What is a registered agent? What address should be used for my business filing?
Last updated: October 28, 2025
What is a registered agent?
A registered agent is a person or company that is on your business filing. This person or company will be the point of contact in the state you filed your business in. They are tasked with receiving legal and state documents, service of process, and any other important documents on behalf of the company.
Can I be my own registered agent?
Yes. However you must be open during regular business hours to receive important documents. Sometimes folks prefer to use a third party who will be available to receive mail on their behalf.
Who else can be the registered agent?
A business owner may list someone else they know who has a physical address in that state, if the other person agrees to it. The person must be over 18 years of age and be available during regular business hours.
A client can hire a commercial registered agent service. These companies exist in every state and usually charge a monthly or yearly fee ($60-$300 anually).
What about the other address on the filing like the principal place of business? How does the registered agent relate?
Oregon and Washington law allow you to use a commercial registered agent as the principal address on your business registration. This is helpful if you want to protect your privacy. You may also use the registered agent address for the mailing address, and this will direct all important correspondence from the Secretary of State to your registered agent, who will promptly pass it along to you.
Two things to keep in mind:
While the mailing address can be a PO Box or UPS store or other type of virtual office, you absolutely cannot use a virtual office address as your registered agent address. The Secretary of State keeps a list of mailbox rentals and virtual offices and is likely to reject your filing.
You should only use your commercial registered agent address for the Secretary of State listing! Do not direct mail or other correspondence there, such as your bank statements or insurance policy documents, because the registered agent is hired only to accept legal documents and important documents from state and local governments (like the secretary of state) and they will charge extra for "regular" mail.
If you are a client of the firm, Rational Unicorn offers commerical registered agent services. If you have more questions or would like to schedule a no cost 20 minute consult, please contact us.