When you form a Virginia LLC or Virginia corporation, you must name a registered agent and registered office.  Why?  The answer is because of the nature of corporations and LLC's as separate entities.  In order to deal with these separate entities, we need to connect a real, breathing person to them for official purposes.  This person is the registered agent and all corporations and limited liability companies registered in Virginia are required to have a Virginia resident agent on record with the Virginia State Corporation Commission. 

A registered agent is an individual that receives "official" mail and deliveries on behalf of a corporation or limited liability company. "Official" mail and deliveries generally means communications from either the Virginia State Corporation Commission or from a Court through service by the county sheriff (of a lawsuit, garnishment for an employee, etc.).

There are restrictions on who can be your registered agent and where your registered office may be located.  A shareholder or LLC member may be a registered agent.  A licensed Virginia attorney may be a registered agent.  Your registered agent needs to be located in Virginia at a location that has a street address and where the agent is generally available during business hours.  This means P.O. Boxes, UPS Store boxes, and the like cannot serve as your registered office. 

I serve as the registered agent for more than a hundred Virginia companies and would be happy to discuss this inexpensive service ($125 per year) with you.  Check out my Virginia registered agent website for more details.