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Founder Primer

LLC paperwork, boiled down for founders.

Primer 2 · Virginia

Virginia Registered Agent Primer (2026): 6 Moves and the 2 Best Agents

If you are hiring for appointing a registered agent in Virginia in 2026, we rank Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and VA Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), in that order. Learn the rule, the eligibility test, the address test and the filing in 6 moves.
From the Founder Primer desk

The short version

Mandatory?
Yes
Official page: law.lis.virginia.gov (October 2026)
What our picks charge
$99 to $149 a year
Published rates
Annual Registration Fee
$50 a year
Official page: scc.virginia.gov (October 2026)
Move count
6
Each one explained

After this primer

  • The Virginia agent rule
  • The address and eligibility rules
  • How to name or change the agent
  • Which agents we pick and why

The Virginia shortlist

Marked on the scoring page: three-year cost (27%), to-dos cleared (38%), renewal, fit with Virginia's rules and readable pricing.

Top mark $149 a year; renews at $149

1. Mainstay Filing: best for LLCs that may add states

Mainstay Filing leads the list, since the agent is $149 a year in every state.

You pay $150 more than at VA Registered Agent.org across three years and keep less of the paperwork.

Inside the price
  • A registered office in Virginia
  • Served papers scanned free, the same business day
  • Three government letters a year scanned at no charge
  • Also serves nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs
In its favor
  • Covers all fifty states
  • A flat $149 per year
Against it
  • Pricier by $50 a year
  • Agent service only
In-state service $99 a year; renews at $99

2. VA Registered Agent.org: best for a low yearly agent price

Number 2 is VA Registered Agent.org, where $99 a year, flat at renewal, built for an LLC that stays in the state.

Inside the price
  • A registered office address
  • Served documents posted online
In its favor
  • A flat $99 per year
  • Under Mainstay Filing on price
Against it
  • No help in other states
  • Filing the Annual Registration Fee is not part of what it does

Comparing the services

# Service Annual price Renewal price Three-year total
1 Mainstay Filing $149 $149/yr $447 Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 VA Registered Agent.org $99 $99/yr $297 Visit VA Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Each company's listed price on November 13, 2026. The state bills the same whichever agent you name.

The moves

  1. Move 1

    Rule first

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

    Where this comes from: Official page: law.lis.virginia.gov (October 2026)

  2. Move 2

    Who is allowed to act

    A 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. Source in law: Va. Code § 13.1-1015.

  3. Move 3

    Meet the address rule

    The 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.

    Every pick supplies the Virginia office address.

  4. Move 4

    Self-serve or professional

    You qualify? Serve yourself. If not, a pro from the ranking is $99 to $149 per year.

  5. Move 5

    List the agent publicly

    A new LLC names its agent on the Articles of Organization of a Virginia Limited Liability Company (Form LLC-1011), filed with the State Corporation Commission (SCC). An LLC that changes agents files an amendment there.

    Where this comes from: Official page: law.lis.virginia.gov (October 2026)

  6. Move 6

    Keep the details accurate

    File the Annual Registration Fee on time ($50, last day of the LLC's anniversary month) and the agent record stays right.

    Where this comes from: Official page: scc.virginia.gov (October 2026)

What the agent costs in Virginia

Item Payee Total
A professional agent Service $99 to $149 a year
Each later year Service $99 to $149 a year
Annual Registration Fee Paid to the state $50 every year

These are the official Virginia fees, cited below. The three-year line adds the filing fee, the year-two and year-three reports and any minimum tax.

Why this order

To-dos the price takes off you decided first place in Virginia. It is 38% of the mark; the rest is founder outlay over three years, year-two price, fit with the state's rules and pricing you can read at once.

VA Registered Agent.org costs less, but reach across states won the higher mark.

Virginia questions

Does Virginia force an LLC to keep a registered agent?

Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Can I be my own registered agent?

An owner can serve if eligible; the tests are in moves 2 and 3.

Can I change my registered agent later?

Yes. A switch takes a change filing at the State Corporation Commission (SCC) (move 5).

What does a registered agent cost in Virginia?

Our picks charge $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

The state collects the Annual Registration Fee fee of $50 each time.

Which registered agent would you choose?

Mainstay Filing and VA Registered Agent.org, best mark first.

Related primers

Sources, so you can check us

  1. For Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source the primer cites law.lis.virginia.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  2. For Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source the primer cites scc.virginia.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  3. For Va the primer cites law.lis.virginia.gov, a page we went back to in August 2026.
  4. For Virginia formation fee: Filing fee, official source the primer cites law.lis.virginia.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  5. For Virginia registered agent statute the primer cites law.lis.virginia.gov, a page we went back to in October 2026.
  6. Pricing from Mainstay Filing (Virginia service page), November 13, 2026
  7. Pricing from VA Registered Agent.org (pricing page), November 13, 2026