Washington DC Registered Agent Service
Yes. Every domestic and foreign filing entity registered in the District — LLCs, corporations, limited partnerships, LLPs, cooperative associations, statutory trusts, even trade names — must appoint and maintain a registered agent whose address is a physical street address inside the District of Columbia. DLCP rejects PO boxes, third-party mailboxes such as UPS or FedEx, and any address outside DC. An entity’s status may be revoked if it goes more than 60 days without an agent.
Verified against the District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), Corporations Division · Reviewed September 2026
- Appointed the same day
- Real Washington DC street address
- Every US filing jurisdiction, one login
- Required?
- Yes, always
- Address rule
- Physical DC street address, no PO box or mailbox
- Form to switch agents
- RA-3 — Statement of Change of Registered Agent
- Key deadline
- April 1, every second yearSee all deadlines
Your Washington DC year
Every recurring Washington DC filing on a single line, with a two-week heads-up before each due date.
- January
- February
- March
- April: BRA-25 biennial report (DLCP) due, Apr 1
- May
- June
- July
- August
- September
- October
- November
- December
One filing every two years: BRA-25 biennial report (DLCP), due April 1.
Deadline rules from the District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), Corporations Division · reviewed September 2026. We confirm every date when you file.
What does Washington DC require of your registered agent?
The rule
Governing statute: D.C. Code § 29-104.02 (entities required to designate and maintain a registered agent), § 29-104.03 (District street address), § 29-104.05 (commercial registered agent listing), § 29-104.07 (statement of change), § 29-102.11 (biennial report)
The registered agent’s address must be a physical street address in the District of Columbia. DLCP states plainly that it may not be a PO box, a third-party mailbox such as a FedEx or UPS box, or an address outside the District; a DC mailing address is added only where it differs from the street address.
The District publishes no statutory office-hours rule. The agent must be at that DC street address to receive service of process, Title 29 notices, trade-name renewal notices and other government correspondence, and to forward them to the entity at its most recently supplied address.
If you have no agent
An entity’s status may be revoked if it fails to maintain a registered agent for more than 60 days. Revocation costs you the good standing that DC licenses, banks, landlords and District contracts all check, and it has to be cured before you can dissolve or withdraw cleanly.
New to the role? What a registered agent actually does — the role, explained in plain English.
Other states call the same role a registered agent, resident agent, statutory agent or agent for service of process. In Washington DC the law says registered agent. Which term each state uses.
Operating beyond Washington DC? Compare agent requirements state by state — the term, the address rule and the recurring filing all change at the state line.
Choosing a provider for Washington DC? See which providers state coverage in Puerto Rico and DC — from each provider’s own website, with sources.
Licensed, and forming a practice in Washington DC? Washington DC has a professional limited liability company with a name rule of its own, and the agent requirement does not move with it. What Washington DC asks of a professional LLC
What does Washington DC ask you to file, and when?
| Obligation | Form | Due | Late penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic formation (Articles of Organization or Incorporation) | Filed on BOSS, the DLCP business filing portal | At formation | N/A |
| Foreign registration | Foreign Registration Statement (Form FN-1), with a good standing certificate dated within the last 90 days | Before transacting business in the District | N/A |
| Biennial (two-year) report | BRA-25 Two-Year Report for Domestic & Foreign Filing Entity | April 1 of the calendar year after you register, then April 1 of every second year (D.C. Code § 29-102.11) | A late penalty applies, and a report submitted without the required beneficial-ownership information results in administrative dissolution, or termination of a foreign registration |
| Change of registered agent | Statement of Change of Registered Agent (Form RA-3) | When the agent or address changes | N/A |
| Trade name renewal (only if you trade under another name) | Trade Name Renewal on BOSS | Every two years, by April 1 of the year the trade name expires | A late fee applies after April 1; a trade name not renewed by September 1 is canceled and no longer protected |
State fees change; we confirm current amounts with you before anything is filed.
Missed a filing? What happens to a Washington DC LLC, and how to put it right — Washington DC’s own status term, the filing that brings it back and the time limit.
What we file for you in Washington DC
- Every filing in the table above, prepared and submitted on time
- Reminders ahead of each deadline, for every entity you hold
- State fees confirmed with you before anything is filed
Priced for your portfolio, not a rate card.
Every Washington DC quote is built around your entities, your states and your filings — one entity or hundreds. Most quotes are same-day.
How do you appoint or change your registered agent in Washington DC?
Procedure scope: District of Columbia domestic filing entities, including domestic LLCs, and qualified foreign filing entities, including registered foreign LLCs.
5 steps
to switch your registered agent in Washington DC.
Step 1: Identify the represented entity's exact DC filing name, current registered-agent name and current DC agent address.
Step 2: Obtain the replacement agent's agreement and confirm its physical street address is within the District of Columbia.
The form
Step 3: Complete only the RA-3 statement in the combined packet with the entity name, current agent and address, and new agent and DC address.
Washington DC formRA-3 — Statement of Change of Registered Agent (domestic or foreign filing entity)Agent consent
Step 4: Have a governor or authorized person of the represented entity provide their name and sign the RA-3 affirmation.
Submit
Step 5: Submit RA-3 to the Corporations Division using the packet's filing instructions and retain the filed statement and updated entity record.
Change fee · Set by the stateAny state fee for this change is confirmed with you before anything is filed.
We handle the whole swapRA-3 is for domestic or foreign filing entities, including LLCs and corporations registered in DC. RA-4 is a noncommercial agent's own name/address change and RA-5 is a commercial agent's own listing change. RA-7 is for appointing or canceling an agent for a nonqualified foreign entity or nonfiling domestic entity; that appointment does not qualify a foreign entity to do business in DC.
Switching providers? How to change your registered agent in Washington DC — the filing route, consent and entity-specific instructions, with official sources.
Can you be your own registered agent in Washington DC?
Yes, if you have a physical DC street address. DLCP lets a domestic or foreign filing entity appoint an individual within the organization as its noncommercial registered agent, and a DC Bar member in good standing with a DC office also qualifies. The DC address is the entire test, and it is enforced literally — a mailbox at a UPS Store, or an office in Bethesda or Arlington, will not pass. Go more than 60 days without a valid agent and your registration can be revoked, and whatever DC address you use is public. The full guide: Can you be your own registered agent?
Should you be your own registered agent?
Three honest questions about Washington DC. If you don’t need us, we’ll say so.
- Address privacyNow
- Reaching you with legal papers
- Other states
Is it fine if your home or office address goes on the public record?
As your own registered agent, the street address you list is the one that appears on Washington DC's public record.
Should you even hire a registered agent?
If you live in Washington DC, keep regular hours at a fixed address, and run one entity, you may not need us, and we will tell you so. A service earns its keep when you value privacy, travel, run more than one entity, or operate across state lines.
| What the job involves in Washington DC | Be your own agent | LLCity |
|---|---|---|
| Physical DC street address, no PO box or mailbox | Your home or office, on public record | Our Washington DC address, your privacy kept |
| You must be reliably reachable to accept and forward service of process | On you, every business day | Always staffed, scanned the day it arrives |
| Multi-state coverage | One state only | All 50 plus DC and Puerto Rico, one login |
| Deadline tracking | On you | Reminders before every deadline |
| Served in front of clients | Possible | Never, it comes to us |
Why do businesses in Washington DC choose LLCity?
Your Washington DC registered agent
Same-day appointment, mail scanned on arrival, and compliance reminders before every deadline.
- Real Washington DC street address (no PO box)
- Every notice scanned the day it arrives
- One dashboard for every state you operate in
One login
Every entity and every state in a single dashboard.
Every deadline tracked
Yours fall when your states say they fall. We watch all of them.
Every entity
Add states and entities without adding vendors.
Managing agents for more than three entities?
One agent, one login, and every state deadline tracked for every entity you own.
Put Washington DC’s deadlines in your calendar
Set your formation date and download reminders for every recurring Washington DC filing — or have us email them.
BRA-25 biennial report (DLCP)
Next due: April 1, 2028 · Due April 1 of the year after you register, then every SECOND April 1 — this reminder repeats yearly, so check whether this is your filing year
Dates sourced from the Washington DC filing office and carrying the month we last checked them. Schedules change — we confirm everything before anything is filed.
Is that letter really from Washington DC?
Private companies mail official-looking offers to file your recurring report or sell you a certificate. Here is what Washington DC has said about them, and where to file directly.
DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP)2024-08-24
Regulatory Advisory: Beware of Potential Scam Involving Fake Mandatory Ownership Reporting Forms
“Scammers send out official-looking letters claiming to be from entities like the 'United States Business Regulations Department' or the 'Department of Records Management.'”
File or order directly from Washington DC:
How to tell a lookalike from a real state notice, and what to do with one
Questions about registered agent service in Washington DC
Do I need a registered agent in Washington DC?
Yes. Every domestic and foreign filing entity registered in the District must appoint and maintain a registered agent under D.C. Code § 29-104.02 — LLCs, corporations, LPs, LLPs, cooperative associations, statutory trusts and trade names included. The agent’s address must be a physical DC street address; PO boxes, third-party mailboxes and out-of-District addresses are rejected.
Can I be my own registered agent in Washington DC?
Yes, if you have a physical street address inside the District. DLCP allows an entity to appoint an individual within the organization as its noncommercial registered agent, and a DC Bar member in good standing with a DC office also qualifies. A UPS Store mailbox or an address in Bethesda or Arlington will not pass.
What happens if my DC LLC has no registered agent?
Your entity’s status may be revoked if it fails to maintain a registered agent for more than 60 days. Revocation strips the good standing that DC licenses, banks, landlords and District contracts all check, and you cannot file articles of dissolution or an application of withdrawal until the entity is back in active status.
How do I change my registered agent in Washington DC?
District of Columbia domestic filing entities, including domestic LLCs, and qualified foreign filing entities, including registered foreign LLCs. A DC LLC or other domestic or foreign filing entity replaces its registered agent with RA-3. The combined packet contains several different agent filings; select the represented-entity statement, not an agent's own listing or address change. RA-3 is for domestic or foreign filing entities, including LLCs and corporations registered in DC. RA-4 is a noncommercial agent's own name/address change and RA-5 is a commercial agent's own listing change. RA-7 is for appointing or canceling an agent for a nonqualified foreign entity or nonfiling domestic entity; that appointment does not qualify a foreign entity to do business in DC.
When is the DC biennial report due?
The BRA-25 report is due April 1 of the calendar year after you register, then April 1 of every second year — it is biennial, not annual. It must include beneficial-ownership information for anyone holding more than a tenth of the ownership interest, or otherwise controlling the entity; a report submitted without it results in administrative dissolution or termination of a foreign registration.
How much does a Washington DC registered agent cost?
Pricing is custom to your portfolio of entities and states, and most quotes are same-day. Call 212-202-5750 or start a filing and we’ll price exactly what you need. State filing fees in the District of Columbia are set by the state and are confirmed with you before anything is filed.
Figures verified against the District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), Corporations Division (dlcp.dc.gov/page/corporations-division-business-registration-faqs) · Last updated September 2026
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