District Of Columbia Registered Agent
When you choose Northwest as your Washington DC Registered Agent, you get instant service, Privacy by Default®, a business address, and free mail forwarding. And if you want more, you can get a domain name, website, email, and phone number for free. Want to learn more about what a registered agent does in the District of Columbia? We'll explain the DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection's requirements, what your registered agent should do for you, and how to change your registered agent in Washington DC.
When You Want More
$125 a Year Every Year
Northwest is the choice of professionals for registered agent service.
- Same-Day Scans, Instant Notifications
- Privacy by Default®
- Business Address & Free Mail Forwarding
- Free Domain, Website, Email & Business Phone
What Is A Washington DC Registered Agent?
A Washington DC registered agent is a person or company that you designate to receive legal mail (like service of process) on behalf of your business. Registered agents exist to provide an official and reliable way to contact your business.
If your business is ever served with a lawsuit, the process server will deliver the paperwork directly to your registered agent. At that point, your business is legally considered “served.” The registered agent should then forward you your mail, quickly and securely.
What Are Legal Requirements for DC Registered Agents?
Per District statutes (DCOC § 29-104), registered agents are legally required in Washington DC. Registered agents must:
- Be a listed on a statement of appointment, which is done at the time of a business filing.
- Be a DC resident or a company that provides registered agent services.
- Maintain a registered office (a physical address in Washington DC).
- Accept legal documents (service of process) during normal business hours.
At a minimum, your registered agent must meet the above requirements. But ideally, your registered agent should do more.
How Do I Change My Washington DC Registered Agent?
Changing your registered agent is a straightforward process:
- File a Statement of Change of Registered Agent form with the Washington DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP).
- If you place an order with us, the form will be available instantly. We’ll even pay and file the change of agent filing for you.
- It’s a simple change, but for more info, see our guide on how to change your registered agent in Washington DC.
Why Northwest Is The Best Registered Agent in DC
Our Washington DC Registered Agent Service includes the tools you need to keep your business running without a hitch. When you hire Northwest as your registered agent, you get:
- Same-Day Scans: We scan your legal docs the same day we receive them and reach out if your essential mail goes unread.
- Privacy by Default®: We list our business address on public docs to keep your personal info safe. And unlike those other guys, we never sell your data.
- Corporate Guides®: Have questions? We have answers. Our guides are business experts whose sole job is to provide support for all your business questions.
And if you want more? Add free trials of any of these options at checkout:
- Domain Name: Choose a domain name from a list of popular extensions (like .com and .net).
- Website: We provide a pre-built business website, customizable using an open source platform.
- Business Email Address: Create up to 10 business email addresses of your choosing. They’ll end in your domain name for branding ease.
- Phone Number: Keep your personal line private by using a business phone number for client communications.
How to Order Washington DC Registered Agent Service
You sign up online, clicking on one of the buttons or links that says “HIRE US.”
We’ll become your Washington DC registered agent service after you make your business registration filing with the District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection
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We collect the first year of the registered agent service fee up front.
About a year later, we’ll send you an invoice for another year of Washington DC registered agent service. If you want to keep using us, great; if you don’t, you can easily cancel.
We make it easy to add registered agent services in other states.
We make your account a real go-to resource for you, not just for Washington DC registered agent service or paying a bill, but for keeping up with Washington DC corporate paperwork formalities like the biennial report.
Get a Registered Agent Today!
Get StartedWashington DC Registered Agent FAQs
- State law requires all legitimate, registered businesses to appoint one.
- The secretary of state will reject your business filing if you don’t appoint a registered agent.
- A registered agent requirement gives the public and the state a reliable way to contact your business.
Yes, you can be your own registered agent in Washington DC. However, after considering the registered agent requirements most business owners elect to hire a registered agent service instead. Why? Well although being your own registered agent will cost you $0, a Washington DC registered agent’s name and address become part of the public record. Additionally, the registered agent is required to be available to accept service of process during normal business hours 5 days a week.
Absolutely! If you own an LLC or corporation in Washington DC, you’ll need to file your Washington DC biennial report every other year (April 1). As part of our registered agent service, we’ll not only send you a reminder, but we’ll give you the form you need to file and show you how to file it.
Absolutely! We’re the only national registered agent service that allows our clients to list our address for everything when you’re doing a filing to keep your private address private and off public record.
- We don’t want ALL of your business mail. It’s not what we do. And it wouldn’t serve you well. You wouldn’t have unique address or suite number. Any mail we receive on your behalf would come to to Northwest Registered Agent, care of you.But we understand that businesses and clients sometimes reach out to you through your registered agent. Through us. That’s why we give you 5 FREE scans of regular business mail a year. You can request any additional documents to be forwarded at a per document rate of $15.
Yes, you should sign up for registered agent service first. The Washington DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) will reject your business registration filing if you don’t have a registered agent. You can find all the forms and instructions you need to complete your filing instantly after you hire us.
This is how it works:
- A process server, county sheriff, or third party will walk into our office and hand us the documents (service of process), then we sign for them.
- The process server then gives an affidavit (a receipt of service) to the court as confirmation that they “served” us.
Note: Regardless of whether or not you receive the documents your Washington DC registered agent signs for on your business’ behalf, once they accept the documents, you’ve been legally notified. This is a serious responsibility that we do not take lightly. Serving a registered agent is legal proof that you were notified. If you hire Northwest, long before the server submits their affidavit to the court, you will have received your documents because we scan them into your account within minute of signing for the documents.
- Do a District of Columbia business name search.
- Type in the name of the company you’re searching for.
- In the results, you’ll find the registered agent’s name and registered office street address.
If you want to legally notify a business through their Washington DC registered agent service, send a letter through certified mail and address it to the registered agent name and registered office address.
Yes, the FCC requires most telecommunication providers to list a Washington DC agent for service of process on FCC form 499‑A. Your DC agent accepts service of process and official notices for the company in the nation’s capital. Check out our FCC License page for information on the requirement and how we can help.
In the District of Columbia, to resign as a registered agent, you need to submit two copies of the Statement of Registered Agent’s Resignation with the District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP).
For a more detailed walkthrough, you can refer to our guide on how to resign as a registered agent in Washington DC.