3811

(a) The registered agent of a foreign corporation authorized to do business in the Commonwealth shall be the agent of the corporation for purposes of any service of process on the foreign corporation, or delivery to such corporation of every order, notice or claim required or permitted by law. If there be no such agent, then any officer, director or other agent of the corporation then in the Commonwealth shall be deemed to be the agent of the corporation for purposes of any service of process on the foreign corporation or delivery to such corporation of every order, notice or claim required or permitted by law.\n(b) A foreign corporation may be served with process by registered or certified mail with return receipt requested, addressed to the secretary of the foreign corporation at the registered office appearing in its application for authorization to do business in the Commonwealth or in its most recent annual report, if the foreign corporation:\n(1) Does not have a registered agent or the registered agent cannot be served with due diligence;\n(2) has ceased doing business in the Commonwealth pursuant to the provisions of § 3812 of this title, or\n(3) its certificate of

ed agent or the registered agent cannot be served with due diligence;\n(2) has ceased doing business in the Commonwealth pursuant to the provisions of § 3812 of this title, or\n(3) its certificate of incorporation has been revoked pursuant to § 3815 of this title.\n(c) In case the foreign corporation cannot by due diligence serve the process in any manner provided for by subsection (a) of this section, it shall be lawful to serve the process against the corporation upon the Secretary of State, and such service shall be as effectual for all intents and purposes as if made in any of the ways provided for in subsection (a) of this section. In the event that service is effected through the Secretary of State, he/she shall forthwith notify the corporation by certified mail, return receipt requested, directed to the corporation at its main place of business as it appears on the last annual report filed pursuant to § 3809 of this title or, if no such address appears, at its last registered office in the Commonwealth. Such letter shall enclose a copy of the process and any other papers served.

filed pursuant to § 3809 of this title or, if no such address appears, at its last registered office in the Commonwealth. Such letter shall enclose a copy of the process and any other papers served. It shall be the duty of the plaintiff in the event of such service to serve process and any other papers in duplicate, to notify the Secretary of State that service is being effected pursuant to this section, and to pay the Secretary of State the fees established in Chapter 237 of this subtitle, which sum shall be paid as a part of the costs in the action, suit or proceeding if the plaintiff shall prevail therein. The Secretary of State shall maintain an alphabetical record of any such service setting forth the name of the plaintiff and the defendant, the title, docket number and nature of the proceeding in which process has been served upon the Secretary of State, the return date thereof, and the day and hour when the service was made. The Secretary of State shall not be required to retain the information contained in such record of services for a period longer than five (5) years from receipt of such service.\nHistory —Dec. 16, 2009, No. 164, § 13.11.