Oregon Registered Agents: How, Why, and When to Get One

What is a registered agent and what do they do?

A registered agent is a person or company that a business owner designates to receive mail on the business' behalf. In Oregon, a registered agent is required by law for all LLCs, corporations, and nonprofits. The Oregon registered agent must be available during business hours at the listed physical address.

Registered agents can:

• Receive important mail for a business 
• Provide a business with a physical address

An Oregon registered agent can be the business owner, an employee of the business, or you can hire a professional company that acts as your registered agent. Professional registered agents may also provide you with additional business services.

Extra services offered by registered agent services

If you choose to hire a professional registered agent instead of acting as your own registered agent, you can expect them to provide additional business services that can be helpful.

Those services might include:

• Document scanning. When documents are received, the registered agent should scan or digitize them so you can view what was sent to you.
• Mail forwarding. When mail is received at your registered agent address, they should forward it to you. A mail forwarding business might mail the physical copy or digitize the mail and send it via email.
• Time-sensitive mail alerts. A registered agent address is important because your business might receive time-sensitive or legal mail that must be dealt with quickly. You’ll want to hire a registered agent who can send alerts efficiently so you never miss a thing.
• Virtual mailboxes. Some registered agent services offer virtual mailboxes. This allows mail to be sent to a physical address, digitized, and sent to your email address. This means you can access your mail from anywhere in the world.
• Junk mail filtering. Every mailbox receives junk mail. Some services offer to filter out junk mail so you never have to see it.

Professional registered agent services offer a variety of packages and price points so you can find just the right services for your business at the price you are able to afford.

What are the legal requirements for an Oregon registered agent?

According to state law, an Oregon registered agent must:

• Be a state resident or company that provides registered agent services
• Maintain a physical address in Oregon
• Be available to receive legal documents during normal business hours

If your registered agent cannot be reached, the process server will serve the documents to the Oregon Secretary of State. It’s possible that those documents won’t be forwarded to you and you may never find out that your business is faced with litigation. It’s important to maintain a proper registered agent so that doesn’t happen.

Why should you hire an Oregon registered agent?

Oregon state law requires that all businesses list a registered agent. While you, as the business owner, can act as your own registered agent, there are a lot of benefits to hiring a professional registered agent.

Legal compliance

The first and most important reason to have a registered agent in Oregon is because it is legally required. If you do not appoint a registered agent, the state of Oregon will dissolve your business.

If you operate a business in Oregon but don’t live there, hiring a professional registered agent is a way to get a local address without renting or purchasing real estate.

A registered agent, whether that’s you or a professional service, must be available during business hours to receive legal paperwork. While the law doesn’t state the defined business hours, it’s typically understood to mean Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Extra authority for your business

Hiring a registered agent service can add a veneer of professionalism to your business. It gives you a registered office address to list on your website, business cards, and any other promotional material. It shows your customers that you are committed to your business. 

Privacy

For many small business owners, the only physical street address they have is their home address. Many owners don’t want their addresses to be listed publicly as part of their business. To increase your privacy, you can hire a registered agent and use their mailing address as your own.

Separation between your business and personal life

In addition to privacy, you may want to keep a firm line dividing your business and personal life. Using your home address for your registered agent address would blur that line. Hiring a registered agent can help you maintain the division between your business life and personal life.

Added services and benefits

Registered agent services are more than just an address where you receive mail. They also offer a variety of services, such as mail forwarding, junk mail sorting, and virtual mail service.

Who should hire a professional registered agent?

There are a number of reasons that business owners hire a professional registered agent. If you want privacy, convenience, professionalism, and a division between your business and personal lives, those are all reasons you might hire a registered agent.

While you can act as your own registered agent, it could add stress to your business life or make your home address publicly accessible if you don’t have a physical business office where you transact business.

Most registered agent services are affordable, with different levels of packages so you can find something that fits your needs and budget.

How to hire an Oregon registered agent

Hiring a registered agent is simple. Your first step is to find a service that you respect and has offerings that are at the right price point for your business.

LegalZoom offers registered agent services which include:

• Notifications when mail is received
• Scanned documents accessible from anywhere
• Unlimited cloud storage
• Email reminders for annual report deadlines

To get started using LegalZoom’s service, you’ll need to share your business name and some contact information. Once you provide that information, we will file the necessary paperwork with your state to become your business’s registered agent.

FAQs

Can you change registered agents?

Yes, you can change registered agents. Whether you want to switch to or from a professional service, you’re able to change your registered agent at any time. 

In Oregon, if you would like to change registered agents, the first step is for the current registered agent to resign. This can be done by mailing a letter to the Corporation Division at the Oregon Secretary of State. 

Secretary of State

Corporation Division

255 Capitol St. NE, Suite 151

Salem, OR 97310-1327

Once your current registered agent has resigned, you then need to designate a new registered agent. You can do this by notifying the same division of the secretary of state’s office.

Should you be your own registered agent?

The biggest considerations when deciding whether or not to be your own registered agent is your level of comfort with your address being part of the public record and being available during business hours in case legal paperwork is delivered.

Some business owners choose to be their own registered agents to save money, but this can increase their time spent working on the business, blur the lines between business and personal lives, and add stress. 

Should you hire a registered agent before forming your LLC?

In Oregon, you will need to list your registered agent when filing your limited liability company paperwork and forming your business. It is more efficient to sign up for a professional registered agent service prior to filling out this paperwork. Some Oregon registered agent services also provide business registration or can fill out the registered agent paperwork for you.

What happens if I don’t have a registered agent in Oregon?

Having a registered agent is required by Oregon law. If you don’t have a registered agent, the state can dissolve your business. You will no longer be able to legally operate your business in the state. If your business is a foreign business entity or foreign corporation, then you will no longer be able to do business in the state of Oregon.

Can I use a P.O. Box for my registered agent address?

No, you cannot use post office boxes for your registered agent address. The address you use for your registered agent must be a physical street address where a person is present during normal business hours. This ensures the necessary legal paperwork can be properly delivered.