Delaware requires every LLC to maintain a registered agent with a physical address in the state. Our service includes one year of Delaware registered agent in the $299 flat formation fee.
A registered agent is the person or company designated to receive official mail on behalf of your Delaware LLC. That includes two kinds of mail: service of process (lawsuits — the court papers that start a case against the LLC), and official Delaware state correspondence (annual report reminders, tax notices, dissolution warnings).
Every state requires LLCs to have one. The logic is simple: if someone wants to sue the LLC, there has to be a reliable address in Delaware where the papers can be served. If the state needs to contact the LLC, same thing.
Delaware requires a physical street address in the state — no P.O. boxes, no out-of-state addresses, no virtual offices with a mail-forwarding arrangement. The agent has to actually be there to accept service.
The agent must be present at the listed address during normal business hours to accept service of process in person.
Delaware allows the agent to be an individual over 18 who's a Delaware resident, or a business entity authorized to transact business in Delaware.
The agent's name and address must be listed in the Certificate of Formation and kept current. Change the agent by filing a change-of-agent form with the state.
Delaware LLCs pay a flat $300 annual franchise tax to the Division of Corporations, due by June 1 every year. There is no annual report for LLCs — just the tax. Delaware's Court of Chancery is the reason most venture-backed holdcos pick Delaware: a specialized business court with a deep, century-old body of case law that makes outcomes predictable.
Yes — as long as you're a Delaware resident with a physical Delaware address and you're available during business hours to accept service. There's no statute preventing it. But there are three practical reasons most founders don't:
The registered agent's address is part of the public record. Using our Dover office as your registered agent means your Delaware LLC's public-facing address is a commercial one, not your home — which is the single most common reason founders use a commercial agent.
Here's what's included in the first year with every formation:
Registered agent renewal is $119/year, opt-in. We don't store your payment method between years and we don't auto-charge. You can also change to a different commercial agent at any time, or designate yourself — we'll send you the Delaware change-of-agent form and instructions on how to file it.
Reservation takes three minutes. A formation specialist in Dover handles the rest.