Is a resident agent a legal requirement?
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Where the law says so: R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-16-11. webserver.rilegislature.gov, confirmed October 2026 (official)
Who is allowed to be the agent?
A Rhode Island resident, or a corporation, limited partnership or LLC formed in Rhode Island or authorized there.
An owner who meets the rule may be the agent with no charge from the state.
What does an agent cost?
Prices start at $99 to $149 a year, and three years total $297 to $447.
No state fee depends on which agent you pick.
What does an agent do for the LLC?
It's the address in Rhode Island where court papers and state letters get delivered for your LLC.
If papers arrive and nobody accepts them, a case may move ahead without you. What does "service of process" mean?
What's due each year apart from the agent?
Mostly the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company, once a year, at $50. The state's due date: May 1. Jot that down early. A yearly minimum tax comes on top.
sos.ri.gov, confirmed August 2026 (official)
What put number one on top?
It's cost across three years (33% of the score), and RI Registered Agent.org does best there.
Five checks set the order: cost across three years (33%), work taken off your hands (31%), prices stated clearly (14%), renewal price (12%) and where it works (10%).
You'd pay $297 over three years at RI Registered Agent.org, which is $150 less than at Mainstay Filing.
How we pick