Deciding to start a new business, is stressful of its own. You probably put together a business plan, have hired some industry experts & consultants, and probably poured in a decent amount of money already. The last thing you need to focus your attention on, is the bureaucratic side of filing your Limited Liability Company (LLC.) And as much as we all like free enterprise and streamlined systems, the law is the law, and you can’t argue with “uncle Sam”

You may be asking yourself; Do I need physical address for LLC? You will need to have a registered agent address, if you are registering a Limited Liability Company (LLC,) a corporation or a Limited Liability Partnership.

Let’s go through this step by step:

What Qualifies As A Business Address?

Any address that can receive the paper work that will be sent from the secretary of State, can be used to register your LLC. You may be thinking of big tall glass buildings in the middle of a metropolis, but the reality is, most businesses don’t necessarily fit the description of a service that would be located in a high rise building. And there are many virtual businesses as well (eCommerce is big these days if you haven’t heard.) Many people will decide to use their home address as their business address. Although an option, it is probably not the most viable one. Consider the security risks you are putting yourself (and your family) into, with telling everyone online where you live.

What Address Can I Use For My Business?

In order to register a business, you need a physical street address. That can be the address you get from a UPS Mailbox or even a virtual address that is located at a real physical address. It can also be where your business is located. It cannot be a PO Box however.

There Is A Better Way

Security concerns are not the only reason you would want to avoid using your home address; it also does not look very professional. Some businesses decide to register a PO Box which makes things even more complicated, when trying to explain to customers why your office is in the Post Office building. All kidding aside, there is a big need for actual physical addresses that do not compromise your privacy and still make your business looking sharp. The first option to consider is actually renting out office space. If you do not plan on being on location however, you probably would like to opt in for a Virtual Address.

What Is A Virtual Address?

A Virtual Address is a physical address that you are able to receive mail to, without actually being physically present there. Paper mail arrives at that address and from there is scanned & uploaded into your virtual mailbox. Making it easy to access all your mail online, from your phone, with the click of a button. It is a bit similar to e-mail in a way, with the advantage of having your mail items shipped to your physical location, stored to be accessed at another time, or even shredded if you desire to get rid of sensitive information. Virtual addresses give you the power of handling your mail, remotely.

Does USPS Offer Virtual Address?

The USPS does not offer a virtual address service. They do have something that is a bit similar, called Informed Delivery which allows you to preview incoming mail, through an e-mail.

Can You Register an LLC to a PO Box?

While you definitely have the opportunity to register your LLC to a PO Box (most states throughout the US) – any address that can receive mail and the paperwork necessary to finalize the registration of your business is allowed – there are a lot of issues that can arise should you choose to go down this road. For starters, some states and some municipalities are heavily going to encourage you to use your physical, residential address if you were going to otherwise use a PO Box to get that LLC up and running.

This is a bad idea for a couple of different reasons, the least of which is having all of your business and residential mail sent to the same location, mixing things up and causing headache and hassle that way. You also lose a lot of privacy when you take this approach. Having your physical address attached to an LLC that you own eliminates any of the potential anonymity that you would have enjoyed with traditional LLC protections, but it also opens up the potential for unhappy or dissatisfied customers (for a variety of different reasons) to know exactly where you live just by looking up the address that your LLC is registered to.

Registering your LLC to a PO Box also ties to that PO Box address and limits you to receiving mail at that specific physical location. All of your business mail, packages, and parcels are going to have to go to that PO Box and that postal office – and some post office is aren’t going to be all that excited about you spending a small amount of money on a small PO Box but having a huge volume of mail come flooding in a day-to-day basis. You might also want to move shop later down the line in your businesses life, and having that address changed is going to take a little bit of extra time when you go the PO Box route. You’re much better off having a more traditional business address for LLC sign up – even if that means moving forward with LLC virtual address options like the ones available through US Global Mail, for example.

This cuts down significantly on the hassle and the headache that you would have had to contend with otherwise. You’ll be able to streamline your business registration process, you’ll fill the need a business address (physical address) would have left otherwise, and you’ll be able to rapidly move through the LLC registration process in a way that a traditional USPS PO Box have made possible.

Can I Use a PO Box for My LLC?

As far as using a PO Box for your LLC is concerned – not necessarily registering your business to that address but instead just using that PO Box to receive mail – there are a lot fewer issues or hurdles to clear here. Lots of business owners choose to register their business under a specific, physical address but then have a separate mailing address – almost always a PO Box or a virtual business address for LLC purposes specifically – to avoid having unhappy or dissatisfied clients and customers show up on their doorsteps.

Should I use my personal address for LLC?

Using a home address to register an LLC, although legal and can be used regularly just as any other address, exposes your personal residence to the public. The address you use for your LLC will be listed in online directories, which can easily be traced by ill intentioned individuals. That is why we would recommend you do not use your personal address for an LLC.

Can I Use A Virtual Address For My LLC?

Certainly. Virtual addresses are real physical addresses, and as such, you are able to register any business at that location. There’s also a lot of extra anonymity that a virtual business address for LLC purposes provide, especially if you choose to incorporate your LLC in states like Nevada or in the District of Columbia – or even potentially overseas.

You wouldn’t want to use a physical address that is paper trailed to you and your identity in those cases, just another reason to consider moving forward with business addresses for LLC operations that are attached to PO boxes or virtual addresses. Virtual address options from a company like US Global Mail do open up a world of flexibility and customization that you wouldn’t get with a traditional PO Box business mailing address.

You’ll be able leverage all of the scanning and recording solutions provided by a company like US Global Mail, you’ll be guaranteed to be able to accept packages and parcels from every delivery service imaginable, and you’ll have a lot more control over what happens to your mail – as well as how and when it is delivered – than you would when working with the United States Postal Service. Those are just a couple of reasons to consider choosing a company like US Global Mail when you need a business address service.

How Do You Create A Virtual Address

The step-by-step process for creating an LLC virtual address for your business is rather simple and straightforward, but it really all starts with you first figuring out what type of address you want to create, how important anonymity is, and where you want your virtual address to be “located”.

Step 1: Find a service provider that you can trust, to provide you with the virtual address

Step 2: Select the plan that matches your needs

Step 3: Sign up

Step 4: Send a notarized 1583 Form and 2 forms of ID

Step 5: Complete a change of address with the USPS.

There’s always a lot more legitimacy, a lot more credibility, and a lot more confidence built right into physical street addresses as opposed to PO Box numbers. If you’re going to create a business address for LLC purposes it’s a good idea to make it a street address whenever possible, especially if you’re going with virtual services like those from US Global Mail.

You’ll want to consider the value and importance of anonymity where the very least the ability to separate your business from your personal life as much as possible – and that all starts with the business mailing address you choose for your operation. Even completely legitimate business owners understand the importance of separating your business and your personal life.

Whenever you have products and services to sell there’s always the potential for customers to become disgruntled through absolutely no fault of your own, especially when people are handing over their hard-earned money and have very specific expectations about what they are going to receive. There isn’t a person in the world of business (including attorneys and accountants) that would recommend you use your personal, physical residential address when you need a business address for LLC purposes.

Instead these professionals are almost always going to recommend that you choose a business mailing address that is totally separate from that, with enough “distance” from that address to your physical residential address that they cannot be easily linked together with one another. Lastly, because LLC virtual addresses can be created for almost any city or state in the US you’ll want to think about how the location of your new “physical address” is going to impact the perception of your business.

Choosing a virtual address in a major metropolitan city lends a certain amount of credibility to your address for sure, especially if your ideal prospects or customers are based in a similar geographic region. Basing your new virtual business address for LLC purposes in a smaller town or rural community may lend a bit of a “smalltime” kind of feel to your operation, and if your ideal prospects or perfect customers do not fit that kind of mold you really handicapped yourself quite a bit. Think about how you want your business mailing address to add to the legitimacy and credibility of your business and then choose an address that makes the most sense. Companies like US Global Mail can help you navigate that landscape easily and efficiently.

How To Register An LLC With US Global Mail

There is a simple 3 part process to this:

1. Sign up. When you do so, you will receive a physical address in the US. That can be used for your business as a mailing destination and an address that can be displayed on business cards and other marketing brochures.

1. Complete the 1583 form. Mail fraud in this country, is growing at a rapid rate and doesn’t have any plans of slowing down. Ensuring the security of our customers, is of utmost significance and a top priority here. Completing this mandatory form, will grant us permission to receive & process mail on your behalf.

1. Access your mail anytime. No more rushing to the post office, standing in line, just to open up a mail box that is an empty. Using your virtual mailbox, you can check everything online and have any action taken (such as scanning, or shipping) with the click of a button.

At the end of the day, those that need a business address but do not necessarily want to deal with the headache and hassle (and lack of control) that a PO Box at the local USPS postal office involves are going to want to take a much closer look at LLC virtual address options.

US Global Mail is an industry leader in the nontraditional mailing service business, trusted by entrepreneurs and business owners all over the country to give them far more control flexibility, and utility out of their mailing needs than the USPS ever could. You’ll want to have a close look at the options available for a virtual business address from US Global Mail ASAP. There are a variety of different solutions available to fit your needs and your budget, helping you build the perfect mailing solution for your business without any real extra effort on your behalf whatsoever!