Best Registered Agent Services in Minnesota

Opening an LLC in Minnesota is an easy task today. There are a few formalities to observe, yet overall, the whole process is quite straightforward. At the same time, though, there are some strict requirements you should match when filing, otherwise, your formation application won’t be accepted by the state office. A registered agent is one of such LLC must-haves.

What is a registered agent? What this function is meant for and why do you actually need it? How to do Minnesota registered agent search? What are your best options here? Keep on reading and you’ll find the answers to all these questions a lot more useful info.

What Is a Registered Agent in Minnesota?

In a word, a registered, resident, or a statutory agent (depending on the state) is an entity that serves as an intermediary in written communications between your company and state agencies, government authorities, and public organizations.

This role is responsible for receiving and processing your legal mail that embraces, yet is not limited to:

• Service of the process including court summons and lawsuit notices;
• Filing forms;
• Tax notifications;
• State requests;
• Any legal letters and other documents addressed to your company and requiring response or feedback.

What Are Your Agent Options in Minnesota?

Minnesota representative agent regulations are not strict:

• You can appoint any adult individual or a legal entity registered or enforced to run a business in Minnesota to notify you about your mail;
• A legal or physical person should have a registered address in the state and be present under that address during normal business hours to receive your mail;
• Only real street addresses are acceptable for a registered address, not P.O. boxes and commercial mailboxes are allowed;
• You can serve as your own registered agent or appoint a third party. 

While for many beginner entrepreneurs it seems natural to handle the agent’s function on their own, it’s not the best choice. By delegating the task to a third party, you’ll get it handled in a more efficient manner and release more time for yourself and other ongoing business issues.

Professional Service: Your Best Agent Alternative

Choosing to appoint a third party as a registered agent for your Minnesota LLC, you can assign this role to your friend, family member, lawyer, accountant, tax advisor, or colleague. Most likely than not, though, this function won’t be their prime job and they will treat it as a minor task, especially if you don’t pay them for that.

Your best third-party agent alternative is to order registered agent and handle it on a regular basis. Here are a few pluses of specialized service providers that look more than confidently speak in favor of this option:

• Data security: Not only will you steer away from disclosing your data to public records but also you can rest assured all info made available online will be securely protected from theft and unauthorized disclosure;
• Credibility: Devoted to representative agent functions, professional service will ensure your mail is well-organized and timely forwarded to you as well as eliminate the risks of lost or missed letters;
• Stability: Dedicated services are unlikely to change their registered address and move anywhere too often. Normally, they are permanently located under the same addresses causing no formality problems over time;
• Nationwide presence: Most companies serve across the US and can have you set in any state, which is convenient if you decide to move your business or expand your activity beyond the state of Minnesota at some point.

Registered Agent for Your LLC in Minnesota: Our Local Suggestions

Suppose you start small and don’t plan to extend your activity outside Minnesota in the near future or look for a mailing rep for your private venture in Minnesota that won’t carve out a hole in your limited budget. In that case, you’ll hit the spot with local service providers.

As the name suggests, local agents or agent services operate only within Minnesota and have no affiliate offices in other states. At the same time, though, the pluses you’ll enjoy with a local provider include:

• Strong local expertise and better knowledge of local laws and regulatory details;
• More affordable pricing since local options are usually less pricey while still delivering a decent scope of service and offering valuable extras.

So, should this sound like your story, check our local suggestions below for your best registered agent in Minnesota.

Registered Agent in Owatonna, MN

Each state has a dedicated agent service company that operates exclusively within its jurisdiction. Minnesota is not an exception. Minnesota Registered Agent Services LLC is the type of company we are talking about, with a sign in Owatonna. They steer away from Minneapolis and other big cities in MN to be more affordable for their customers. And shifting to a smaller regional town by no means impacts the quality and scope of service they provide.

The annual subscription comes at $49, which is a fairly affordable price especially given the options covered:

• Securely protected and functional online customer account;
• Immediate access to your mail. All documents are scanned and uploaded to your online account right after receipt, and you’ll get a notification upon receipt;
• Service of process and legal correspondence handled with due diligence;
• Compliance tracking to help you stay on top of your filing requirements;
• Knowledgeable, friendly, and responsive in-house support team.

Minnesota Registered Agent Services LLC comes up with clear and transparent rates and has no hidden fees or added charges that might pop up along the way. Besides, if you are just about to form an LLC, the company can become your reliable filing partner in Minnesota too.

Registered Agent in Saint Paul, MN

Want the power of a bigger company combined with lower pricing? If so, you can’t go wrong with Capitol Lien. The company is a nationwide provider of research, investigation, monitoring, filing, and agent services to corporate and individual customers alike. It’s supported by expertise and professionalism, focused on client needs, and delivers a wide range of services in real estate, asset, risk management, and more. 

In the meantime, Capitol Lien is headquartered in Saint Paul and offers discount registered agent services Minnesota to local businesses. Thus, out-of-state customers will have to pay $125 a year while Minnesota entities are served at $45 a year.

Via your online account, you will get access not only to your mail scans but also to additional digital tools for managing your compliance and other business issues and to helpful business resources. Above the agent service, Capitol Lien has a whole range of other valuable LLC-related services:

• Business formation and incorporation;
• Foreign qualification;
• Mergers and acquisition filing;
• Dissolution and reinstatement;
• DBA filing;
• Annual reporting;
• Business name search and reservation.  

Registered Agent in Cottage Grove, MN

MPRS LLC is yet another multifacet service provider located in Cottage Grove, MN. On the market since 1999, they know all ins and outs of local formation, filing, and other business regulations.

Along with corporate filings and retrievals, customized reports, license and insurance services, tax management, and other abstract, corporate, and court services, MPRS has a representative agent service on its menu.

Being a small private company, MPRS promises more affordable pricing. At the same time, it’s a team of professionals that will handle the agent function for you Minnesota LLC with diligence and offer all types of business maintenance you might need.

Best Registered Agent Services Minnesota: National Alternatives

The top results that will pop up when doing a registered agent Minnesota search and any other US state are national operators that work nationwide through their proprietary representative offices, affiliates, or third-party partners in each state.

These companies will easily keep up with your business expansion ambitions and have you set in any state you might decide to move or extend your activity to. They stick to the same pricing strategies across the US and offer the agent services both as one-time items on the menu and as parts of their formation or incorporation bundles.

While local providers are rather scarce, national registered agents come in numbers. To save you the trouble of investigating multiple options, we’ve already cut down the list of the best registered agent services in Minnesota to the following options.

Northwest Registered Agent

Unlike many of its contenders that started as LLC services, Northwest was started as a registered agent service. Backed by years of experience in this area, the company boasts an extended network of its own registered offices throughout the US and will get your business needs covered in any state.

If you want a reliable agent partner that will handle this function professionally ensuring the ultimate peace of mind for you, you can’t go wrong with Northwest.

Northwest Pluses and Minuses

The easiest way to understand how a company performs is to detect its strong and weak points and see how they compare.

Pros:

• Stellar agent service: With Northwest, you’ll have everything you could possibly expect from the agent service and even more. A physical street address in Minnesota with the office open during business hours and ready to accept your mail can be also used for your LLC registration. All your documents will be available to you remotely right after receipt. Besides, you’ll enjoy compliance alerts and have an individual filing calendar at your disposal to keep up with your reporting and filing commitments;
• Priority of customer data protection: While ensuring the convenience of online access to all your business mail and other docs, Northwest takes care of your confidentiality and data protection. Its Privacy by Default technology will permanently stand on guard of your identity security and eliminate the risk of data theft;
• “Value for money” approach: Though not the cheapest service out there, Northwest offers great value for the money you pay. Thus, the representative service price of $125 per annum is supported by the decent scope and quality of service. Besides, this price covers premium features many other providers offer as payable extras;
• Diverse services: Along with a number of one-off services on the menu, Northwest has smart formation bundles that make formation assistance affordable for anyone. Notably, even an entry-level bundle enlists an annual agent subscription for free;
• One-of-the-kind customer support: Along with an in-house agent network, Northwest has an in-house team of support reps that are easy to access and are always ready to help. In addition, the company maintains a group of so-called corporate guides. These are former businessmen, accountants, legal advisors, and entrepreneurs from different spheres that are ready to share their experiences and can provide specialized consultations. Such consultants are available in all states including Minnesota and know all the nuances of running the business in each of them.

Cons:

• Too thorough customer service: While advanced customer support is a big plus, it might turn out a minus when you seek simple and quick replies to some common questions. Northwest help reps usually dig deep until they get to the root of the problem, so you'll get a comprehensive and detailed consultation anyway, even if you don’t need it. However, this minus is minor since it’s better to get a complete answer to a simple question than a quick response to a complex issue.

Roundup

Northwest deservedly takes the lead not only in our review but also in multiple other ratings. The company offers premium service without crossing the line of reasonable pricing. It’s a great agent and formation service provider that will become a one-stop shop for many of your business needs.

InCorp Registered Agent

A less popular name than Northwest and other companies on our list, InCorp is a runner-up not without a reason. You might not spot it among the best LLC services, yet, in our opinion, the company is one of the best agent service providers so far. Backed by 20 years of work in the industry, InCorp boasts immense expertise and has an extended proprietary agent network that operates nationwide.

InCorp Pluses and Minuses

InCorp stands out for its exclusive agent service that has a number of unique features and aspects aimed at engaging customers in a long-term cooperation. Let’s take a closer look at InCorp’s main fortes and areas where it needs improvement.

Pros:

• Advanced data protection: InCorp has implemented one of the best solutions in the sphere of online data safety. Its branded Entity Watch Technology will keep hacker attacks at bay and ensure that your personal data and scans or digital version of essential company documents are safe and secure at all times. On the other hand, this technology allows tracing your company’s compliance status by scrutinizing business databases, state registries, and other public records;
• Perfect data management and filing control: By using your personal dashboard on InCorp’s website, you’ll be able to keep all vital papers and docs in one place well-organized and protected. Meanwhile, an in-built Entity Management tool will enable you to create your own compliance calendar and confidently stick to it by receiving timely alerts;
• Personalized client support: Individual help reps are one of the biggest InCorp’s points of attraction. While many providers strive to establish solid and helpful client support departments, InCorp has really succeeded in this concern by assigning a personal help rep to each customer. Not only is it convenient but also it gives more confidence to customers and saves them the need to explain their problems and describe their business situations to a new support manager time and again;
• Inviting discounts: As stated above, InCorp seeks to build long-term relations with its customers. For that purpose, the company comes up with volume discounts for agent services. The longer you plan to stay with InCorp, the less you’ll pay. Thus, at a regular annual subscription cost of $129, a 5-year subscription will come at $87 a year. It works the same way for multi-state orders.

Cons:

• Less attention to formation services: InCorp’s focus of attention is greatly shifted to the agent service leaving formation services behind. With only a single formation bundle on the list, InCorp lacks diversity and rather evolves around the agent service excellence;
• Higher formation costs: A single filing pack is quite expensive at $99, especially given that it’s not feature-rich. While the ability to add one-off services to a basic set is quite smart and offers flexibility, it will result in a rather high final formation cost;
• Low brand power: Though not inferior to its contenders in experience and professionalism and even beating many of them in agent service quality, InCorp drastically lacks brand power and is much less known to the customers than other providers.

Roundup

In our opinion, InCorp is a perfect choice for existing or newly formed LLCs that need a reliable and efficient agent service partner for a long period of time or will be able to cater to their business needs in multiple states in a budget-friendly manner.

ZenBusiness Registered Agent

ZenBusiness has nearly become a buzzword in the formation industry over the last few years. Established only in 2015, the company has already managed to make a splash as one of the strongest competitors to the industry's old-timers. It has quickly gained trust among first-time businessmen and startuppers and lingers on the top of the ratings.

ZenBusiness Pluses and Minuses

What makes ZenBusiness so popular and attractive to customers? Is it worth the hype? Let’s see what benefits it has to offer and what its weak areas are.

Pros:

• Affordable agent service: At $99, ZenBusiness representative service is by far the most affordable among national operators that usually charge over $100. With that, you’ll get pretty much the same scope of service and can rest assured your mail will be handled by professionals;
• Excellent formation service: What gives ZenBusiness an edge over its rivals is its smart approach to formation service. The company aims at offering the most at a lower cost. Thus, at $49, you’ll get a comprehensive service pack covering a whole year of agent service among other options. It’s a real find for those who want to avoid formation hurdles yet are not eager to pay too much;
• Quality customer support: To further maintain their service quality, ZenBusiness comes up with a great support team that is widely praised by its happy customers for a comprehensive approach and diligence;
• Impressive customer feedback: Though a relative market newcomer, ZenBusiness is distinguished by an impressive volume of customer support. You’ll be able to spot nearly 5000 customer comments and reviews online. And the best thing is that most of them are positive;
• With a focus on technology: The company has used the best of advanced technology to create one of the best online platforms with a user-friendly interface, easy navigation, helpful resources, and a well-organized directory.

Cons:

• Confusing signup process: Unlike other providers clearly enlisting their service prices, ZenBusiness will drag you into a lengthy and a bit annoying signup process. Before you find out the price of the service, you’ll have to answer multiple questions;
• Hidden agent service charges: The compliance calendar tool comes at an added cost of $50, thus bumping up the final agent service cost to $149 and making it less attractive. Though you’ll see it as an option during signup, it’s something you expect to be included into the initial price.

Roundup

While a really great formation service overall, ZenBusiness is not the best option as an agent service. Given its formation packs’ prices and the value it offers for low money, this provider is a match for entrepreneurs on a budget who seek full-scale formation at an affordable cost.

LegalZoom Registered Agent Service

LegalZoom is one of the industry giants that have literally stood at its origin. LegalZoom is synonymous with a solid reputation, reliability, trust, and professionalism. Many customers choose this company without even bothering to see what stands behind it.

LegalZoom Pluses and Minuses

Since LegalZoom is on our list, it’s a good provider. However, it’s not a top-liner, hence, it’s not perfect. Below, we’ll consider its main advantages and disadvantages to show you how the company performs and where it lags behind.

Pros:

• Hard-to-beat track record: We guess no other name in the industry has LegalZoom’s brand power. And it’s not just empty talk. The reputation is supported by decades of expertise, tons of positive customer feedback, and high professionalism;
• Premium agent service: With LegalZoom, your business mail will be in safe hands. Dedicated agents in each state put every effort to process and forward your correspondence to you as soon as possible. And a smart compliance calendar will help your good standing status; 
• Outstanding data security: The company comes up with an exclusive $1,000.000 data protection guarantee making your personal data security LegalZoom’s top priority;
• Free online storage: The agent service is bundled with free online storage access. You’ll get unlimited digital depot at your disposal to safely store all your business-related docs in one place.

Cons:

• Expensive pricing: premium agent service comes at a cost. You’ll have to pay $299 per year, which is presumably one the highest prices we’ve seen. Besides, formation service prices are also far above the average market rates;
• Service renewal by default: Some companies are pushy about upsells while others tend to charge you with automatic subscription renewals. That’s the case with LegalZoom. Unless you quit your subscription before the expiration date it will be automatically prolonged for the next year. And the agent fee is non-refundable. Once charged, you won’t be able to get your money back even if you decide to sign out.

Roundup

If brand power, market reputation, and the ultimate data protection are your top priorities, LegalZoom is a fail-proof choice for you. Yet, you should be ready to pay some extra for that.

Is It Possible to Get a Registered Agent for LLC in Minnesota for Free?

If you carry this function by yourself, obviously, you won’t pay a cent for it. Likewise, you can agree with some of your friends, relatives, or colleagues to handle your mail for free. In this case, though, you hardly can count on their due diligence and eagerness.

Hiring a professional service is always a better option. And you’ll be surprised to learn that there are a few providers that have $0 offerings. These are: 

• IncFile;
• IncAuthority;
• CorpNet.

They offer free agent service for a whole year within their $0 formation packs. However, in a year you’ll have to pay anyway. Hence, if you are on the lookout for a representative service and need no formation assistance, those are not the best options.

And if you need an all-inclusive pack, you’d better consider Northwest or ZenBuisness, which will appear more professional and affordable and also have free annual agent service subscriptions on the formation menu.

Minnesota Registered Agent Reviews: Brief Conclusions

A local provider or national operator? It’s up to you and your business perspective which option will best suit you. With a local agent, you’ll be able to save some money while getting pretty much the same scope of service. Yet, national providers offer better data safety and more online convenience for sure.

If you set your eye on national services, our solid recommendations are Northwest and InCorp.

Best Minnesota Registered Agent: What Stands Behind Our Choice

By doing a random Minnesota business registered agent search, you’ll find a lot of options. How to know which one is a match for you? One thing is clear: it will take you quite a bit of time and effort.

We’ve already done all the legwork for you and come up with the best recommendations. Now you wonder if you can trust our choice. First and foremost, we know where and what to look for. We don’t randomly search the web. Then, we scrutinize a lot of options and info to create an initial list we further cut down based on certain criteria.

To make it easier for you to understand and show that you can rely on our opinion, we’ll outline our selection methods and estimation aspects that allow us to make a final decision.

Sorting out the Best Agent Options in Minnesota

This is how we select the representative agent options for our list:

• Checking customer reviews: We visit reviewer websites such as Consumer Affairs, Google Business, Trustpilot, Yelp, Better Business Bureau, and alike where you can find comments of real customers who have already used the services of a certain company and share their opinions. This way, you can differentiate between dingy providers and trustworthy ones;
• Scrutinizing the website: A decent web platform is the service provider's business card. It shows how seriously operators treat what they are doing and speaks about the quality of service they offer. A good website should be easy to navigate and sign up for, packed with useful info, and well-organized;
• Contacting former customers: We contact some of the customers directly to get more detailed information and their subjective vision of the service's strong and weak points; 
• Calling the provider’s sales staff: Talking to the company’s managers, we can estimate the overall level of service and ask more questions to detect some inner problems and issues.

Ranking the Selected Options

Once we’ve made up our minds about the best agent service providers, we proceed to estimate their performance to rank them using the following criteria:

• Feature range: To stand out from the crowd, many providers have multiple added services on their menus beyond the representative service. This adds value to the company and offers added help to customers;
• Pricing: Our approach is not about pinpointing the lowest rates but rather about seeking value for many and great bargains. Decent scope of service at a reasonable price is our best choice;
• User convenience: Online services are created to be convenient and easy to use. So, the more user-friendly and user-oriented the provider website is, the better. You should be able to sign up and find anything you need quickly and without a hassle;
• Support service: Good customer support is a must-have attribute of good online service. Even if you don’t need it too often, you should have someone you can easily get in touch with when you have any problems or questions.

FAQ