Rhode Island Registered Agent Rules: Address and Statute (2026)
Every Rhode Island LLC must keep a registered agent on file with the Department of State from the day it forms until the day it dissolves. Rhode Island's statute uses its own name for the role, the resident agent, but it is the same position every state requires: the party designated to receive service of process and official state mail for the company.
What the Statute Says: R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-16-11
Section 7-16-11 requires that each domestic or registered foreign LLC "shall have a resident agent for service of process." Who qualifies is spelled out in the same section. The agent must be either:
- an individual resident of Rhode Island, or
- a corporation, limited partnership, or limited liability company that is domestic or authorized to transact business in Rhode Island.
The Address Rule
The agent's office must be a Rhode Island street address. A PO box does not work; the state's own change-of-agent form demands a street address. And the obligation is not set-and-forget: § 7-16-11(c) requires agents to keep their address current with the state, so a stale address is itself a compliance failure.
What Arrives at the Agent's Address
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Get StartedThe agent is where Rhode Island sends the things that matter most:
- Service of process. Lawsuit papers get delivered to the agent, and the case moves forward whether or not the news reaches the owner quickly.
- The annual report reminder. Before February 1 each year, the Department of State mails its courtesy reminder for the $50 Form 632 annual report to the registered agent. That reminder never goes to the member directly, so the agent is the early-warning system for the state's biggest recurring deadline.
- Other official correspondence. Notices from the Department of State route through the same address.
Because the agent's address sits on the public record, whichever address you list is the one anyone can look up.
Changing Your Rhode Island Registered Agent
The state filing is the Statement of Change of Resident Agent and/or Address, Form 642, with a $20 fee, submitted to the Division of Business Services on paper or through the RI Business Services Online Filing System. We prepare and file it when customers move their agent service to us.
Our Rhode Island Registered Agent Service
Our agent service is $99 per year, and it is included at no extra charge for your first year when we form your LLC ($199 formation service). Every plan comes with:
- A Rhode Island street address for your public filings
- Same-day scanning and delivery of anything served or mailed to the agent address
- The state's February reminder caught and relayed, plus our own deadline notices
- An online portal holding every document we have ever received for you