Rhode Island Resident Agent Service

Why Rhode Island requires a resident agent

Your Rhode Island corporation must always keep a registered office and resident agent, and the agent may be a corporation, LP, LLP, or LLC that is domestic or authorized foreign, or an individual who resides in RI, and its business office must match the resident agent's office and be open generally in normal business hours for service of process. An attorney agent may use a usual business address that differs from the registered office. For LLCs the resident agent may be a domestic or authorized corporation, LP, or LLC, or an individual RI resident (§ 7-16-11(a)). R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-1.2-501(a); § 7-16-11(a) (LLC)

What happens if you lapse

• If a corporation goes 30 days without appointing and keeping a resident agent, or changes its registered office or agent without filing the statement of change, the Secretary of State may revoke its articles of incorporation after at least 60 days' mailed notice and no cure, and once the certificate of revocation issues its authority to transact business ends (§ 7-1.2-1311(b)). R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-1.2-1310(a)(4)-(5)
• Rhode Island can revoke the certificate of authority held by a foreign corporation, after at least 60 days' notice, when it does not appoint and keep a resident agent in the state or changes its registered office or agent without filing the statement of change. R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-1.2-1414(a)(2)-(3)
• LLCs are handled in parallel: an LLC that goes 30 days without appointing and keeping a resident agent, or fails to file its statement of change of resident agent, may lose its certificate of organization or registration after 60 days' notice, and its authority to transact business then ends (§ 7-16-42(b)). R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-16-41(a)(4)-(5)
• Reinstatement after revocation is available for up to 20 years and requires you to file the missed documents, pay a $50 penalty for every year or partial year that has passed since the certificate of revocation was issued, and file a good standing certificate issued by the division of taxation, and the name may need to change if someone took it; the corporate penalty sits in the fee statute and the LLC penalty in § 7-16-43(a)(2). R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-1.2-1602(b)(1); § 7-1.2-1312(a); § 7-16-43(a)(2) (LLC)
• Designating a resident agent without that agent's authority is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment for up to one year, or both. R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-1.2-501(b)

Switching to us

We prepare and file the change of resident agent for you. Rhode Island charges $20 for an LLC RIGL § 7-16-65(10) and $20 for a corporation RIGL § 7-1.2-1602(a)(7)(i).

Official Rhode Island links

• Rhode Island Secretary of State - (401) 222-3040
• Statutes

Frequently asked

Do I need a resident agent in Rhode Island?

Almost every state does, and the Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island 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.