Put simply, a Connecticut registered agent is your business's legal front door. State law requires that every LLC, corporation, partnership, or nonprofit organization have one person or company with a physical address in Connecticut to accept government notices.
They take official mail from the Secretary of State, including annual report reminders. Without this contact point, the Secretary of State can't reach you, and that violates Connecticut General Statutes Title 33, Chapter 601 Section 33-660 and Chapter 613a. Your agent receives legal papers, subpoenas, summons, and court documents.
Connecticut has clear, non-negotiable standards for registered agents so courts, regulators, and tax authorities know where to deliver critical documents. You need an agent who meets every requirement below to stay in good standing and avoid default judgments.
Being your own registered agent is legal but rarely practical. You'd need to sit at a Connecticut address Monday through Friday. Professional services solve this by guaranteeing availability, scanning documents the same day, and protecting your privacy. If you travel, work remotely, or don't want lawsuit paperwork delivered in front of customers, a commercial agent is ideal.
Connecticut law leaves no wiggle room: every domestic or foreign entity doing business in the state needs a registered agent with a physical Connecticut address. Failing to maintain proper registered agent coverage triggers serious consequences that can cripple your business operations.
Beyond legal compliance, professional registered agents provide essential operational benefits. They protect your privacy by keeping personal addresses off public records, ensure guaranteed availability during business hours regardless of your travel schedule, and provide same-day document scanning with real-time notifications.
Designating a registered agent in Connecticut requires strict attention to detail. Miss a signature, use a P.O. box, or skip the consent requirement, and your filing gets rejected. Here's how to get it right the first time and avoid compliance gaps when making changes.
Initial appointment during formation:
Changing your existing agent:
If your current agent resigns, they must file a Certificate of Resignation with the Secretary of State. The appointment terminates 31 days after filing, so appoint a successor before this deadline to avoid administrative dissolution.
Can you serve as your own registered agent in Connecticut?
Yes, if you're a Connecticut resident over 18 with a physical street address, staffed during business hours., P.O. boxes aren't accepted. The downsides are significant: your home address becomes public, you're tied to that location from 9-5, and missed deliveries can lead to default judgments.
What happens if your registered agent resigns?
Your departing agent files a resignation certificate with the Secretary of State and sends you a copy. You have 31 days to appoint a replacement. Miss that deadline, and the state can administratively dissolve your entity. Courts may also enter default judgments since they can't complete service of process.
Does the role differ for LLCs, corporations, partnerships, or nonprofits?
The statutory duties are identical across entity types: accepting service of process, state notices, and tax correspondence. The stakes vary, though. LLCs risk losing liability protection if dissolved, corporations may endanger shareholder protections, limited partnerships need agents for partner-related claims, and nonprofits require agents for legal and official correspondence.
What exactly must a registered agent do?
Your agent must maintain a physical Connecticut office during business hours, receive lawsuits and official state correspondence, and forward every document promptly to your business. Failure in any of these duties puts both the agent and your company at legal risk.
How can you tell if your agent is doing a good job?
You should receive timestamped scans or overnight deliveries the same day documents arrive, plus timely email or SMS alerts and annual report reminders. Warning signs include unexplained mail delays, bounced service attempts, or outdated address listings in the Secretary of State database.
Connecticut requires a registered agent with a physical street address staffed during business hours. No exceptions. This becomes challenging if you travel frequently or run a remote team. Think about a family office managing 15 entities across Connecticut, Delaware, and California. Each state has different portals, deadlines, and requirements. One missed notification could mean default judgments or administrative dissolution.
Discern solves these problems. We maintain a physical Connecticut address in every US jurisdiction. When Connecticut's Secretary of State or a court sends documents, we scan them immediately and send notifications to your dashboard within minutes.
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