Every formal business in Arizona is required by law to have an Arizona statutory agent (also known as a Registered Agent). A statutory agent receives any official papers from the State of Arizona, as well as any service of process delivered on a business in a lawsuit.
What Is A Statutory Agent In Arizona?
An Arizona statutory agent is a human or corporate organisation that serves as your company’s point of contact for:
All correspondence with the State of Arizona, including the Arizona certificate of good standing
In every litigation, the company receives full service of process.
Every formal company in Arizona, such as an LLC, corporation, or partnership, is required by law to have a statutory agent.
In Arizona, may I act as my own Statutory Agent?
Yes, any owner or employee of a company may serve as its statutory agent in Arizona if they are above the age of 18 and have an Arizona street address.
You might also designate a member of your LLC or a friend you trust, as long as they match these standards as well.
Many firms, however, choose to hire a professional registered agent service.
Why Do Companies Hire an Arizona Statutory Agent?
Many firms opt to employ a registered agent service when forming an LLC for the following reasons:
Compliance
A statutory agent service keeps a compliance calendar and will notify you when yearly reports or other files are due, as well as assist you in completing them.
This helps you avoid penalties and maintains your firm in good standing, both of which are necessary to preserve your limited liability protection.
If you do not reply immediately to serving of process, legal complexities, costs, or other concerns may develop. A statutory agent will scan your papers, upload them on the internet, and tell you when they are ready.
Privacy
If you operate from home or a private office as your own statutory agent, your address will be publicly available on the Arizona Entity Search.
If your privacy is important to you, a statutory agent service will use their own address instead of yours.
Discretion
Receiving service of process for a lawsuit at your place of business may be a delicate circumstance to have in front of your staff and customers.
To circumvent this problem, a statutory agent will accept service of process and other papers in their office and deliver them to you discreetly online.
Flexibility
You must be accessible throughout all regular business hours, every working day of the year, if you are your own statutory agent.
Services provided by Statutory Agents maintain real offices and people to cover such hours so that they can be present during those times
Hiring a statutory agent service enables you to be more flexible with your working hours and locations. Take a vacation, work from home or the office, or travel the globe knowing they’ll be there to collect your documents.
Online Data Storage
A competent statutory agent service will scan your papers as soon as they arrive, preserving a digital copy of all your company documents and any services of process on a user-friendly dashboard.
If you employed an LLC creation service, you will most likely also use them as a statutory agent. This implies a copy of your formation paperwork will be accessible online as well.
Having all of this information accessible as PDFs is very beneficial when it comes to doing things for your company, such as establishing a business bank account, applying for a business credit card, applying for small business loans, and many other things that need a copy of your paperwork.
National Reach
A statutory agent is required for your foreign LLC or other organisation if you want to grow your business into other states, for as by employing an out-of-state employee or establishing a new sales office.
The majority of statutory agent services are available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Simply pay a little fee for the new state in which you operate, and they will transmit all of your paperwork to the same web dashboard.
Best Statutory Agent Service in Arizona
Hiring a statutory agent service normally costs between $50 and $300 each year. When you consider how much time it will save you, this is a little amount to pay.
How Do I Choose An Arizona Statutory Agent?
When you finish your LLC’s Articles of Organization in Arizona, you must choose your statutory agent. The Articles of Organization are the primary document used to incorporate an LLC in Arizona.
Online Statutory Agent Election
The Arizona Corporation Commission website allows you to create your LLC online ($50 filing fee needed). Your registered agent’s name and contact information will be required on the online form in the “New Statutory Agent Information” section:
Choosing a Statutory Agent through Mail
Download the Articles of Organization ($50 filing fee necessary), fill out the appropriate areas, and send a physical copy to the State of Arizona Corporate Commission Corporate Filings Section to create your LLC by mail. In the middle of page 1, under Article IV (Statutory Agent), you will be requested to supply the following information about your statutory agent:
In Arizona, how can I change my Statutory Agent?
Simply fill out a statement of change form and submit it to the Arizona Corporation Commission to alter your Arizona statutory agent. If your company is incorporated, you must complete the Corporation Statement of Change form. File the LLC Statement of Change form if it is an LLC.
The company form has no filing charge. The filing fee for the LLC form is $5, which may be paid by credit card, cheque, money order, or cash. Cash payments are only accepted for in-person submissions.
A cover page and a completed Statutory Agent Acceptance form must accompany the Statement of Change.
These papers may be submitted either by mail or in person
Whether via mail or in person:
Corporation Commission of Arizona
Division of Corporations – Examination Section
1300 West Washington Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
Appointment Consent
Your new statutory agent must also provide written permission to their appointment. The Statutory Agent Acceptance form may be used for this. The following information must be included on this form:
Name of the company
Name of the statutory agent
Signature of a statutory agent
Whether the statutory agent is a person or a legal organisation
This form must be filed with the Arizona Corporation Commission along with the Statement of Change. The Statement of Change will be rejected if there is no acceptance form.
There is no additional filing fee for the acceptance form, and it can be submitted by mail or in person.
Corporation Commission of Arizona
Division of Corporations – Examination Section
1300 West Washington Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85007