New York Registered Agent
New York's Secretary of State acts as your default NY Registered Agent, which means technically you don't need a registered agent in NY. But every New York LLC must publish legal notice in two local, approved newspapers for six weeks. New York’s publication requirement can cost big bucks depending where your LLC is located.
Our office is in Albany, which has low cost publishing fees. You can save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars just by hiring us. Get more with Registered Agent Center. Registered Agent Center is the only registered agent that can provide your business services from domains to DBAs easily, and all in-house.
What Is a NY Registered Agent?
A registered agent is a person or company that you designate to receive legal mail (like service of process) on behalf of your business. Registered agent services exist to provide an official and reliable way to contact your business.
If your business is ever served with a lawsuit, the process server will deliver the paperwork directly to your registered agent. At that point, your business is legally considered served. The registered agent should then forward you your mail, quickly and securely.
Per New York's state registered agent requirements (Article 3: Section 302 for LLCs and Section 305 for corporations), registered agents are legally required in New York. At a minimum, your registered agent must list a physical address on the public record and be present at that address during business hours. But ideally, your registered agent should do more.
What Are the Legal Requirements for Registered Agents in NY?
Registered agents for New York LLCs or corporations must follow the state of New York registered agent laws:
- A NY registered agent must be a state resident or an LLC or corporation that provides registered agent services.
- New York registered agents must maintain a registered office (a physical address in New York).
- NY registered agents must accept legal documents (service of process) during regular business hours.
These laws also apply to registered agents for New York nonprofits.
How Do I Change My Registered Agent?
There are two ways to change your registered agent in New York.
- 1Hire us and we'll complete the change of agent form for you for free.
- 2Do it yourself and file a Certificate of Change form with the New York Department of State.
You'll follow these same steps for changing your registered agent for your New York corporation.
Why Registered Agent Center Is the Best Registered Agent in New York
Our New York Registered Agent Service includes the tools you need to keep your business running without a hitch. When you hire Registered Agent Center as your registered agent, you get:
A Complete Business Identity
As your registered agent, we automatically set your business up with a complete Business Identity. When you hire us, you get a domain name that matches your business name, a website hosted and secured by us. Talk to customers and vendors with a professional business email address and a separate business phone number so you can project professionalism while protecting your personal info.
Same-Day Scans
We scan your legal docs the same day we receive them and reach out if your essential mail goes unread.
Mail Forwarding
We accept and scan all your state and legal mail, and will scan up to five personal documents for free. We also offer unlimited New York Mail Forwarding.
Privacy by Default®
We list our business address on public docs to keep your personal info safe. And unlike those other guys, we never sell your data.
Corporate Guides®
Have questions? We have answers. Our guides are business experts whose sole job is to provide support for all your business questions.
Brand Protection
Keep an eye on your business name, domains, and trademarks, with built-in Brand Protection. We'll alert you to potential conflicts early, and give you simple tools to build and manage your brand all in one place.
How to Order Registered Agent Center NY Registered Agent Service
You sign up online, clicking on one of the buttons or links that says HIRE US.
We collect the first year of the registered agent service fee up front.
For new businesses, we'll become your registered agent once your business registration filing with the New York Secretary of State is complete.
About a year later, we'll send you an invoice for another year of registered agent service. If you want to keep using us, great; if you don't, you can easily cancel.
With offices in every state, we make it easy to add registered agent services anywhere in the country. We don't farm out work (or your info) to other companies—wherever you are, WE are your registered agent.
We make your account a real go-to resource for you, not just for registered agent service or paying a bill but for keeping up with New York corporate compliance.
New York Registered Agent FAQs
Why do I need a NY registered agent?
- The state requires all registered businesses to appoint one.
- The registered agent requirement exists so the general public and the NY corporations division have a reliable way to contact your business.
How much does a registered agent in New York cost?
The cost of a registered agent in New York depends on the service you use or if you decide to do it yourself. If you do it yourself, it's absolutely free except you risk your privacy and private information. At Registered Agent Center, our New York Registered Agent Service only costs $125 and has always cost that. No hidden or surprise fees.
Can I be my own registered agent in New York?
Yes, you can be your own registered agent in New York. However, after considering the registered agent requirements most business owners elect to hire a registered agent service instead. Why? Well although being your own registered agent will cost you $0, a New York registered agent's name and address becomes part of the public record. Additionally, the registered agent is required to be available to accept service of process during normal business hours five days a week.
Where is Registered Agent Center's registered office in New York?
We accept and scan all of our New York clients' documents on-site at our registered office in Albany, NY in Albany County.
Will you let me know when my NY Biennial Statement is due?
Absolutely! If you own an LLC or corporation in New York, you'll need to file your biennial statement every two years during your business's anniversary month. As part of our Registered Agent Service, we'll not only send you a reminder, but we'll give you the form you need to file and instructions on how to file it.
Can I use your New York registered office address for everything on my state business filing?
Please do! We love our New York City clients, and if we can help you save money, we want to. We're the only national registered agent service that allows our clients to list our address for everything when you're doing a filing to keep your private address off public records. If you use our Albany address, you can meet the NY LLC publishing requirement and publish in Albany newspapers instead of an expensive one in NYC.
Can I have my business's mail delivered to your New York office?
While you can use our address, we are not a return depot for online or Amazon sellers, though we'd love to accept your foosball tables. We don't want ALL of your business mail. It's not what we do. And it wouldn't serve you well. You wouldn't have a unique address or suite number. Any mail we receive on your behalf would come to Registered Agent Center, care of you.
But we understand that businesses and clients sometimes reach out to you through your registered agent. Through us. That's why we give you five FREE scans of regular business mail a year. You can request any additional documents to be forwarded at a per document rate of $15.
Do you accept Amazon Verification Cards?
As your registered agent we allow the use of our address wherever it is accepted. We want your information to be as secure as possible. However, Amazon changed their Terms of Service to start a business account and now requires additional documentation such as utility bills and more, which registered agents cannot provide.
Do I hire a registered agent before or after I start my business in New York?
The NYS Division of Corporations will reject your business registration filing if you don't designate a registered agent. As we mentioned, you may designate the Secretary of State as your agent for service of process, but there are so many benefits to choosing Registered Agent Center! You'll have a reliable registered agent, you can publish in Albany, and you'll find all the forms and instructions you need to complete your filing instantly after you place an order.
How do registered agents get served?
Serving a registered agent is legal proof that you were notified. Here is what happens when we are served with a lawsuit in NY:
- A process server, sheriff, or third party will walk into our Albany office and hand us the documents (service of process), which we sign for.
- We scan the document to your online account, immediately triggering our notification system.
- The process server then gives an affidavit (a receipt of service) to the court as confirmation that they served us.
Regardless of whether you receive the documents your New York registered agent signs for on your business's behalf, once they accept the documents, you've been notified. You need a New York registered agent you can trust.
How do I search for a registered agent?
To find a company's registered agent, you'll search New York's online database of businesses:
- Perform a New York business name search with the Department of State, Division of Corporations.
- Type in the name of the company you're searching for.
- Find the registered agent's name and registered office street address in the search results.
If you want to legally notify a business through their New York registered agent service, just send a certified letter directly to the registered agent at their registered office address.
How do I resign from being a registered agent?
In New York, to resign as a registered agent, you need to submit a Certificate of Resignation of Registered Agent to the New York Department of State. For a more detailed walkthrough, you can refer to our guide on how to resign as a registered agent in New York.
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