercept sensitive documents from law firms and process servers to keep them from appearing at the office unannounced.

• You make your own office hours

In Louisiana, a registered agent must be available during regular business hours during every work day of the year.

If you appoint yourself as your own registered agent, you will be responsible for being in the office from 9 to 5, Monday through Friday.

An outside professional registered agent service is always available during those regular hours, so you don’t have to be stuck in the office.

• You have access to your certificate of good standing from anywhere

Businesses must provide the Louisiana certificate of standing when opening new business bank accounts and applying for loans.

A registered agent service will give you 24/7 access to the certificate of good standing and your formation documents so you can do business conveniently and quickly.

• You can form a fast foreign LLC

Expanding into other states means appointing a resident agent for the foreign LLC formation process.

If you have appointed one already, the process for forming a foreign LLC stays simple and fast.