To find a registered agent in Texas, search the business by its exact legal name or file number on the Texas Secretary of State’s SOSDirect portal. Each search costs $1.00, and the results show the entity’s current registered agent, the registered office address, and the filing history.1Office of the Texas Secretary of State. SOSDirect – Online Searching and Filing Because every LLC, corporation, and other filing entity in Texas is required to keep an agent on file to receive lawsuits and official state correspondence, that information is part of the public record.
Running the Search on SOSDirect
SOSDirect is the official online search-and-filing system operated by the Secretary of State, and it runs around the clock. The $1.00 statutory fee applies per search, whether or not the search returns a match.1Office of the Texas Secretary of State. SOSDirect – Online Searching and Filing
Search using the entity’s exact legal name as it appears on state records. Common abbreviations, informal versions, and trade names often won’t match. If you have the file number that the Secretary of State assigned when the business was formed or registered in Texas, use that instead. It’s unique to the entity and gets you to the record without guessing at punctuation or word order.
Once you open the record, the registered agent’s name and the registered office street address are listed together. That address is where legal papers can be hand-delivered during business hours.
Don’t Confuse This With the Comptroller’s Search
The Texas Comptroller’s office runs a separate Taxable Entity Search that many people find first because it’s free.2Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Comptroller’s Databases That tool is designed to show whether a business is in good standing for franchise tax purposes and has the right to transact business in Texas. It is not the registered agent lookup. If you need to identify a company’s agent, verify a registered office address, or find out where to serve legal papers, SOSDirect is the correct source.
Reading What the Record Shows
The agent field on a Texas record will list either an individual or an organization. Texas Business Organizations Code Section 5.201 recognizes two categories:3State of Texas. Texas Business Organizations Code 5.201 – Designation and Maintenance of Registered Agent and Registered Office
- An individual Texas resident who has consented in writing to serve, often a business owner, officer, or employee.
- An organization registered or authorized to do business in Texas that has consented in writing to serve, which includes professional registered agent services.
An entity cannot serve as its own registered agent, so you will never see a company listed as its own agent on the record.4Office of the Texas Secretary of State. Registered Agents FAQs
What the Registered Office Address Means
The address shown for the registered office must be a physical street address in Texas where someone can hand-deliver legal documents during business hours. It doesn’t have to be the company’s actual place of business, and it cannot be solely a mailbox service or telephone answering service.3State of Texas. Texas Business Organizations Code 5.201 – Designation and Maintenance of Registered Agent and Registered Office A commercial mail enterprise can appear as the registered office address only if that enterprise is itself the registered agent.5Texas Secretary of State. Registered Agents
When the agent is an organization rather than a person, an employee must be available at the registered office during normal business hours to accept service of process.3State of Texas. Texas Business Organizations Code 5.201 – Designation and Maintenance of Registered Agent and Registered Office So the address on the SOSDirect record should get you to a real person during business hours, whether that’s an individual agent’s office or the staffed office of a professional service.
Why the Record May Be Out of Date
The information you pull from SOSDirect reflects what’s currently on file, but the business itself is responsible for keeping the record current. Agents can resign, addresses can change, and there are windows during which a filing is in progress. If you’re preparing to serve legal papers and the address looks stale, verify by phone or in person before relying on it.
When the Agent Cannot Be Located
If you go to serve legal papers on a Texas business and the registered agent can’t be found at the address on file, certain Texas statutes authorize serving the Secretary of State as a substitute. The Secretary of State then forwards the documents to the entity. The fees for this are $40 for forwarding and record maintenance, plus an optional $15 for a certificate of service.6Office of the Texas Secretary of State. Service of Process
Substituted service isn’t automatic. Whether you can use it, and how, depends on the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, local court rules, and the specific statute that authorizes the Secretary of State to accept service for the type of entity you’re pursuing. Getting the procedure wrong can void the service entirely, so talk to an attorney before going this route.