Maryland Foreign Registration / Resident agent
Choosing the Maryland resident agent for an out-of-state LLC
An out-of-state LLC that registers in Maryland names a resident agent in the State, and changing that agent later costs $25 on SDAT's schedule. The statute defines the role as an individual residing in Maryland or a Maryland corporation, LLC or limited partnership whose name, address and designation are filed with the Department, and SDAT fills in if no one is appointed.
The choices
| Choice | What it means | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| An individual who lives in Maryland | A person receives the papers | Availability and a move out of state |
| A Maryland company that serves as agent | A staffed office receives the papers | The company's fee |
| SDAT as the fallback | The State receives the papers | It forwards to an address on file |
How the statute frames it
The application names the resident agent and carries a statement that the Department is appointed as agent if no agent has been appointed, if the agent's authority is revoked, or if the agent cannot be found or served with reasonable diligence. The Department is not the plan. It is the safety net, and it only works as well as the address SDAT has for the LLC.
Who counts
Under the definitions, a resident agent is an individual residing in Maryland or a Maryland corporation, LLC or limited partnership whose name, address and designation are filed with the Department. A foreign LLC is not a Maryland LLC, so the LLC cannot be its own Maryland agent.
A street address, not a mailbox
The statute asks for the agent's address in Maryland. A summons has to reach a person, so give the street address of someone who receives papers there, not a mailbox that no one checks.
Changing the agent
The schedule lists a resolution to change the resident agent or principal office at $25 and a certificate of correction at $25. The statute separately requires a prompt corrective certificate when anything in the application stops being true. We confirm for each order which of the two filings SDAT expects for a foreign LLC's agent change. If the LLC has no agent listed at all, SDAT's guide says a resolution must be filed on paper with the fee.
When the agent resigns
For a corporation, an agent's resignation takes effect on filing if a successor is already appointed and ten days after filing if not. If your agent resigns, tell us at once and name a successor.
What a gap costs
No active resident agent is one of the reasons SDAT lists for an entity not being in good standing. A gap therefore reaches past service of process. It can hold up a certificate of status that a bank or a state agency asks for.
Using us as agent
We offer a Maryland resident agent as part of the order.
Keeping the details current
The agent's name and street address are part of the registration, so a move or a resignation makes the application inaccurate. Tell us, or tell your preparer, the day it happens. The statute asks for a prompt corrective certificate when facts change, and a stale address also means notices from SDAT go to the wrong place.
Choosing between a person and a company
A person works if they will stay in Maryland, will pass on papers the day they arrive, and understand a summons is time-sensitive. A company charges its own fee. An LLC with no Maryland presence has no one who lives here, so it needs a Maryland company.
Corporations
A foreign corporation keeps a resident agent and a certified address while it is subject to suit in Maryland. A change of agent follows Maryland corporation practice: a certified board resolution, or for an address-only change a statement from the president or a vice-president. The corporation page covers it.
After cancelling
When a foreign LLC cancels its registration, SDAT keeps the authority to accept service on claims from business done in Maryland. Keep a mailing address on file with SDAT as long as an old claim could still arise.
Agent questions
Can I serve as the Maryland agent for my own LLC?
A person can, if that person lives in Maryland. The LLC itself cannot.
How much does SDAT charge to change the agent?
The schedule lists $25 for a resolution to change it.
What if I name no agent?
SDAT is the agent by statute, which is why a real agent is better.
Does a Maryland agent need to be a registered agent company?
No. The definition allows an individual who lives in Maryland as well as a Maryland company.
Our fee and SDAT's
SDAT's $100 and any speed option you choose are listed on their own lines at checkout. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Register in Maryland
$199
+ $100 SDAT fee
- The SDAT registration for a non-Maryland LLC, completed from your answers
- Your home-state proof of existence checked before anything is sent
- A Maryland resident agent, either ours or the one you name
- Submission through Business Express and the SDAT acknowledgment returned to you
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
Sources
- Maryland Business Express fee schedule
- Md. Code, Corps. and Ass'ns 1-203, fees
- Maryland Business Express, processing times
- Md. Code, Corps. and Ass'ns 1-101, definitions
- Maryland Corporations and Associations 4A-1002, registration
- Md. Code, Corps. and Ass'ns 4A-1005, correcting the application
- Maryland Business Express, maintain good standing status
- Md. Code, Corps. and Ass'ns 7-205, resident agent of a foreign corporation
- Md. Code, Corps. and Ass'ns 4A-1013, forfeiture of the right to do business
- Md. Code, Corps. and Ass'ns 2-108, resident agent and principal office
- Md. Code, Corps. and Ass'ns 4A-1006, cancelling a registration
Doing business in Maryland?
Give us the home-state details and we prepare the SDAT registration.