Every limited liability company operating in the United States needs to designate a registered agent. Even after you identify your initial registered agent in your formation paperwork, there are several reasons for why you may need to change the registered agent for your LLC in Georgia.
Your registered agent could be moving out of state, or they could be a former co-owner or employee who no longer works for your organization. Maybe you want to switch from an individual registered agent to a professional service that operates in all 50 states, or perhaps you’re simply unsatisfied with your current registered agent’s service.
Whatever the reason may be, each state allows you to change your registered agent at any time, and in most states the process is both simple and inexpensive. Let’s dive into the specifics of how to change your LLC’s registered agent in Georgia.
NOTE: If you need help changing registered agents, the same services that are known for offering good LLC services — like LegalZoom and Zen Business — can also take over registered agent duties and file the needed paperwork.
Who Can Be a Georgia Registered Agent?
A Georgia registered agent is a person or business entity that has a physical address in the state. You or one of your co-owners can serve as your own registered agent, you can designate a friend or family member for this role, you can hire a lawyer or accountant as your agent, or you can hire an online business services company to provide registered agent service.
No matter who you choose to be your registered agent, they need to be physically present at the address provided to the state during all standard business hours. This person or entity does not need to have any prior experience being a registered agent, but it’s wise to choose a registered agent who is familiar with the serious responsibilities that come with this role.
Title 14 of the Georgia Code has specific information regarding who can serve as the registered agent for a limited liability company. It states that to be a registered agent in Georgia, a person or entity must fit within one of the following guidelines:
- An individual resident of the state, or…
- A domestic profit corporation, nonprofit corporation, or limited liability company, or…
- A foreign profit corporation or limited liability company having a certificate of authority to transact business in Georgia
For more general information regarding the role of a registered agent with a Georgia LLC, we encourage you to check out our full guide on the topic.
What Is the Procedure for Changing Your LLC Registered Agent in Georgia?
While the role of the registered agent is vitally important for any American business entity, this role can always be changed, and there are different rules for how to change your agent depending on which state your business operates in.
There is only one way to change an LLC’s registered agent information in Georgia, and that’s to indicate the change in your annual registration.
Option 1) Updating the Agent Information in Your Annual Registration
Every limited liability company operating in the state of Georgia is required to file an annual registration with the Secretary of State. Within this annual registration, you can indicate your change of registered agent. This filing is due by April 1 of each year, and there is a $50 fee. The form can be filed online, or you can log into your account on the Georgia Corporations Division website to print off a form that you can fill out yourself.
If you have already filed your annual registration for the year, you can file an amendment to your registration for just $20.
Processing Times
Online filings are processed immediately, but paper filings may take some time, depending on how busy the office is. The state of Georgia does not indicate standard processing times on their website.
Expedited processing is available in Georgia. There are three options: one-hour ($1,000), same-day ($250), and two business days ($100).
Prefer to Have a Registered Agent Service Handle Your Requirements?
A registered agent service is a company that specializes in being a registered agent for a wide variety of businesses across the country, bringing tons of expertise and a healthy dose of reliability to the role.
Most professional registered agent services operate on a national basis, meaning there’s no restrictions on which states you can operate your business in. They also tend to charge affordable rates, as you can find several registered agent services that charge around $10/month or even less for this service. In addition, most of these companies will also offer to handle the process of changing a registered agent for you.
If you’re interested in this option, we highly recommend Northwest Registered Agent.
The Law for Changing Your LLC Registered Agent in Georgia
It’s always important to be well-informed regarding the specific laws for changing your registered agent. The laws regarding registered agents in Georgia are separated by entity type, and also sometimes by domestic/foreign classification.
According to Title 14, Chapter 11 of the Georgia Code, a limited liability company may change its registered agent by indicating the change in its annual registration, or by filing an amendment to its annual registration that includes the following information:
- “The name of the limited liability company;
- The street address and county of its then registered office;
- If the address of its registered office is to be changed, the new street address and county of the registered office;
- The name of its then registered agent; and
- If its registered agent is to be changed, the name of its successor registered agent.”
Conclusion
If you operate a limited liability company in the state of Georgia, you need to designate a registered agent to receive important government document deliveries on your behalf. If you decide at any time that you would rather change your registered agent to a different individual or business entity, it’s important to know what that process looks like.
In Georgia, there’s only one option for changing a registered agent, and that’s to indicate the change as part of your annual registration or an amendment to that filing. It’s a simple document with a reasonable filing fee, but if you’d rather have a registered agent service handle this task for you, you certainly have that option.
We hope this article helped you improve your understanding of changing a registered agent in Georgia, and as always we thank you for choosing Registered Agent Ready!