A processing agent keeps your business legally connected and protected, making them an especially worthy investment if you’re operating across states or just trying to maintain a clean public profile. But if you’re only now learning about processing agents and what they might do, you might be unsure about the specific scenarios where you’d benefit from hiring one.
Here, we’re sharing the five times you’ll want to use a processing agent for your business operations.
1. You Operate Across Different Countries
If your business sells products or services across different countries, there’s a good chance that you’ll be subject to laws outside your home country.
When you work with a processing agent like Point Agents – point-agents.co.uk, you’ll have the guidance of an expert who’ll make sure you don’t miss legal documents or tax notices that get served outside your main location. You need someone physically present in each country where you’re registered to do business, and a processing agent can fill that role for you.
2. You’re Expanding Internationally
Beyond just doing business in other countries, let’s say you want to expand internationally, such as by opening new branches or offices. In this case, you’ll need a local processing agent who can act as your legal contact in that jurisdiction.
Can you expand without a processing agent? Yes, but your registration is more likely to be denied. Working with a registered agent means you have the local presence you need.
3. You Work Remotely or Travel Often
If you run your business from home or you’re regularly on the road, you’re taking a risk if you still use your own address for legal notices.
The last thing you want is to miss an important deadline, and having a processing agent on your team means you’ll have a consistent physical location where documents can be delivered, even when you’re unavailable. This is the safest way to stay compliant with laws and regulations wherever you operate, and avoid fines for not responding to important correspondence on time.
4. You Want to Keep Your Address Private
If you don’t want your personal or business address ending up on your public records (for instance, if you run your business from home), you might be wondering how you can get around this when you need to list yourself as your company’s agent.
The solution is to hire a registered agent, so their address appears online instead. That way, your own address isn’t available for everyone to see, and you won’t get targeted with spam and other unwanted messages.
5. You’re Undergoing a Legal Dispute
Finally, if you’re facing a lawsuit, the general process involves the opposing party serving any legal paperwork in person.
Now let’s say you’re hard to contact. You might end up delaying the process and prolonging a stressful situation, even leading to default judgments. The best thing to avoid this situation is to hire a processing agent who’s reliably available, particularly if you’re already involved in litigation or have a reason to expect potential claims.