GEORGIA REGISTERED AGENT OFFICE
Why are there resident agents in the first place?
Long ago, you just tended the farm and paid your taxes to the lord of the land. Eventually, economies evolved, new business forms like corporations and limited liability companies emerged. These various company structures were created to provide tax advantages and protect business owners from liabilities. Entities are given stature that is separated from the people who put them together. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for people to work out that they could dodge legal actions by personally hiding from process servers. So, to get rid of that loophole, most Secretaries of State compel business owners to designate a “registered agent.”
What are the restrictions or requirements I should know about my statutory agent?
There are few restrictions concerning who can be your registered agent here in Georgia. In particular, the entity or person acting as your registered agent needs to be available and located at a physical street address within the state of Georgia during typical business hours. They will be responsible to accept all tax-related and legal documents, annual report forms, litigation (service of process) documents, etc., on your behalf. It is crucial that you appoint a reliable company, such as RegisteredAgentOffice.com when you’re choosing your registered agent.
How can having a registered agent help my business?
First and foremost, having our registered agent service keeps your business in conformity to Georgia state law. In addition, we accept and scan any legal notice, service of process, letter, or annual report received into your client account locally in Georgia. You receive instantaneous notification of any documents scanned into your Georgia resident agent online account.
As an added Georgia registered agent service, we also keep track of your State annual report due date and email you reminders with do-it-yourself links to file your report on time with the Secretary of State.
What qualities should I be looking for when selecting a registered agent?
Solid Background: You want to hire a registered agent who is competent at what they’re doing, who’s been performing the duties of a registered agent for many years and has a good reputation.
Reliability: You need to be able to depend on your registered agent. You should be able to trust that they will fulfill their responsibilities and be accessible during regular business hours to receive service of process and other legal paperwork.
Reputation: Your registered agent must have a reputation for forwarding service of process and legal paperwork in a reliable and timely manner. If they accept legal documents on your behalf and don’t deliver them to you, your business could end up with a ruling against you in court without even knowing your company is involved in a lawsuit.
Consumer Relations: Let’s say you have a question about or you need to clarify some aspect of your business as it relates to the State. You don’t want to discuss it with a person reading off a script in a call center in some foreign country, you want to chat with a customer service rep who actually knows a thing or two about business registered agent service in Georgia.
Optional Services: Besides basic registered agent service (by accepting your legal documents), check to see if your registered agent offers more services like: Customized paperwork for state filings, email reminders for important filing deadlines and due dates, tools that will keep your company in good standing with the state.