Home Registered agents Virginia Lesson 2 · Virginia
How to Get a Registered Agent in Virginia (2026): 6 Steps and the 2 Best Agents
Here is the 2026 answer for a registered agent in Virginia: VA Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) and Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), ranked in that order. Below, 6 steps cover what the law asks and how to meet it.
The Founder Classroom teaching team · Updated November 12, 2026
Disclosure Founder Classroom is reader-supported. We may earn money when you buy through links on this page, and the companies we rank are our partners. Prices come from each company's own pages and official state sources.
Lesson map Who we'd use Steps Fees Quick quiz References Lesson at a glance
Our picks cost $99 to $149 a year From each company's own pricing
Steps in this lesson 6 In order You will learn The legal requirement Who can serve and where Getting the agent on file Our agent picks
Teacher's pick
If you want help with the filing Graded with our
rubric : three-year cost 30%, lesson steps handled 35%, then renewal, state fit and clear pricing.
Our pick
1. VA Registered Agent.org: best for one-state companies
Annual price $99 · renewal price $99
For most new founders in Virginia, VA Registered Agent.org: a Virginia street address for the registered office at $99 a year.
Cost settles it: over three years it is less than Mainstay Filing.
What you get Physical Virginia address Served papers scanned to your account What we like $99 yearly Smaller yearly bill than Mainstay Filing Watch out for No help in other states Annual Registration Fee is up to you
Any state
2. Mainstay Filing: best for one agent in every state
Annual price $149 · renewal price $149
Second place goes to Mainstay Filing: $149 a year, renewing at $149, and the same plan works in every other state.
The $150 three-year gap against VA Registered Agent.org decides its place.
What you get Physical in-state address Service of process scanned the same business day at no charge Three government mailings a year scanned free Covers LLCs, corporations, LPs, LLPs and nonprofits What we like $149 yearly, no increase Works in every state Watch out for $50 a year more than VA Registered Agent.org Agent-only plan does not file reports
Compare the picks
# Service Annual price Renewal price Three-year total
1 VA Registered Agent.org $99 $99/yr $297 Visit VA Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy. 2 Mainstay Filing $149 $149/yr $447 Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Prices from each company's own site, read November 12, 2026. State fees do not depend on the agent.
How to set up your Virginia agent
Step 1
Step 1: Read Virginia's agent ruleEvery LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Official source: law.lis.virginia.gov (October 2026)
Step 2
Step 2: Find out who can do the jobA Virginia resident who is a member, manager or officer of the LLC (or of an entity that manages it) or a member of the Virginia State Bar, or a corporation, LLC or registered LLP authorized in Virginia. See Va. Code § 13.1-1015.
Step 3
Step 3: Check the office address ruleThe address has to be a registered office in Virginia that is the agent's business office. A P.O. box is accepted only in a town of under 2,000 people with no street address.
Tip A service gives you a Virginia street address, so your home address stays off the filing.
Step 4
Step 4: Decide who takes the roleYou have two choices: act as the agent yourself, if you qualify, or pay $99 to $149 a year for one of our picks .
Step 5
Step 5: Record the agent with the stateA new LLC lists its agent in the Articles of Organization of a Virginia Limited Liability Company (Form LLC-1011). Switching agents later is a separate change filing with the State Corporation Commission (SCC).
Official source: law.lis.virginia.gov (October 2026)
Step 6
Step 6: Keep the details up to dateKeep the Annual Registration Fee on time ($50, last day of the LLC's anniversary month), and the agent record stays accurate.
Official source: scc.virginia.gov (October 2026)
The cost of this lesson
Step Paid to Amount
Hiring an agent The service $99 to $149 a year Agent renewal The service $99 to $149 a year Annual Registration Fee The state $50 every year
The state rows are official figures; the service row uses each company's published price. The three-year total leaves service fees out.
How the grade worked out VA Registered Agent.org beat Mainstay Filing on three-year cost, our 30% criterion.
Three years of VA Registered Agent.org cost $297, which leaves $150 in your pocket compared with Mainstay Filing.
Questions students ask
Do I need a registered agent in Virginia? Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Can I be my own registered agent? Yes. Steps 2 and 3 set out who qualifies and the address you need.
Can I change my registered agent later? Yes. Step 5 covers the change filing with the State Corporation Commission (SCC).
What does a registered agent cost in Virginia? $99 to $149 a year among our picks.
What does the LLC pay the state each year? The Annual Registration Fee, $50 every year.
Which registered agent would you choose? VA Registered Agent.org: $99 yearly with served papers scanned into an online account. After it, Mainstay Filing.
Reading list: official sources law.lis.virginia.gov . Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source. Confirmed October 2026.scc.virginia.gov . Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source. Confirmed October 2026.law.lis.virginia.gov . Va. Confirmed August 2026.law.lis.virginia.gov . Virginia formation fee: Filing fee, official source. Confirmed October 2026.law.lis.virginia.gov . Virginia registered agent statute. Confirmed October 2026.VA Registered Agent.org, pricing page (read November 12, 2026) Mainstay Filing, Virginia service page (read November 12, 2026)