How do I change my registered agent?
Registered agentCompliance
You change a registered agent by filing a form with the state your company is registered in. It is normally called a statement of change or a change of registered agent, and it is a short filing: the company, the old agent, the new agent, and the new address.
What it costs and how long it takes
- The state fee is usually between nothing and about fifty dollars, depending on the state.
- Processing usually runs one to four weeks. Some states are same day online, others are paper only.
- The new agent has to consent. Some states ask for that in writing on the form itself.
Do not cancel the old agent first
The change is not real until the state's record shows it. If you cancel the old agent the day you post the form, your company has no agent of record for however long the state takes, which is exactly the gap the previous article is about. Keep the old one until the new one appears on the state's own search.
Confirm it against the state, not against an email
A filing receipt means the state received your form. The state's business search showing the new agent means the change went through. Those are different things, and only the second one counts.
If your company is registered in more than one state, each one is a separate filing. Changing your agent in Delaware does nothing to your California registration.
Related questions
Written by the lawyers who built Arabella. This is legal information, not legal advice for your situation, and reading it does not make us your lawyers. For a real dispute or a high-stakes decision, talk to a licensed attorney. More questions.