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Business Basics LabLLC paperwork, measured state by state.

Lab sheet 2 · Virginia

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

For appointing a registered agent in Virginia in 2026, the lab recommends VA Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) and Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), highest reading first. 6 procedures document what Virginia requires of a registered agent, who may serve, which address passes and how the agent is recorded.

Recorded by the Business Basics Lab staff ·

Key facts for this sheet

Required by law
YesReference law.lis.virginia.gov, October 2026
Agent price range
$99 to $149 a yearListed prices
Annual Registration Fee
$50 a yearReference scc.virginia.gov, October 2026
Procedures
6One at a time

On this sheet

  • What the law provides
  • The address and eligibility rules
  • Getting the agent on file
  • Who we would engage as agent

Best reading

Who we would engage in Virginia

Measured on the method page: three-year cost (36%), procedures performed (28%), renewal, fit with Virginia's protocol and price legibility.
Best overall

1. VA Registered Agent.org: best for LLCs that never leave Virginia

Annual price $99; renewal $99

Top of the Virginia readings is VA Registered Agent.org: a one-state plan reading $99 a year and $99 at renewal.

A lower three-year total than Mainstay Filing gives it first place; cost counts 36%.

What the price performs

  • A physical Virginia address
  • Online copies of served documents

Measured strengths

  • A yearly price under the national candidate
  • $99 a year with no increase

Measured limits

  • A single-state service
  • No assistance with the Annual Registration Fee
Visit VA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Upkeep included

2. Mainstay Filing: best for LLCs that may enter other states

Annual price $149; renewal $149

In second position is Mainstay Filing, where an agent at $149 a year that remains usable when the company adds states.

A gap of $150 to VA Registered Agent.org across three years fixes its position.

What the price performs

  • A registered office in Virginia
  • Papers served on the company are scanned free on the same business day
  • Three government letters a year are scanned at no charge
  • Also serves nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

Measured strengths

  • Annual price $149; renewal $149
  • Accompanies the company into any state

Measured limits

  • $50 more per year than the local candidate
  • An agent-only plan that does not file reports
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The 2 ranked services side by side

#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.
Posted prices, observed November 13, 2026. The state charges the same whichever agent is named.

The Virginia agent, in sequence

  1. Procedure 1: What Virginia requires of an agent

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

    Specimen: Reference law.lis.virginia.gov, October 2026

  2. Procedure 2: Who qualifies as agent

    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. Statutory basis: Va. Code § 13.1-1015.

  3. Procedure 3: Apply 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.

    TipA service supplies a Virginia street address, which keeps the owner's address off the filing.

  4. Procedure 4: Settle who will be the agent

    The ranked agents cost $99 to $149 a year; personal service is the alternative for those who qualify.

  5. Procedure 5: Place the agent on the public record

    The agent is identified in the filing made with the State Corporation Commission (SCC), and any change is a distinct filing there.

    Specimen: Reference law.lis.virginia.gov, October 2026

  6. Procedure 6: Update when details change

    Annually the Annual Registration Fee reconfirms the agent's details, at $50, by last day of the LLC's anniversary month. A late filing costs $25.

    Specimen: Reference scc.virginia.gov, October 2026

The cost of this sheet

Cost itemRecipientAmount
Registered agent serviceThe provider$99 to $149 a year
Renewing the agentThe provider$99 to $149 a year
Annual Registration FeeTo the state$50 every year
Every state amount here can be verified against the specimens below. The three-year row combines formation, two later reports and a minimum tax where one exists, and it never includes service prices.

Why this order

Measured cost over three years accounts for 36% of the reading, and it is where pulled ahead in Virginia.

Years one to three cost $297 with VA Registered Agent.org, while Mainstay Filing costs $150 more.

Questions readers ask

What does Virginia say about keeping a registered agent?

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

Can I be my own registered agent?

Owners may serve when qualified; procedures 2 and 3 give the tests.

Can I change my registered agent later?

Yes; the State Corporation Commission (SCC) accepts change filings, and procedure 5 covers what to send.

What does a registered agent cost in Virginia?

The ranked agents charge $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

The LLC files the Annual Registration Fee for $50 every year.

Which registered agent would you choose?

VA Registered Agent.org, because $99 a year supplies a Virginia agent with an office inside the state. Next: Mainstay Filing.

See also

Specimens and records

  1. Notebook entry for Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source: the observations rest on law.lis.virginia.gov, revisited in October 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  2. Notebook entry for Virginia yearly filing: Recurring filing, official source: the observations rest on scc.virginia.gov, revisited in October 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  3. Notebook entry for Va: the observations rest on law.lis.virginia.gov, revisited in August 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  4. Notebook entry for Virginia formation fee: Filing fee, official source: the observations rest on law.lis.virginia.gov, revisited in October 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  5. Notebook entry for Virginia registered agent statute: the observations rest on law.lis.virginia.gov, revisited in October 2026. Replicate the check by opening that page.
  6. Observation of VA Registered Agent.org's pricing page, November 13, 2026
  7. Observation of Mainstay Filing's Virginia service page, November 13, 2026