Can You Be Your Own Registered Agent In Florida?

Before filing your Articles of Organization with the Department of State, you need to select a Florida Registered Agent for your LLC.

A Registered Agent in Florida is a person or company who agrees to accept legal mail on behalf of your LLC in case your business concern gets sued.

In Florida, your Registered Amanuensis also serves as a general bespeak of contact for receiving concern and revenue enhancement notices, payment reminders, and other documents.

Your Registered Amanuensis must have a street accost in Florida (PO Boxes aren't allowed).

Your Florida Registered Agent must as well exist available during normal business concern hours (9am – 5pm) in case Service of Procedure arrives. Service of Process for an LLC includes delivery of legal documents such as complaints, summons, or subpoenas.

In brusque, this is how the Florida court and legal systems works. By providing a Registered Agent of tape with a reliable Florida street accost, the delivery of legal mail and court documents can be tracked. It'southward similar to how 'certified mail return receipt' works. It creates a concrete record that something was delivered.

Special offer: If you hire Northwest to form your LLC ($39 + state fee), they'll include their Registered Amanuensis service gratuitous for the 1st year.

Can I exist my own Registered Amanuensis in Florida?

Yes, you can be your own Florida Registered Amanuensis, as long as you encounter the requirements mentioned in the adjacent section.

However, you actually take 3 options when forming an LLC in Florida:

Option 1: Yous can be your LLC's Registered Agent in Florida (are there risks?)if you're a Florida resident over age 18.

Option 2: A friend or family unit member can be your LLC'due south Registered Agent if they're a Florida resident over age 18.

Option three: You can hire a Florida Registered Amanuensis Service , technically known as a Commercial Registered Agent.

What'south the best Registered Agent selection to cull?

If you have a street address located in Florida (such as a home or office accost), and are available during business hours, you can be your own Registered Agent.

If yous don't have a street address in Florida, you can use a friend or family unit member's address. They need to accept a street address in Florida and exist bachelor during concern hours.

If y'all don't have a street address in Florida, and yous don't have a friend or family member's address that you can employ (or prefer not to), you can hire a Florida Registered Agent Service Visitor.

Using a Registered Agent Service Visitor in Florida as well offers more privacy (can keep your address off public records) and can be a more reliable setup.

Florida Registered Agent Services

Notation: The terms "Florida Registered Agent Services" and "Florida Commercial Registered Agent" hateful the same thing. We volition utilize them both interchangeably.

Florida Registered Agent Service Companies specialize in receiving Service of Procedure (legal mail service) on behalf of your Florida LLC. Most Registered Agent Services in Florida cost between $100 and $300 per year.

Once hired, they will receive Service of Process on behalf of your Florida LLC and then forward it to y'all past mail, or scan and upload it to your online account.

Who's the best Florida Registered Agent?

The Florida Registered Agent Service that nosotros recommend (and that the LLC University team apply for our ain LLCs) is Northwest Registered Agent ($125 per year).

Northwest has been in the business for over 20 years and they have great customer service.

Even so, 1 of the coolest things about using Northwest is the privacy feature.

How to proceed your address off public records:

It's of import to realize that your Registered Agent address (and all addresses in your LLC's Articles of Organization) become a part of public tape. If you want to continue your address off of public record, using a Registered Agent that will allow you to employ their address every bit your LLC'southward accost tin be very helpful.

Northwest Registered Amanuensis is the merely company that offers a Registered Amanuensis service where they'll allow yous use their address throughout your entire Manufactures of Organization.

You can use their address in all sections of your Articles of System:

comprehend letter accost
principal office address
mailing accost
registered agent address
member/managing director address

Any mail service that is sent to your LLC will be scanned by them and uploaded into your online account.

Special discounted pricing for LLC Academy® readers

Northwest usually charges $100 + state fees to class an LLC. However, we've negotiated a discounted charge per unit (lx% off) for LLC University® readers.

Risks of existence your own Registered Agent in Florida

As mentioned higher up, you tin exist your own Registered Agent in Florida. In fact, you, a friend, or a family member can be your Florida Registered Agent.

Just are in that location any risks to beingness your ain Registered Agent?

In short, there are risks. They are not very likely to occur, just if they do, you could lose your liability protection and the Florida Department of State has the power to administratively dissolve (shut down) your LLC.

This tin happen if you don't maintain (always take) a Registered Amanuensis on file, or if the Department of State is unsuccessful in reaching your Florida Registered Agent.

Additionally, if a process server (a person who serves courtroom documents and notices of lawsuits) is unsuccessful in reaching your Florida Registered Agent, a court instance can go on in your absence and you might not even know about it. Worse, the court could enter a default judgment confronting your LLC if y'all aren't there to defend yourself.

A few reasons a process server might not be able to reach your Florida LLC'south Registered Agent:

you, your friend, or family member are not there during business hours (the country of Florida requires that your Registered Agent maintain normal business organization hours)
you/they are on vacation or out of town
you/they moved and you forgot to file a Change of Registered Agent with the state

Using a Florida Registered Agent Service like Northwest Registered Agent is a more reliable setup and offers more privacy.

Information technology as well gives you lot the freedom to take vacations and not worry about changing your Registered Agent address if you move.

Side by side Stride

Once you determine who will serve as your Florida LLC's Registered Agent, y'all tin and then proceed to the next Lesson: Florida LLC Articles of System.

If y'all need to hire a Florida Registered Agent Service (a Commercial Registered Amanuensis), please practise so earlier going to the side by side step.

Founder & Educator, LLC University®

Matt Horwitz has been the leading expert on LLC education for the past decade. He founded LLC University in 2010 after realizing people needed elementary and actionable instructions to start an LLC that other companies weren't offer. He's cited by Entrepreneur Magazine, Yahoo Finance, and the U.s.a. Chamber of Commerce, and was featured by CNBC and InventRight.

Matt holds a Bachelor's Degree in business organisation from Drexel University with a concentration in business organization law. He performs extensive inquiry and analysis to convert land laws into simple instructions anyone tin can follow to form their LLC - all for free! Read more about Matt Horwitz and LLC University.