Vermont Foreign Registration / Agent for service
The Vermont agent for service of process, for a foreign LLC
A statement of change replaces the agent for $35, and every foreign LLC registered in Vermont needs an agent for service of process who is an individual resident of Vermont or a business organization that has a place of business in Vermont and is authorized to conduct business there. We can serve as the agent, and any qualified person you pick works just as well.
The requirement
The statute asks for the name, email and address of an individual resident of Vermont or a business organization that has a place of business in Vermont and is authorized to conduct business there. The person who designates the agent attests that the agent consents.
Agent filings and their fees
| Event | Filing | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Replacing the agent, or its address | Statement of change | $35 |
| Change of designated office | Statement of change | $35 |
| Agent resigns | Statement of resignation | No fee |
| Service of process filing, LLC | Service of process | $35 |
Filing a resignation is free.
Changing the agent
On the mechanics, a company changes its agent for service of process, or the agent's email or address, solely by filing a statement of change with its current agent information. When the agent itself moves or renames, the company must report it inside 30 days, or revocation can start.
When the agent resigns
The rule here: an agent resigns by delivering a statement of resignation to the Secretary of State and to the business, and the agency ends 30 days after the statement is filed or when a statement of change naming a new agent takes effect, whichever comes first.
Going without one
Having no agent for service of process is among the grounds for revoking an LLC's certificate. Name the replacement before the old agent's authority ends: the agency ends 30 days after a resignation is filed, unless a statement of change naming a new agent takes effect first.
Who qualifies, in plain terms
Two kinds of agent qualify: a person who lives in Vermont, or a business that keeps an office here and is authorized to operate. A company with no Vermont presence of its own therefore looks for a local resident or a local business willing to serve.
When the agent's own details change
An agent that changes its name, email or address can file a bulk statement of change that updates every business it serves. The Secretary of State collects a separate filing fee for each business whose record is amended.
The designated office and the agent are separate
The designated office and the agent for service of process are separate items. The office is changed by a statement of change under the LLC chapter, and the agent by a statement of change under the agent statute. Both cost $35.
How revocation ties in
Two reasons the state may revoke a foreign LLC's certificate concern the agent: the company has none, or the company let 30 days go by after the agent changed name or address without reporting that. Even then, the notice of revocation is filed by the Secretary of State and copied to the agent for service of process, and it states an effective date at least 60 days after the copy is sent.
Corporations
A foreign corporation names a registered office in Vermont and a registered agent at that office, and it changes them with a statement of change for $25.
What we offer
Our firm can be your Vermont agent, though you may appoint anyone qualified. Whoever it is, the name and address are entered on the application.
Agent questions
Who may act as the agent?
An individual resident of Vermont or a business organization that has a place of business in Vermont and is authorized to conduct business there.
What does replacing the agent cost?
$35 for a statement of change.
Can an agent change its own address?
Yes, including by a bulk statement that covers every business it serves.
Does the agent have to consent?
Yes. The company attests to it when it designates the agent.
What are the grounds for revocation that involve the agent?
No agent on record, or an unreported change of agent name or address after 30 days.
Does the agent have to be an individual?
No. A business that keeps a Vermont office and is authorized to operate here also qualifies.
What does resigning cost?
Nothing.
What you pay
Register in Vermont
- Your Vermont application, drafted from a short questionnaire
- Your home certificate, ordered so its date is still good on filing day
- A Vermont agent for service of process, from us or of your own choosing
- The certificate of authority Vermont issues, sent on to you
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
$199
+ $155 Vermont fee
Register in Vermont$155 is Vermont's fee for an LLC. Other entity types pay different amounts; the cost page lists them. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Sources
- Vermont Secretary of State, fees and statutes
- 11 V.S.A. 4112, application for certificate of authority
- Vermont Secretary of State, foreign registration
- 11A V.S.A. 15.03, application for certificate of authority
- 11 V.S.A. 4008 and 4009, change and resignation of agent
- 11 V.S.A. 1655, designation of agent for service of process
- 11 V.S.A. 4117, revocation of certificate of authority
Working in Vermont already?
Order today and the filing goes in before more days pile up on the penalty meter.