Iowa Resident Agent Service

Why Iowa requires a resident agent

An Iowa corporation's agent must be an individual who lives in Iowa and whose business office matches the registered office, or a corporation or eligible entity, domestic or foreign, whose business office is also identical, and a foreign entity must be registered in Iowa. Iowa's LLC Act sets a looser test: the agent only needs a place of business located in Iowa, as Iowa Code § 489.115(2) provides. Iowa Code § 490.501(1)(b)

What happens if you lapse

• An Iowa corporation may be dissolved administratively when it has gone 60 days or more with no resident agent or registered office, or has let 60 days pass without telling the Secretary of State about an agent change, resignation, or office discontinuance, subject to a 60-day cure window after notice (Iowa Code § 490.1421). Iowa Code § 490.1420
• The same grounds appear in the LLC Act, so an LLC may be dissolved administratively after 60 days or more without a resident agent, or with an agent lacking an Iowa place of business, or for not giving 60-day notice of agent changes. Iowa Code § 489.708
• A registered foreign corporation can have its registration terminated administratively after 60 days or more with no resident agent or registered office, or for not giving 60-day notice of agent changes, and Iowa Code § 489.911(1)(c)-(d) is the LLC counterpart. Iowa Code § 490.1511(1)
• Once its registration is terminated for a resident agent failure, a foreign corporation doing business in Iowa is barred from maintaining a proceeding in any Iowa court until it registers, with Iowa Code § 489.902(2) as the LLC counterpart. Iowa Code § 490.1502(2)
• A corporation or LLC can seek reinstatement whenever it chooses after administrative dissolution by paying a $5 application fee, but it must change its name if over 5 years have gone by and its old name is no longer available. Iowa Code § 490.122(1)(s)

Switching to us

We prepare and file the change of resident agent for you. Iowa charges no fee for an LLC Iowa Code § 489.122(1)(g) and no fee for a corporation Iowa Code § 490.122(1)(g).

Official Iowa links

• Office of the Secretary of State - (515) 281-5204
• Statutes
• Annual report filing

Frequently asked

Do I need a resident agent in Iowa?

Almost every state does, and the Iowa rule is set out above with its citation. Where the law leaves a choice, a resident agent is still the practical way to make sure service of process reaches you.

How much does Iowa resident agent service cost?

$129 a year, with no setup fee, the same price in all 50 states plus DC, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Service of process is received and scanned the same business day.

Can I switch my Iowa resident agent to ResidentAgents.com?

Yes. Order online and we prepare the change of agent filing for you; the state's filing fee is shown on this page.