Vermont Certificate of Authority / Agent for service
Who can act as a foreign entity's agent for service in Vermont
Swapping the agent costs an LLC $35 and a corporation $25, and a foreign entity registered in Vermont has to keep an agent to receive legal papers, who must be an individual resident of Vermont or a business organization that has a place of business in Vermont and is authorized to conduct business there. We can take the role, though anyone qualified will do.
The qualifications
An individual resident of Vermont or a business organization that has a place of business in Vermont and is authorized to conduct business there. When the entity names an agent it attests that the agent has agreed.
Agent filings by entity
| Event | LLC | Corporation |
|---|---|---|
| Change the agent | $35 | $25 |
| Agent resigns | No fee | No fee |
Neither type pays to file a resignation.
How a change is made
Under the statute, a company changes its agent for service of process, or the agent's email or address, solely by filing a statement of change with its current agent information.
How a resignation works
An agent resigns by delivering a statement of resignation to the Secretary of State and to the business, and the agency ends 30 days after the statement is filed or when a statement of change naming a new agent takes effect, whichever comes first. No fee is charged when the agent never consented to serve.
If the agent relocates
An agent whose details change can cover all its clients in one bulk statement, though each client business is still billed its own filing fee. For the entity itself, 30 days is the time allowed to report a new name or address for the agent.
Agents and revocation
Two grounds for revocation concern the agent: there is none, or a change was left unreported past the deadline.
Corporations
A corporation names a registered agent working from a registered office in Vermont. The same qualifications apply as for an LLC, and the fee to change it is $25.
Nonprofits
A nonprofit corporation names its agent in the same way and amends by statement of change, but its fee schedule differs from a business corporation's. Its fee is quoted when you order.
Example: an agent resigns
A Vermont agent stops serving a Delaware LLC. It files a statement of resignation, free of charge, and gives the LLC a copy. The agency ends 30 days after the filing, or sooner if a replacement takes over. The LLC then files a statement of change naming its new agent.
Example: an agent moves
A Vermont agent relocates. The LLC reports the new address at $35 and keeps the receipt. Letting 30 days pass without reporting it exposes the LLC to revocation.
Why the record matters
Service on the agent counts as service on the entity, so a stale agent record puts legal papers in the wrong hands. Keeping it current costs $35 (LLC) or $25 (corporation).
The designated office is separate
An LLC's designated office is its own item, changed by a statement of change at the same fee as the agent.
Agent consent
Nobody can be appointed agent without agreeing. The entity attests to the consent when it names the agent, and an agent that never consented can resign without paying the fee.
Choosing between a person and a business
Both kinds qualify, so the choice is the entity's. A business agent does not depend on one person staying a Vermont resident, as an individual agent does.
Our offer
We can serve as your Vermont agent, and you may name someone else. Either way the name and address go on the filing.
Agent questions
What qualifies someone as agent?
An individual resident of Vermont or a business organization that has a place of business in Vermont and is authorized to conduct business there.
Does a corporation need a Vermont office too?
Yes. It names a registered office in Vermont and an agent at that office.
Does the agent have to agree to serve?
Yes. The entity attests to the agent's consent when it names the agent.
What does resigning cost?
Nothing.
What does a change cost an LLC?
$35.
May a company act as the agent?
Yes, provided it keeps an office in Vermont and is authorized to operate here.
How long does a resignation take to work?
The agency ends 30 days after the statement is filed, or sooner if a new agent takes over.
What it costs
Get your Vermont certificate
+ $155 state filing fee
$155 is Vermont's fee for an LLC. Each other type of entity has its own fee, listed on the fees page. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
$199
Vermont Certificate of Authority
- An application written for your type of entity from your replies
- The home paper, requested so it is in date when we file
- A Vermont process agent, ours or yours
- The certificate of authority Vermont issues, forwarded to you
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
Sources
- Vermont Secretary of State, fees and statutes
- 11 V.S.A. 4112, application for certificate of authority
- 11A V.S.A. 15.03, application for certificate of authority
- Vermont Secretary of State, foreign registration
- 11 V.S.A. 4008 and 4009, change and resignation of agent
- 11 V.S.A. 1655, designation of agent for service of process
- 11 V.S.A. 4117, revocation of certificate of authority
Which Vermont certificate do you need?
Tell us what kind of entity you are and we write the filing that fits it.