Louisiana Registered Agent (& Registered Agent Services)

What is a Louisiana Registered Agent & is it Necessary?

An LLC cannot be formed or do business in Louisiana without first having a registered agent on file with the Secretary of State. This is required by law and the penalties can be serious. Maintaining a registered agent doesn’t just keep you in good standing. It also provides an important service.

Think of your registered agent as your ambassador to the state, handling all your LLC’s important legal, tax, and compliance information. This can either be an individual, company or registered agent service, as long as they meet the state’s requirements (see below) and consent to take on agent duties.

As soon as they’re appointed, your registered agent must be consistently available in Louisiana to receive and act on mailed documents and service of process. Here’s what the Secretary of State specifically says:

And make sure you have a valid registered agent on file at all times, because any LLC that goes more than 60 days without a valid agent will be administratively dissolved by the state.

What are the Requirements of a Registered Agent?

Louisiana doesn’t have a long list of restrictions for registered agent appointments, which means the door is open for you to use any number of different options. However, any agent you use must:

• Be a Louisiana resident or a business entity authorized to do business in the state.
• Have a physical address in Louisiana (no P.O. boxes allowed).
• Have a mailing address in Louisiana.
• Not be the LLC itself. However, you can appoint one of the LLC’s managers or members.

To make your registered agent appointment official, you will need to include the agent’s information on your Initial Report, which must be submitted with your Articles of Organization. Here’s what you will see on the form:

When you’ve got potential options for your registered agent, review each one to make sure that they meet these requirements. If they do, you’re good to go! If not, you’ll need to keep looking.

Who can be a Registered Agent in Louisiana?

Louisiana’s registered agent requirements are pretty broad, so you’ll have no shortage of options. On top of that, your agent can be either an individual or a professional service. But think carefully before choosing, because each option has its own pros and cons. Let’s take a closer look.

Individual

You may choose to appoint a single person as your registered agent. Some LLC owners take on registered agent duties themselves. Others appoint one of their partners or managers. Some will even appoint a family member. As long as the proposed agent fulfills the state’s requirements, they’re a valid option.

In addition to being a Louisiana resident, your agent must not currently be establishing residency or receiving benefits in another state, even if that residency is still forthcoming.

Some smart registered agent choices include attorneys, accountants, or other LLC partners, people who understand the ins and outs of business operations. 

Pros

• Convenience – Having familiarity and mutual trust with your registered agent is extremely beneficial, and appointing an acquaintance can provide both. Plus, you’ll always know how to contact them.
• Cost – Hiring someone you know often won’t cost a dime. It’s certainly cheaper than a professional service.

Cons

• Scheduling – Part of a registered agent’s duty is being consistently available to receive mailed documents and service of process. If your agent goes on vacation or moves out of state, it will throw a wrench in your plans.
• Punctuality Risks – Some state communications and filings are very time-sensitive. If your agent is unavailable when documents are delivered, it could slow down the entire process and put you at risk for late fees and penalties. Even worse, a friend or family member could lose or misplace a document. So if you’d rather not interrogate Aunt Louise about the location of a particular tax form, you might consider using a registered agent service instead.

Registered Agent Service

If safety and reliability is your goal, hire a registered agent service. A business acting as your registered agent must be either a domestic entity in Louisiana or a foreign entity who has foreign qualified in Louisiana.

Pros

• Privacy – Some documents delivered to your registered agent will contain sensitive information. Do you want details about your lawsuit or taxes lost out there in the world? Definitely not. A friend or family member might misplace these documents, but a professional service will not. Plus, in Louisiana, all registered agent names and addresses are available to the public. This might make an individual uncomfortable, but hiring a company will keep this personal information off the record.
• Reliability – Handling and processing time-sensitive documents is a registered agent service’s specialty, its area of expertise, its main game. Hire a professional service and you can be sure that your filings will be submitted properly and punctually, so you’ll never have to deal with late fees or other penalties.
• Location – Many registered agent companies offer service in most or all 50 states, so if business is booming and you decide to expand outside Louisiana, you won’t need to find a new agent for each state.

Cons

• Cost – There’s no getting around it – hiring a service costs more than appointing an individual who’s willing to do it for free. However, for a reasonable price (roughly $100/year), you’ll receive premium services. Taking your car to a mechanic costs more than letting your neighbor try to fix it, but the mechanic gives you peace of mind that the job will get done right, and that may very well be worth the cost.

All of the other steps in the LLC formation process will keep you busy, but take some time to ensure you find a registered agent that fits with your business model, goals, and values. Do this, and your LLC will reap the benefits for years to come.

Registered Agent Changes and Resignation

You may have a wonderful registered agent, someone who takes care of everything efficiently and who you trust completely. But you know what they say: all good things must come to an end. At some point in the life of your LLC, you may need to change your Louisiana registered agent.

The quickest way to make this change is through the geauxBIZ filing portal. Just select “File Amendment,” then “Statement of Change,” and input your updated information. If you live in Ascension, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Lafayette, Livingston, Orleans, Ouachita, Rapides, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa or Terrebonne, you must submit your filings online. If not, you can instead mail a Change of Registered Agent form to:

Secretary of State, Commercial Division

P.O. Box 94125

Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125

Either method requires a $25 fee as well, so have that payment ready when you file.

There are a number of reasons you might need to file this change, but the most common is a registered agent’s resignation.

Your registered agent isn’t required to notify the LLC before resigning, but this doesn’t mean you’ll be suddenly agentless. Any resigning agent must retain his or her duties for 31 days after submitting an official resignation. So, you’ll have adequate time to line up a replacement.

But even with this month-long window, don’t slack off in finding a successor! If your LLC goes more than 60 days without a registered agent on file, it will be administratively dissolved.

Have Questions or Concerns?

This guide contains almost everything there is to know about Louisiana registered agents. However, you might have a unique situation that requires additional information. Reaching out to the Louisiana Secretary of State is easy, and they’ll have the answers you need. Here’s how to go about it:

Visit Their Website

The Secretary of State’s Commercial Division website has a bunch more information concerning registered agents and the rest of the LLC formation process. You might find this FAQ page particularly helpful.

Give Them a Call

If you’d prefer to call, you can reach out to their Baton Rouge office at (225) 925-4704.