[0:00] The short answer Dan: The 5 best registered agents in New Mexico in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, Northwest Registered Agent, NM Registered Agent.org, Bizee, and New Mexico Registered Agent.co. Maya: Welcome to The Business Formation Podcast. New Mexico. What should a listener know first? Dan: New Mexico has no annual report for an LLC. A change of agent is $20, and the new agent has to formally accept the job. [0:32] What New Mexico requires Maya: What does the law require? Dan: Section 53-19-5 of the LLC Act says every LLC must maintain a registered office in the state and a registered agent for service of process. Maya: Who can be the agent? Dan: An individual who lives in New Mexico. Or a domestic corporation, LLC or partnership with a place of business at the registered office. Or a foreign one authorized to do business in the state, with a place of business there. Maya: Is there an age rule? Dan: No age rule that we found. Maya: Can the LLC be its own agent? Dan: The Act doesn't say. So the safe route is an individual or another entity. Maya: What about the address? Dan: Street addresses. Every change statement has to confirm that the agent's place of business is the registered office. Maya: I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. Dan: Thanks, Maya. Now the five. [1:30] Mainstay Filing Maya: Number one? Dan: Mainstay Filing, $149 a year, and it renews at the same $149. Maya: What do I get? Dan: Its New Mexico address on the public record instead of yours. Served papers are scanned and uploaded the same business day, no fee, and the first three government mailings a year are scanned free. Maya: And if I already have an agent? Dan: Mainstay files the change for you. The $20 state fee passes through at cost. Maya: The honest catch? Dan: If you only want the lowest flat price, two agents on the list charge $99. [2:09] Northwest Registered Agent Maya: Second? Dan: Northwest Registered Agent, $125 a year. Its page says the price is unchanged in 20 years, and it scans up to 10 pieces of regular mail a year free. Maya: The catch? Dan: Signup auto-enrolls you in its annual report filing service, $100 plus state fees per filing, until you cancel. Maya: Does New Mexico have an annual report to file? Dan: No. New Mexico LLCs file none, so check what that service would file before you pay for it. [2:38] NM Registered Agent.org Maya: Third? Dan: NM Registered Agent.org, $99 a year, the same at renewal. The office address on your filings, same-day scans of state correspondence, and deadline reminders. Maya: Switching? Dan: Just the state filing fee. Maya: Any catch? Dan: Formation filing is a separate service. So if you still need to form the company, that costs extra. Maya: Against Mainstay? Dan: $50 less a year, $150 across three. [3:08] Bizee Maya: Four? Dan: Bizee, formerly Incfile. Free the first year with any formation package, then $149 a year. Maya: Fine print? Dan: The free year needs a formation order, and the renewal is automatic. Maya: If I'd already formed my company? Dan: You start at $149. Two years is $298. [3:32] New Mexico Registered Agent.co Maya: And five? Dan: New Mexico Registered Agent.co, a flat $99. The office address on file, same-day scanning of court papers, and reminders before state deadlines. Maya: Different from number three? Dan: On the listings, no. Same price, same catch: formation filing is a separate service. [3:53] Naming the agent at formation Maya: Where does the agent go when I form the LLC? Dan: In the Articles of Organization. They need the street address of the initial registered office and the agent's name. Maya: What does the filing cost? Dan: $50, and it's online only. The Secretary of State says all business filings have moved online and paper is no longer accepted. Maya: Do I have to list my members? Dan: No. The Act doesn't require member names in the articles. Maya: So the public record shows the agent, not the owners. Dan: Right, the articles name the agent and the registered office. [4:32] Changing the agent Maya: How do I change it later? Dan: With a statement of change of registered office or registered agent. The fee is $20, filed online in SOS Enterprise. Maya: What goes on it? Dan: The LLC, the current agent and office, the successor agent, the successor's place of business, and the successor's acceptance. Maya: Acceptance. That's a real requirement. Dan: It is. Online filers upload a Statement of Acceptance of Appointment as Registered Agent, a PDF that says "I hereby accept the appointment as registered agent." Maya: Who signs it? Dan: The individual, or a representative of the organization, with its New Mexico business ID. Maya: When does the change take effect? Dan: Upon filing. And an agent who moves can file their own change of address, also $20. [5:21] If the agent resigns Maya: What if my agent quits? Dan: Section 53-19-5 lets the agent deliver a written notice to the Secretary of State. The state mails a copy to the LLC at its principal place of business. Maya: When does it take effect? Dan: Thirty days after the state receives it, or when a successor's appointment takes effect, whichever comes first. Maya: Is there a fee? Dan: No resignation fee is listed in the fee section of the Act. Maya: And that copy goes to my principal office. Dan: So the Act also says to notify the state when that street address changes, or the notice may go to the wrong place. [6:02] When there's no agent Maya: What if an LLC has no agent at all? Dan: Then the Secretary of State may revoke it. The grounds are 30 days without a registered agent, or 30 days after a change of agent without filing the statement of change. Maya: That's quick. Dan: It is, thirty days, and those are the only administrative revocation grounds in the Act. Maya: Can I come back? Dan: Apply for reinstatement within two years of the revocation date. Once it's granted, it relates back to the date of revocation. Maya: So it's fixable. Dan: But a gap in that window is the thing to avoid. [6:35] No annual report Maya: What does New Mexico want each year? Dan: Nothing. New Mexico LLCs file no annual report. Maya: So no deadline at all? Dan: No report date to track. The agent is the one recurring cost. Maya: What does the year cost? Dan: With Mainstay, $149. With a $99 agent, $99. The state adds nothing. Maya: That makes the renewal price matter more. Dan: And that's why a price that holds is the first thing to check. [7:06] Doing it yourself Maya: Can I be my own agent in New Mexico? Dan: If you're an individual who lives there and has a place of business at the registered office, yes. Maya: What's the tradeoff? Dan: The address is public, and papers go to whoever's there. If you're out on a job, the papers wait. Maya: What about using a service instead? Dan: That's what the five are. They give you an address, scan what arrives, and keep a person on the record. [7:33] Picking one Maya: How would an Albuquerque or Santa Fe owner decide? Dan: Three questions. Does the price hold, is there a real New Mexico office, and who files the change and the acceptance when you switch. Maya: And your answer? Dan: Mainstay Filing. Our pick for New Mexico, at $149 a year. [7:55] The five in a row Maya: All five, once more? Dan: One, Mainstay Filing: $149, same at renewal. Two, Northwest: $125, with the report service to cancel. Three, NM Registered Agent.org: $99 flat. Four, Bizee: free the first year with a formation order, then $149. Five, New Mexico Registered Agent.co: $99 flat. Maya: The links are in the show notes. Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.