How Do I Change My Registered Agent in California?
You can change your registered agent in California, also known as an agent for service of process, by filling out a Statement of Information with the California Secretary of State.
We'll walk you through the steps needed to change registered agents.
Most registered agent services will file this information on your behalf.
Recommended: Northwest ($125/year) will help you file your change of registered agent paperwork and pay the state filing fee.
Changing California Registered Agents
Whether you’re changing registered agent services, your agent has resigned, or you want to be your own agent, you can follow the steps below to make the change.
Changing Your Registered Agent When Using a Professional Service
If you are hiring a new service, they will file the necessary paperwork for you.
The benefits of using a professional service are:
- Less Risk: California registered agent services will ensure that you don’t miss important legal documents or notifications (e.g., service of process, etc.) for your business entity.
- More Flexibility: A service will regular business hours to receive service of process during normal business hours so that you don’t have to be.
- Privacy: If you act as your own agent, your name and address will become public record. Using a service will help keep your information private. You’ll also avoid receiving lawsuit-related documents in front of your clients.
- Peace of mind: Using a service allows you to focus on running and growing your business.
Let’s Find the Right Registered Agent for Your Business
We’ve tested and reviewed the most popular registered agent services.
Changing Your Registered Agent by Mail or In Person
You can file a “Statement of Information” form by mail or in person. There are different forms for different business structure types:
The steps for this filing process include:
- Find and download the applicable form for your business structure.
- Fill out the “Service of Process” section on the form — for LLCs and corporations, this is step 6; for nonprofits, this is step 5.
Fee: The regular filing fee for a Statement of Information is $25 for corporations and $20 for both LLCs and nonprofits. Detailed information about the filing periods is provided on the forms.
Note that corporate Statements of Information are due every year, while LLC and nonprofit If you are filing an LLC Statement of Information outside of the typical filing period, there is no filing fee.
Changing Your Agent by Mail
Mail or visit one of the addresses below:
Submit your Statement of Information along with the applicable filing fee to the address below:
Secretary of State
Business Programs Division - Statement of Information
P.O. Box 944230
Sacramento, CA 94244-2300
Changing Your Agent In Person
You can also choose to deliver the form to the Secretary of State’s Sacramento office. Note that this will incur an additional $15 fee:
Secretary of State
1500 11th St.
Sacramento, CA 95814
Changing Your Registered Agent Online
The California Secretary of State offers an online portal for filing all business-related documents, including Statements of Information.
Here are the steps:
- Navigate to the bizFileOnline website and select “File a Statement of Information”
- Search for your company, then select “File Statement of Information” from the right hand menu.
- Fill out and submit the online form with your payment
Once you submit the form, the change is generally processed within one day.
FAQs
It is free to change the name of your registered agent in California. However, corporations must pay $25, and LLCs and nonprofits $20 to file a mandatory report called a Statement of Information. But there is no fee to update this report outside of the filing period.
Yes, it is possible for a business owner in California to act as their own registered agent. According to California state law, an individual who is at least 18 years old with a physical address in California may serve as the registered agent for an LLC or corporation.
Yes, changing a registered agent in California can be done online with proper filing of documents through the Secretary of State's website. The process allows businesses to change their designated agent for service of process without physically appearing at the office.