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What is an Oregon Registered Agent?
A Oregon Registered Agent is a person or company who agrees to accept legal documents and notices on behalf of your Oregon LLC.
Legal mail (called Service of Process) is sent if your LLC is involved in a lawsuit. Additionally, the state may send notices and reminders to your LLC’s Registered Agent.
Special offer: Hire Northwest to form your LLC ($39 + state fee), and you'll get a free year of Registered Agent service.
(Why is Northwest the best? Read our Northwest Registered Agent review)
Oregon Registered Agents should be available during normal business hours (9am – 5pm), Monday through Friday.
And the Registered Agent for your LLC in Oregon must have a physical street address in Oregon. PO Box addresses aren’t allowed.
Additionally, Oregon has strict rules around the use of Commercial Mail Receiving Agencies (CMRAs) and Private Mailboxes (PMBs). In short, you cannot use these addresses for your Oregon LLC’s Registered Agent address. The state runs all addresses through a USPS database verification. And if the Oregon Secretary of State catches you using one, they can shut down your LLC.
Note: Most states use the term “Registered Agent”, but some use the terms “Resident Agent” or “Statutory Agent”. They all mean the same thing and we may use these terms interchangeably.
Does Oregon require a Registered Agent?
Yes, Oregon requires all business entities to list a Registered Agent on their LLC formation paperwork. And they must keep a Registered Agent on file with the Oregon Secretary of State for the life of the LLC.
Why do I need a Registered Agent in Oregon?
The purpose of a Registered Agent is to accept Service of Process in case your business gets sued. And the court needs proof that your LLC received the legal documents.
That’s why each business entity (like a Limited Liability Company or Corporation) must have a Registered Agent on file with the state.
Said another way, your LLC’s Registered Agent is a key component of how the court and legal systems work. By requiring all Oregon LLCs to keep a Registered Agent on file with the state, the delivery of court documents can be properly tracked.
Who can be my Registered Agent in Oregon?
You actually have 3 options for who can be your Oregon Registered Agent:
- yourself
- a friend or family member
- an Oregon Registered Agent Service
You can save money by being the Registered Agent for your LLC, but there are some risks.
What are the risks of being my own Registered Agent in Oregon?
The risks of being your own Oregon Registered Agent are:
- missing an important notice from the state
- administrative dissolution
- missing Service of Process (and potential legal consequences)
These issues are more likely to occur if you:
- move and forget to update your address with the state
- travel or leave town for extended periods of time
- don’t have a reliable physical address
- don’t keep up with your mail
We’ll explain a few of these risks below.
Missing an important notice from the state
Your business needs to promptly receive all important notices sent by the Oregon Secretary of State or any other state agency.
Notices sent by state agencies often have actions that your LLC must take by a certain deadline. And in some cases, there are penalties and fees if you miss those deadlines.
Administrative Dissolution
If you are the Registered Agent for your LLC, and you move without updating your Registered Agent address, the Oregon Secretary of State can dissolve (shut down) your LLC.
To clarify, the state isn’t looking over your LLC every single day, so this potential administrative dissolution won’t automatically happen if you don’t update your Registered Agent information.
However, if the state finds out that your Registered Agent address isn’t up-to-date, and they can’t reach you, then they could shut down your LLC.
Default Judgment
If there is a lawsuit against your LLC, a process server will make multiple attempts to serve your LLC (deliver the court documents).
However, if they are unable to serve your LLC in person, Service of Process can be made another way (like through Certified Mail). This can mean the court notices and/or documents were “delivered” to you, even if you didn’t physically receive them.
Then the person suing your LLC can argue their case without you being there to defend your LLC. In these situations, the person suing your LLC usually wins and the court enters a default judgment against your business.
Contempt of Court
If there is a lawsuit that involves your LLC, the parties might serve your business with a subpoena. The subpoena may ask you to testify in a hearing, or to produce records.
If you don’t respond to the subpoena, you can be held in contempt of court. This can lead to fines, or the court can issue a bench warrant. This means the sheriff can come seize the records or force you to show up in court.
So should I be my own Oregon Registered Agent?
You certainly can. While there are risks of being your own Registered Agent in Oregon, they don’t come up very often. And you can save money by being your own Oregon Registered Agent.
Having said that, hiring a professional Registered Agent Service can provide additional benefits, such as address privacy.
Registered Agent Information is Public Record in Oregon
While you (or a friend or family member) can be your LLC’s Registered Agent, you may not want to have a home address listed on public record.
The information you enter in your Articles of Organization (including the Registered Agent’s address) becomes public record with the Oregon Secretary of State.
Not only is this information searchable by the public, but other websites download the state’s records and republish them on their own website. Then things begin to spread as other public record websites take that same information and list it on their websites too (and the process repeats itself).
Pretty soon your address is listed on many websites and people can easily find it by doing a Google search.
If you’d like to keep your own address off public records, we have a strategy for this.
How to keep your address off public records:
Many business owners in Oregon start businesses from their homes. So you should be aware that the Registered Agent’s address on your LLC Articles of Organization gets listed on public records.
If you want to keep your address off public records, you can hire an Oregon Registered Agent Service that will allow you to use their Registered Office address throughout your Articles of Organization.
Northwest Registered Agent offers this unique service at no additional cost.
There are many Oregon Registered Agents out there, but we have found Northwest to be the best Registered Agent Service available.
What’s the best Oregon Registered Agent option to choose?
Choosing the best Oregon Registered Agent option for your business depends on a few factors.
You:
You can be your own Registered Agent in Oregon if:
- you are a resident of Oregon, and
- you have a physical street address in Oregon.
You also should be comfortable with your address being listed on public records.
Why choose this option? This is a good option to choose if you want to save money (since you won’t need to hire an Oregon Registered Agent Service).
Friend or Family:
A friend or family member can be your Oregon Registered Agent if:
- they are a resident of Oregon, and
- they have a physical address in Oregon
They also should be comfortable with their address being listed on public records.
Why choose this option? This is a good option to choose if you aren’t a resident of Oregon, but want to save money (since you won’t need to hire an Oregon Registered Agent Service).
Oregon Registered Agent Service:
A Oregon Registered Agent Service (aka Commercial Registered Agent) is a company that specializes in receiving mail and Service of Process for your LLC.
Oregon Registered Agent Services usually charge $100 to $300 per year. After they receive mail for your LLC, they’ll forward it to you or upload it to your online account.
Why choose this option? This is a good option to choose if you:
- don’t live in Oregon
- don’t have a friend or family member’s address to use
- won’t be available during normal business hours to receive mail, or
- don’t want your address listed in the Articles of Organization
If you’d like to hire a Registered Agent Service, the company we recommend is Northwest Registered Agent.
Northwest Registered Agent
Northwest Registered Agent is our personal recommendation (and the Registered Agent Service we use) for a few reasons:
- they’ve been in business for over 20 years
- their customer service agents are LLC experts, and
- they let you use their address in your entire LLC filing (to keep yours off public record)
Special discounted pricing for LLC University readers
Northwest usually charges $100 + state fees to form an LLC. However, we’ve negotiated a discounted rate (60% off) for LLC University® readers.
Special offer: Hire Northwest to form your LLC ($39 + state fee), and you'll get a free year of Registered Agent service.
(Why is Northwest the best? Read our Northwest Registered Agent review)
Oregon Registered Agent FAQs
How much does a Registered Agent cost in Oregon?
If you (or a friend or family member) will be your Registered Agent, there is no cost.
If you want to hire a Registered Agent Service, it will cost between $100 and $300 per year.
What is the best Registered Agent Service in Oregon?
We’ve reviewed the top Registered Agent Services in the industry and think the best Registered Agents in Oregon are:
- Northwest Registered Agent
- Our #1 recommendation for privacy
- ZenBusiness
- MyCompanyWorks
- Harbor Compliance
- IncFile
- Rocket Lawyer
- LegalZoom
To learn more about how these companies compare against each other, check out Best Registered Agent Services in Oregon.
Note: If you want to save money, you can be the Registered Agent for your Oregon LLC.
Can I be my own Registered Agent in Oregon?
Yes, you can be your own Registered Agent in Oregon if you are resident of the state and you have a physical street address.
Check out Can I be my own Registered Agent in Oregon for more details.
Can a family member be a Registered Agent in Oregon?
Yes, a family member can be your Registered Agent in Oregon, if they meet the legal requirements.
To be your Registered Agent, your family member must have a physical address in Oregon. (PO Boxes aren’t allowed). And they must be available at that address during normal business hours.
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References
Oregon LLC Act, Section 63.111
Oregon Secretary of State: Registered Agents & Service of Process
Matt holds a Bachelor's Degree in business from Drexel University with a concentration in business law. He performs extensive research and analysis to convert state laws into simple instructions anyone can follow to form their LLC - all for free! Read more about Matt Horwitz and LLC University.
Hello Matt,
I am wondering if I start a business in partnership with another person, do we both need to be on the forms as the registered agent, or just one of us? Secondly, is there any benefit for both of us vs. just having one person?
Great question Michael. There is just one person (or company) that would be listed as the LLC’s Registered Agent, not two.
Hi Matt,
My home is in WA and the business address will be in Oregon. Can I be my own registered agent at the business address? Some places say the registered agent must be an Oregon resident.
Thanks much.
Ruth O.
Hi Ruth, as per the Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) section 63.111: “(2) A registered agent must be: (a) An individual who resides in this state and whose business office is identical to the registered office;“. Said another way, listing yourself as Registered Agent won’t get your filing rejected, but it would be against the LLC laws in Oregon. Hope that helps.
Dear Sir,
My name is Kim Trang and I live in Vietnam.
I planing to open an LLC in Portland, Oregon, US. This LLC focuss on medical device and will buy products from one company in Portland, then export into Vietnam. So, I have 3 questions relate to the tax that:
1. How many kind of tax will my company has to file ?
2. How much is the tax rate for LLC income and owner’s personal tax ?
3. How much is the sale tax of export products and export tax of export products?
And in the same case, if I open the coorperation in Portland, what tax will be file?
Thank you so much !
KT
Hi Kim, we are not an accounting firm and taxes vary widely, especially for non-US residents. You’ll need to speak with an accountant who specializes in working with foreigners who have US tax filing requirements.