Registered agent requirements in Indiana

Who can be a registered agent in Indiana?

Indiana's statute names four kinds of agent that may serve for an LLC: an individual, a general partnership, a domestic filing entity, or a registered foreign entity (Ind. Code § 23-0.5-4-3). Each must also be reachable at a street address in Indiana.¹

Here is what each category means in plain terms.

• An individual. A person can serve; the statute's list does not add a licence or legal training requirement.
• A general partnership. Indiana names partnerships outright, so a partnership that can be reached at an Indiana street address may act for your LLC.
• A domestic filing entity, the statute's term for a business formed under Indiana law, such as an Indiana LLC or corporation.
• A registered foreign entity, meaning a business formed elsewhere that has registered to do business in Indiana. A commercial service based in another state fits here once it has registered in Indiana.

The list on its own says nothing about where an individual must live. What ties every agent to Indiana is the address rule in the same chapter: where a record must state an address, the record must state a street address in this state. So a cousin in Chicago with no Indiana address would not fit, while a friend in Fort Wayne or Evansville who agrees to accept papers would. If you are unsure whether someone qualifies, ask the Secretary of State's office before you file.¹

The job itself is to receive service of process (the formal delivery of lawsuit papers) and official state mail for the LLC, then get it to you quickly. Our explainer on what a registered agent does covers the duties common to every state, and the glossary defines the legal terms used here.

What address can an Indiana registered agent use?

It has to be a street address in Indiana. The registered agent chapter, the same one that holds Ind. Code § 23-0.5-4-3, says that when a record must state an address, the record must state a street address in this state.¹

That wording settles some common questions and leaves others open.

• A home or office in Indiana with a real street address fits the rule.
• A P.O. box on its own is not a street address, so it does not appear to meet the statute's wording.
• Virtual offices and mailbox stores are less clear. Some give you a street-style address, but this guide's sources contain no Secretary of State statement on them. Ask the state before you rely on one for the agent field.
• An address outside Indiana does not qualify, however close it is to the state line.

Every registered agent puts its own address in the agent field, so naming a commercial service keeps your home address out of that one field. That is true of every provider. It does not cover the rest of your record. The Business Entity Report (biennial, State Form 48725) collects three items (Entity name, registered agent information, and principal office street address), so your principal office address goes to the state every other year whoever your agent is. This guide's sources don't say which of those fields INBiz shows to the public; read the form before you file.^{2, 3}

If you want a business address for those other fields, some providers sell one apart from the agent service. Bizee (formerly Incfile) lists a virtual address at $29/month; 1 month free with Bizee LLC formation. Northwest Registered Agent lists Mail Forwarding $20/month (24 select states), so check that Indiana is one of them. Harbor Compliance lists a virtual address at $350/year per company, per location (limited time offer). Our page on what an agent can keep off the public record goes further.^{4, 5, 6}

Can you be your own registered agent in Indiana?

Yes. An individual may serve under the statute, so an owner with an Indiana street address can name themselves (Ind. Code § 23-0.5-4-3).

The questions are practical. Someone has to be at that street address to accept papers when a process server arrives, and an owner who travels for work, runs a mobile business or keeps irregular hours can miss a delivery and with it a court deadline. The address you list also travels with your LLC's state record, which for a home business usually means your home address.

Because a domestic filing entity is on the statute's list, owners sometimes ask whether the LLC can name itself. The sources behind this guide don't answer that directly, so ask the Secretary of State how to complete the Articles if you want to try it.

An owner who lives outside Indiana and has no address here can't serve. The options are then a trusted person or business with an Indiana street address, or a paid service. The Indiana registered agent services comparison sets out each provider's published price and terms.

How do you name a registered agent when you form an Indiana LLC?

You name the agent in the Articles of Organization (State Form 49459), the filing that creates the LLC, and give the agent's Indiana street address there.²

The state accepts the Articles two ways (Online through INBiz, or by mailing a paper state form), and the fee differs by route, at $75 online, $100 by paper filing. Filing online through INBiz costs less.^{1, 7}

Before you file, settle three points.

1. Who will serve, and which of the statute's four categories they fall into.
2. The agent's Indiana street address, not a box number.
3. That the agent has agreed. This guide's sources don't say how the state records consent on State Form 49459, so read the form's instructions.²

The Secretary of State's materials used here don't state a standard processing time or an expedite option for the Articles. If timing counts, ask the office or check INBiz when you file. The full set of formation steps is on our Indiana LLC formation guide, and the fee arithmetic is on the cheapest ways to form an Indiana LLC.

How do you change your registered agent in Indiana?

You file a Statement of Change of Registered Agent (State Form 56367), online through INBiz or on paper, and Indiana's fee schedule sets no charge for it (No fee). This guide's sources don't say when the change takes effect, so watch your record on INBiz.^{1, 2}

The free filing makes the switch cheap. The order of steps is what keeps you covered.

1. Pick the new agent and confirm they meet the statute and have an Indiana street address.
2. Get their agreement to serve.
3. File State Form 56367 online through INBiz or on the paper form.²
4. Keep your old agent in place until the state shows the new one on your record.
5. Cancel the old service only after that. Cancelling first can leave a gap, and a gap is what the dissolution rule below counts.

Some provider terms tie cancelling to the state change. LegalZoom notes that proof of new RA may be required when you cancel. InCorp Services asks you to meet one of its cancellation conditions (dissolve entity, appoint new agent, or resign InCorp with fees) before annual fee is due. Rocket Lawyer takes cancellations by phone before renewal date, and ZenBusiness's instruction reads "Cancel by contacting customer support by phone". Check your own provider's renewal date before you start, so a renewal doesn't bill in the middle of the switch.^{8, 9, 10, 11}

Our walkthroughs on changing a registered agent and cancelling an agent service cover the parts that work the same everywhere.

What happens if your Indiana registered agent resigns?

An agent can resign by filing with the Secretary of State, and the resignation takes effect on the 31st day after the Secretary of State files it, or earlier if a new agent is designated. The statute also says the agent must promptly notify the LLC.¹

That notice is your warning. Once the resignation takes effect, the LLC has no agent until it files a new one, and the count of 60 consecutive days begins.¹

The resignation clock and the gap clock run one after the other, which gives a careful owner some room. It also tempts owners to wait. Filing a statement of change as soon as the notice arrives means the gap never opens.

An agent's notice goes to whatever email or mailing address it holds for you. If those details are stale, the first sign of trouble can be a letter from the state. If you think your agent has stopped serving, look up your LLC on INBiz and check which agent the state has on file.

What happens if an Indiana LLC has no registered agent?

Going without an Indiana registered agent for 60 consecutive days is one of the grounds on which the Secretary of State may begin administrative dissolution under Indiana's dissolution statute.¹

The same statute lists a second ground: a biennial report that misses the statute's limit, which requires delivery not later than sixty (60) days after it is due. An agent gap and a missed report are separate triggers, and either can start the process.¹

A dissolved LLC loses its good standing, which can hold up a loan, a contract renewal or a licence that asks for proof of standing. A lawsuit served while no agent is on file may also go ahead before you hear of it.

Indiana does allow reinstatement. The state fee is $20 online, $30 on paper. The state's reinstatement list shows that paper reinstatement also requires a Certificate of Clearance and a Business Entity Report with its fee, and the Secretary of State's reinstatement page lists each document. An LLC dissolved for a long time faces an extra step under the state's rules. Entities dissolved over 5 years must file on paper with a reason statement. The Indiana compliance guide covers reinstatement in more detail.¹²

What does an Indiana LLC file to stay in good standing?

The recurring filing tied to good standing is the Business Entity Report (biennial, State Form 48725), filed with the Secretary of State every other year in the anniversary month of the business forming at a cost of $20 online, $50 by paper filing.^{2, 12, 13}

The report is also where your agent details get a regular check. It collects three items (Entity name, registered agent information, and principal office street address), so each filing is a chance to confirm the agent the state has on record. If the agent changed and you never filed the statement of change, fix that first.³

Because the report comes round only every other year, it is easy to lose track of, and the year with no report is when an agent's resignation or a lapsed service can go unnoticed. Keeping both dates in one place helps.

• Note your formation month. The report falls in that month every other year.
• Keep the agent service's renewal date in the same calendar, if you pay for one.

The Indiana compliance calendar sets out the first and second year. Our guide to annual reports covers how these filings work in general.

Do out-of-state LLCs need an Indiana registered agent?

Yes. An LLC formed in another state registers here on a Foreign Registration Statement (State Form 56369), for $75 online, $125 on paper, and it must keep an agent with an Indiana street address like a local LLC, under the chapter that holds Ind. Code § 23-0.5-4-3.¹

Your home-state agent does not carry over unless it has an Indiana street address too. An Ohio LLC whose agent sits in Columbus needs a separate Indiana agent, though a national service that already acts for you may cover both states. Ask how it bills a second state.

Changing that agent later carries no state fee (No fee). If your business also works across the border, compare the registered agent rules in Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky.¹

Indiana registered agent services and their published prices

If a paid agent suits you better than serving yourself, the table below lists each provider's published price and renewal. Providers are ordered by our score, highest first, with ties in editorial order; Trustpilot ratings appear separately. For each provider's terms in full, see the Indiana registered agent services compared, or read the reviews of Tailor Brands, ZenBusiness and LegalZoom.