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 Louisiana.
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 Louisiana.
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 Louisiana Registered Agent?
A Louisiana 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.
Louisiana doesn’t have a minimum age requirement to serve as a registered agent. According to the Title 12 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes, a registered agent must fit one of the following descriptions:
- “A citizen of the state who resides in this state,” or
- “A partnership or professional law corporation, which is authorized to practice law in this state, or a domestic corporation, domestic limited liability company, or foreign corporation authorized to transact business in this state, which is authorized by its articles or certificate of incorporation to act as the agent for service of process, and which has on file with the Secretary of State a certificate setting forth the name of at least two individuals at its address in this state, each of whom is authorized to receive any process served upon it as such agent.”
For more general information regarding the role of a registered agent with a Louisiana LLC, we encourage you to check out our full guide on the topic.
What Is the Procedure for Changing Your LLC Registered Agent in Louisiana?
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.
In Louisiana, a limited liability company may change its registered agent either by filing a Notice/Statement of Change form, or by updating the registered agent information in its annual report.
Option 1) Filing a Notice/Statement of Change Form
The most common means of changing an LLC’s registered agent in Louisiana is filing a Notice of Change of Registered Office and/or Change of Registered Agent form for domestic businesses, or a Statement of Change of Registered Office, Registered Agent, and/or Principal Business Establishment in Louisiana form for foreign LLCs.
Both forms cost $25 to file. This form can be filed online, or you can submit a paper form via mail, fax, or in person. Either way, you’ll need a notarized acknowledgement from the new registered agent before this filing takes effect.
Option 2) Updating the Agent Information In Your Annual Report
The other option is to indicate a change of registered agent information in an LLC’s annual report. Annual reports must be filed online. There’s a $30 fee for this filing, and it’s due by the anniversary of the LLC’s formation date.
Processing Times
The Louisiana Secretary of State website does not mention how long processing takes. It does, however, mention that expedited processing for walk-in orders is available ― there’s a $50 fee to process a filing while you wait, or a $30 fee for 24-hour filing.
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 Louisiana
It’s always important to be well-informed regarding the specific laws for changing your registered agent. Louisiana separates registered agent laws by entity type, but not by classification, so there’s one law that applies to all limited liability companies, regardless of domestic/foreign status.
The specific law that applies in this situation is found in Title 12 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes, which says that:
“After organization, a limited liability company may change its registered agent or registered office by filing for record with the secretary of state a statement authorizing the designation or change signed by a manager of the limited liability company, if management of the limited liability company is vested in one or more managers pursuant to R.S. 12:1312, or by at least one member, if management of the limited liability company is reserved to the members. Any change of registered agent shall be accompanied by a notarized affidavit of acknowledgment and acceptance signed by the new registered agent.”
Conclusion
If you operate a limited liability company in the state of Louisiana, 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 Louisiana, an LLC may change its registered agent by filing a Notice or Statement of Change form, or by indicating the registered agent change in its annual report. They’re both simple documents with reasonable filing fees, 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 Louisiana, and as always we thank you for choosing Registered Agent Ready!