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LLC 101 Guide

Unit 2 · Virginia

The Virginia Registered Agent Unit (2026): 6 Tasks and the 2 Best Agents

Our 2026 Virginia picks for naming a registered agent, strongest to weakest, are VA Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) and Mainstay Filing ($149 a year). The 6 tasks below cover what Virginia requires of a registered agent, who may serve, which address counts and how to put the agent on record.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Unit overview

The requirement
Yes
law.lis.virginia.gov (page read October 2026)
Cost of hiring an agent
$99 to $149 a year
As each company lists them
Annual Registration Fee
$50 a year
scc.virginia.gov (page read October 2026)
How many tasks
6
Listed below

Course objectives

  • What Virginia requires of a registered agent
  • Who can act as agent
  • How an agent gets on record
  • How the picks compare

Virginia: our recommended services

Graded on the grading page: three-year cost (34%), assignments completed (31%), renewal price, fit with Virginia's rules and plain pricing.

Top of the class

1. VA Registered Agent.org: best for LLCs that live only in Virginia

Our first pickYear 1: $99. Year 2: $99

VA Registered Agent.org comes out first, and the reason is that for $99 a year you get a Virginia agent with an office inside the state.

A smaller three-year total than Mainstay Filing earns it first place; cost counts 34%.

What the price covers

  • A Virginia street address
  • Scans of anything served on the LLC

What works

  • Costs less per year than Mainstay Filing
  • Price $99; renews at $99

What to weigh

  • No help in other states
  • Annual Registration Fee is outside the price
Visit VA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. Mainstay Filing: best for companies working in several states

Does most of the workYear 1: $149. Year 2: $149

Our second choice, Mainstay Filing: $149 per year from a provider that also covers any state you add later.

It runs $150 above VA Registered Agent.org over three years, and cost is 34% of the grade.

What the price covers

  • An office address inside the state
  • Free scans of legal papers served on the company, sent the business day they arrive
  • Up to three government letters a year are scanned free
  • Also works for nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

What works

  • Price $149; renews at $149
  • The same provider anywhere

What to weigh

  • $50 more a year than the local pick
  • Reports stay on your plate
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

A comparison of the services

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1VA Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit VA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Listed prices, read November 13, 2026. Every agent leaves the state fees unchanged.

Naming a Virginia registered agent, task by task

  1. Task 1

    The Virginia rule in brief

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

    Source: law.lis.virginia.gov (page read October 2026)

  2. Task 2

    Check who is eligible

    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. The rule comes from Va. Code § 13.1-1015.

  3. Task 3

    Pass the address test

    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.

    With a service, the public record shows its address instead of yours.

  4. Task 4

    Decide who will hold the role

    A qualified owner may act as agent. If you would rather not, our recommended agents charge $99 to $149 a year.

  5. Task 5

    Name the agent in your filing

    A new LLC lists its agent on the Articles of Organization of a Virginia Limited Liability Company (Form LLC-1011), sent to the State Corporation Commission (SCC). An LLC that swaps agents files an amendment with the same office.

    Source: law.lis.virginia.gov (page read October 2026)

  6. Task 6

    Watch the details

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

    Source: scc.virginia.gov (page read October 2026)

The bill

EntryWho gets paidPrice
Agent serviceThe provider$99 to $149 a year
RenewalThe provider$99 to $149 a year
Annual Registration FeeState office$50 every year
State amounts come from Virginia's official fee schedules (see the sources below); service prices come from each company's site. The three-year state total adds the filing, the reports for years two and three and any minimum tax.

How we ordered the Virginia picks

What decided it was course fee across three years, which carries 34% of the grade.

VA Registered Agent.org costs $297 for years one to three, while Mainstay Filing costs $150 more.

Check your Virginia answers

Does a Virginia LLC have to have 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 qualified; tasks 2 and 3 hold the tests.

Can I change my registered agent later?

You can; an existing LLC files a change with the State Corporation Commission (SCC), as task 5 shows.

What does a registered agent cost in Virginia?

$99 to $149 per year for the agents listed.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

$50 every year for the Annual Registration Fee.

Which registered agent would you choose?

The order is VA Registered Agent.org and Mainstay Filing, and VA Registered Agent.org is first since $99 a year with no bump at renewal, a good match for an LLC that stays in one state.

Reading list and sources

  1. Want proof for what the unit says about Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source? Go to law.lis.virginia.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  2. Want proof for what the unit says about Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source? Go to scc.virginia.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  3. Want proof for what the unit says about Va? Go to law.lis.virginia.gov; the copy we used dates from August 2026.
  4. Want proof for what the unit says about Virginia formation fee: Filing fee, official source? Go to law.lis.virginia.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  5. Want proof for what the unit says about Virginia registered agent statute? Go to law.lis.virginia.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  6. Figures from VA Registered Agent.org's pricing page, November 13, 2026
  7. Figures from Mainstay Filing's Virginia service page, November 13, 2026