Registered agent

Every business registered with a US state must name a registered agent — the party that receives legal and government documents on the entity’s behalf. Palm provides registered agent service through established nationwide providers, managed entirely through the API. You provision it, receive forwarded mail through webhooks, and manage changes against the same business record you already verify and monitor through Palm.

How it works

Provision the service. Opt in during formation, or request a change on an existing business. Palm designates a registered agent in the business’s state.
Track the service. Query the current registered agent status, agent of record, and service window for any business.
Receive forwarded mail. When the state sends correspondence, Palm attaches a digital copy to the business and fires a webhook.
Manage changes. Request a change on the registered agent resource to move a business onto or off Palm.
End the service. Request termination when a business switches providers, dissolves, or is offboarded.

Provision the service

At formation

When you form a business, omit the registered_agent block from the request. Palm designates a registered agent in the formation state and activates the service when the filing completes.

Bash

POST /v1/filing/formation/llc

JSON

{
  "name": "Acme Holdings LLC",
  "jurisdiction": "US-NC",
  "principal_address": { "...": "..." }
  // no registered_agent block — Palm provides the service
}

If you pass a registered_agent block, Palm uses that agent on the filing and does not provide the service. See formation add-ons for details.

For an existing business

For a business that already exists, including one not formed through Palm, request a registered agent change and omit the registered_agent block. Palm provisions the service when the change completes.

Track the service

Retrieve the current registered agent status for a business:

Bash

GET /v1/business/{business_id}/registered-agent

JSON

{
  "object": "registered_agent",
  "business_id": "987e6543-e21a-45b6-c789-012345678901",
  "provider": "palm",
  "status": "active",
  "jurisdiction": "CA",
  "started_at": "2026-05-29T10:30:00Z",
  "ended_at": null,
  "name": "Acme Registered Agent Services, Inc.",
  "address": {
    "street_line_1": "123 Market St",
    "city": "Sacramento",
    "region": "CA",
    "postal_code": "95814",
    "country": "US"
  }
}

Field	Description
`provider`	`palm` when Palm provides the service, `external` when the business uses a different agent, `null` when no agent is tracked.
`status`	`pending`, `active`, `termination_requested`, `terminated`, or `failed`. `null` when the business uses an external agent.
`jurisdiction`	The state the service covers.
`started_at` / `ended_at`	When the current service window opened and closed. `ended_at` is `null` while active.
`name` / `address`	The agent of record: the legal name and address on the state filing. This is the provider entity, not “Palm,” and it differs by state. Read these fields per business and display them to your customer.

Status lifecycle

Status	Meaning
`pending`	Service requested (at formation or via a change) but not yet active — provisioning is in flight.
`active`	Palm is the registered agent on record. Mail forwarding is active.
`termination_requested`	You requested termination. Palm remains on record and continues forwarding mail until the request completes.
`terminated`	Service has ended.
`failed`	Provisioning, or a state submission it required, could not be completed.

The endpoint returns 404 when Palm has never been the registered agent for the business. After service ends, it returns 200 with status: terminated, so you can distinguish “never the agent” from “service ended.”

Receive forwarded mail

When the state sends correspondence for a business where Palm is the agent, Palm attaches a digital copy to the business and fires a document.created webhook. Route on the document type to identify registered agent mail:

notice — legal and government notices, including service of process and state compliance mail.
mail — general forwarded correspondence.

JSON

{
  "object": "event",
  "type": "document.created",
  "mode": "live",
  "data": {
    "object": {
      "id": "doc_a1b2c3",
      "object": "document",
      "type": "notice",
      "filename": "service_of_process.pdf",
      "content_type": "application/pdf",
      "status": "verified",
      "upload_date": "2026-06-20T15:04:00Z"
    }
  }
}

Retrieve the document:

Bash

GET /v1/document/{document_id}          # metadata
GET /v1/document/{document_id}/content  # download the file

The download endpoint streams the file with a Content-Disposition: attachment header. Palm forwards mail for as long as it is the agent of record, including during the termination_requested window.

File a change

Change the registered agent on record for an existing business. Use this to move a business onto Palm or off Palm. The change is expressed on the registered agent resource — not as a filing.

Bash

PATCH /v1/business/{business_id}/registered-agent

JSON

{
  "status": "change_requested",
  "registered_agent": {
    "type": "organization",
    "name": { "type": "entity", "entity_name": "Northstar Agents LLC" },
    "address": {
      "street_line_1": "500 Capitol Mall",
      "city": "Sacramento",
      "region": "CA",
      "postal_code": "95814",
      "country": "US"
    }
  }
}

Pass registered_agent to move the business off Palm to the agent you specify.
Omit registered_agent to move the business onto Palm.

The business must have a formation_jurisdiction (the change is filed in that state). The registered agent moves to pending while the change is in flight; where a state requires a real change filing, Palm handles it behind the scenes and abstracts it away. When the change completes:

Switching to Palm fires registered_agent.activated. Status becomes active.
Switching away from Palm fires registered_agent.changed. Status becomes terminated.
If the change cannot be completed (e.g. the destination agent did not confirm consent), registered_agent.change_failed fires, status reverts to active — Palm remains the agent — and rejection_reason explains why. You can re-submit once resolved.

End the service

When a business switches providers, dissolves, or is offboarded, and you are not filing a registered agent change, request termination directly.

Bash

PATCH /v1/business/{business_id}/registered-agent

JSON

{
  "status": "termination_requested",
  "reason": "switching_providers",
  "reason_detail": "Moving registered agent service in-house effective end of quarter."
}

Field	Description
`status`	Must be `termination_requested`.
`reason`	One of `switching_providers`, `business_dissolved`, `business_offboarding`, `other`.
`reason_detail`	Free-text context, up to 500 characters. Required when `reason` is `other`.

The request returns 409 when the service is not currently active. On success, Palm fires registered_agent.termination_requested and continues forwarding mail until the work completes. The lifecycle resolves one of two ways:

Completed. Status becomes terminated, ended_at is stamped, and registered_agent.terminated fires.
Failed. The state refused the resignation or a successor agent is required. Status reverts to active, registered_agent.termination_failed fires with a rejection_reason, and you can submit a new request once the blocker is resolved.

Webhooks

Event	Fires when
`registered_agent.activated`	Palm becomes the agent, from a formation or a completed change into Palm. Status becomes `active`.
`registered_agent.failed`	Provisioning (or a state submission it required) failed. Status becomes `failed`; `rejection_reason` explains why.
`registered_agent.changed`	A change moves the business to another provider. Status becomes `terminated`, `provider` becomes `external`.
`registered_agent.change_failed`	A requested change could not complete. Status reverts to `active` (Palm remains the agent); `rejection_reason` explains why.
`registered_agent.termination_requested`	You submit a termination request. Mail forwarding continues.
`registered_agent.terminated`	Termination completes. Palm is no longer the agent on record.
`registered_agent.termination_failed`	Termination could not complete. `rejection_reason` carries the explanation. Status reverts to `active`.
`document.created`	Palm attaches a forwarded document to the business. Route on document type (`notice` or `mail`).

See Webhooks for delivery, retries, and signature verification.

Introduction

Get started

Onboard

Verify

Monitor

Comply

Webhooks

How it works

Provision the service

At formation

For an existing business

Track the service

Status lifecycle

Receive forwarded mail

File a change

End the service

Webhooks

Next steps

​How it works

​Provision the service

​At formation

​For an existing business

​Track the service

​Status lifecycle

​Receive forwarded mail

​File a change

​End the service

​Webhooks

​Next steps

How it works

Provision the service

At formation

For an existing business

Track the service

Status lifecycle

Receive forwarded mail

File a change

End the service

Webhooks

Next steps