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Order $89 to $99 Hawaii registered agent service online for immediate access to our address and state forms. No additional charges.
Your business must appoint a Hawaii registered agent to receive documents in legal matters, including notice of lawsuit. Our reliable registered agent service fulfills this requirement. You get:
Before your organization can operate in Hawaii, you must appoint a registered agent—the person or organization that accepts and forwards service of process and other official correspondence.
While this role may seem simple enough, not all Hawaii registered agents fulfill it equally well. This guide will help you find the best agent for your needs and show you how to appoint them with the Hawaii Business Registration Division.
You’ll also learn about Harbor Compliance—a registered agent service provider with a robust framework ensuring your notices reach you timely.
A registered agent’s main responsibility is to receive service of process and other important notices or demands on behalf of your organization, after which they must forward them to you.
To fulfill their duties, the agent must be available during regular working hours at the registered office—a physical location within Hawaii to which your notices will be delivered.
Any absence from the registered office can lead to your notice being missed. This is dangerous in case of service of process because you might be unaware of legal action against you.
As a result, you won’t appear in court and will most likely face default judgment—a ruling made in the plaintiff’s favor due to your absence.
The best way to avoid such escalations is to find a trustworthy and reliable registered agent.
According to Section 414-61 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, you have two general options when it comes to choosing a registered agent:
Besides deciding between an individual or organization, you can also choose whether your agent will be commercial or noncommercial. The main difference between the two is explained in the following table:
| Agent Type | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Commercial | An individual or organization that files a Commercial Registered Agent Listing Statement with the Business Registration Division. |
| Noncommercial | An agent that isn’t registered with the Business Registration Division but can fulfill the same role as a commercial agent after giving consent to the represented entity. |
Both individuals and organizations can act as commercial or noncommercial agents—it all comes down to whether they register with the state. Either way, choosing an organization is a wise move because they have the necessary systems and expertise to handle your notices efficiently.
The registered agent filing is done during the entity registration process. Your formation documents ( Articles of Incorporation for profit and nonprofit corporations or Articles of Organization for LLCs) will contain a section dedicated to the agent that you must fill out.
As per Section 425R-4 of Hawaii’s Registered Agents Act, you only need to enter the agent’s name if you appoint a commercial agent. If your agent is noncommercial, you must provide:
After the agent is appointed, the above details must be kept current. For example, the Business Registration Division must be informed if the agent’s address changes. A notable advantage of commercial agents is that they can update their address directly with the state, so you don’t need to do it yourself.
If you want to change your agent, you can file the Statement of Change of Registered Agent by Entity. There’s a $25 filing fee, with an optional expedited review fee of another $25. You can either file the statement in paper form or online through the Hawaii Business Express website.
If you want your official correspondence handled by professionals with extensive know-how and experience, Harbor Compliance can be an excellent choice. We offer a robust Registered Agent Service that encompasses:
Our rich software solution, paired with an effective delivery process, lets you respond to any official correspondence swiftly. When we receive your notice, we’ll send you an email with the link you can follow to access it from the Client Portal. We’ll also call the person associated with the account in case of legal notices to ensure they’re not missed.
If you need additional help meeting Hawaii’s regulatory requirements, we can help through various additional services, most notably:
If you want to appoint an individual agent, you have three common options:
Each of these options comes with significant drawbacks, as explained in the following table:
| Individual Agent | Disadvantage |
|---|---|
| Yourself | Your information will enter the public record, so you’ll have less privacy. You also can’t appoint yourself in different states if you run a multistate organization because the agent must reside in the represented entity’s state. |
| Colleague/employee | You run a risk of receiving service of process in front of your team or clients. |
| Third party | Your agent might take time off due to emergencies, illness, travel, and various other reasons, so there’s a chance they’ll miss your notices. |
Harbor Compliance eliminates all of the above issues and offers the following benefits:
The process of appointing Harbor Compliance as your Hawaii registered agent depends on whether you are:
If you don’t want to be involved in the entity formation process, you can outsource it to us by leveraging our Nonprofit Formation, Incorporation, or LLC Formation Services. Choose the service corresponding to your business structure, and we’ll complete the registration from start to finish—including the appointment of Harbor Compliance as your registered agent.
That said, some organization leaders prefer going through the process independently. If you’re among them, you can appoint us by following these steps:
Expanding your organization can be time-consuming, especially if you run into administrative or regulatory setbacks. To minimize the risk of running into them and expedite the process, you can use our Foreign Qualification Service package.
When you complete the wizard, we’ll process the necessary documents and submit them to the Business Registration Division to obtain your Hawaii certificate of authority. We’ll handle the registered agent appointment process, and you’ll get the Registered Agent Service free of charge for a year if you opt for the package.
If you don’t want to submit the aforementioned Statement of Change of Registered Agent on your own, we offer a more convenient alternative.
While you’re ordering our Registered Agent Service, you’ll see the option to Add Change of Agent service. Click on it, complete the purchase, and we’ll appoint Harbor Compliance as your new agent without additional effort needed from you.
Located in nearby Honolulu, HI!
Appoint us as your Hawaii registered agent when you incorporate your business or form your LLC. Sign up for registered agent service and file using the state forms and instructions in your Client Portal. The forms are pre-filled and signed as required by the state.
Appoint us as your agent when you apply for a certificate of authority to transact business in Hawaii. Sign up for Hawaii registered agent service and file using the forms and instructions in your Client Portal. The forms are pre-filled and signed as required by the state.
Changing your registered agent to us is easy. Sign up for Hawaii registered agent service and file using the forms and instructions in your Client Portal. The forms are pre-filled and signed as required by the state.
Harbor Compliance is a provider of nationwide registered agent service. We can help you consolidate your agent representation and achieve cost savings. Our specialists manage the process to change registered agents so that virtually no work is required on your part. We will complete the state filings to appoint us as your registered agent. Additionally, we can extend your subscription term so that you avoid double payment for any portion of your current contract. There’s no reason to wait. Simply contact us for consolidation and we’ll take care of the rest. If you have registered agent appointments spanning multiple states or entities, contact us today.
Below you’ll see some of the main questions about Hawaii registered agents. If you need additional guidance, our Information Center offers an extensive library of resources you can explore.
A registered agent for an LLC or any other legal entity is a person or organization responsible for receiving services of process and other notices on behalf of the entity.
A commercial registered agent is an individual or organization that has filed a Commercial Registered Agent Listing Statement with the Business Registration Division.
LLCs, corporations, and other legal entities are obligated to appoint a registered agent before they can operate in Hawaii.
You can appoint yourself as a registered agent, but you’d need to be present at the registered office during all regular business hours, and your information would enter the public record.
To address legal notices promptly while freeing up more time to focus on high-value tasks, order our Registered Agent Service today. You can rest assured no correspondence will be missed, and you’ll be one step closer to operating in accordance with the Hawaii laws.
If you want to see whether your organization meets other state requirements, get your free Harbor Compliance Score™. Should you notice any red flags, you can inquire about our additional services or request a demonstration of our robust compliance software to see how it can help you stay on top of your legal obligations.
While registered agent requirements are similar between states, there are nuances worth keeping in mind. Check out the following table to learn about registered agent services in different jurisdictions:
