How long does it take to change a registered agent in Georgia?

Changes to your registered agent in Georgia take 1 to 2 business days for online filings through the Georgia Secretary of State's website, compared to 5 to 10 business days for paper submissions mailed to the office. You'll submit Form NAIC (Statement of Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office) along with a $15 filing fee. The Georgia Secretary of State processes filings in the order received, and your change becomes officially effective upon their approval, not when you submit the form. This delay matters because your current registered agent remains legally responsible for receiving service of process until the change is complete, creating potential liability gaps. To minimize disruption, file online at sos.ga.gov at least one week before your intended changeover date. Have your LLC's UBI number and both the old and new agent information ready to expedite processing.

What does it cost to change a registered agent in Georgia?

Changing your registered agent in Georgia costs $10 to file Form NAIC with the Georgia Secretary of State's Business Services and Regulations Division. This is the only mandatory state fee required for the change itself. However, your total cost depends on your choice of registered agent. If you appoint an individual as your registered agent, you pay only the $10 filing fee. If you hire a professional registered agent service, expect additional annual fees ranging from $75 to $300, depending on the provider and service level. This distinction matters because Georgia requires you to maintain a registered agent at a Georgia street address at all times. Failing to file the Form NAIC properly or allowing your registered agent position to lapse can result in loss of good standing status and potential dissolution of your LLC. To proceed, prepare your Form NAIC with your new agent's information and submit it to the Georgia Secretary of State along with the $10 fee. You can file online through their Business Portal for faster processing.

Can I be my own registered agent in Georgia?

Yes, you can serve as your own registered agent in Georgia if you maintain a physical street address (not a PO box) within the state and are consistently available during business hours to receive legal documents and service of process. However, this creates a practical challenge: you must be personally available to accept lawsuits, subpoenas, and regulatory notices during standard business hours, every business day. Missing a single document can result in a default judgment against your LLC without your knowledge. The Georgia Secretary of State requires your registered agent information on CD 030 (the Articles of Organization) or Form LLC-3 (Amendment), and changes take effect upon filing with the $25 filing fee. Most Georgia LLC owners delegate this responsibility to a professional registered agent service to ensure documents never go unnoticed and to maintain privacy by keeping their home address off public records. Contact the Georgia Secretary of State's Business Services Division at (404) 656-2817 to discuss your options or file your agent change immediately.

Will changing my registered agent affect my LLC's good standing?

No, properly changing your registered agent won't affect your LLC's good standing status with the Georgia Secretary of State. However, failing to maintain a valid registered agent or not updating the information when required could result in administrative dissolution. To change your registered agent in Georgia, file Form LLC-4 (Certificate of Change of Registered Agent or Registered Office) with the Georgia Secretary of State's Business Services Division. The filing fee is $25. This process takes approximately 5 to 10 business days for processing. The practical implication is significant: if your LLC lacks a valid registered agent for more than 30 days, the Secretary of State will automatically dissolve your company, jeopardizing your liability protection and business operations. This dissolution can damage your credit and make reinstatement more expensive. Ensure your new registered agent (whether an individual or company) has a physical Georgia street address and is willing to accept legal documents. File Form LLC-4 immediately when changing agents to maintain continuous compliance and avoid administrative penalties.

Can I file the registered agent change online or do I need to mail it?

Georgia requires you to file Form NAIC (Statement Regarding Registered Agent) through the Georgia Secretary of State's online portal at sos.ga.gov, which processes your change within 1 to 2 business days. Online filing is the fastest and most reliable method; mailing the form to the Secretary of State's office in Atlanta takes 7 to 10 business days and costs $15 in filing fees, while in-person filing at 214 State Capitol Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30334 offers same-day processing but requires travel. Filing online eliminates mail delays and reduces processing errors, protecting your LLC from missing legal notices or losing good standing status. You must ensure your new registered agent is a Georgia resident or a corporation authorized to do business in Georgia. Complete Form NAIC with your LLC name, EIN, and your new agent's name and Georgia address, then submit it immediately through sos.ga.gov to avoid service of process complications.

LLC Guide

How to Change Your Registered Agent in Georgia

Complete guide to updating your LLC's registered agent with the Georgia Secretary of State, including required forms, fees, and filing procedures.

Last updated: August 2026

Read this guide for another state:

Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Get registered agent service from NorthwestRegistered agent service is $125/yr. The included first year applies only when you form a new LLC with them ($39 plus your state's filing fee), so it does not apply to an LLC you already have. Registered agent customers are enrolled by default in annual report filing at $100 plus state fees, charged automatically to your saved payment method and cancellable any time.Get registered agent service from ZenBusinessRegistered agent service is $199/yr, their standard rate. The $99 first-year price applies only when you form a new LLC with them, so it does not apply to an LLC you already have.

Not sure which service is right? Compare formation services →

Step diagram for changing an LLC's registered agent in Georgia, showing the 6 filing steps required by the Secretary of State. — The 6 steps to change your registered agent in Georgia. Source: Georgia Secretary of State.

How to File

1
Obtain consent from your new registered agent
Before filing any paperwork, ensure your new registered agent agrees to serve and has a physical Georgia address. If using a professional service, they'll typically provide written acceptance.
2
Complete Form NAIC
Download and complete the Notice of Address/Name Change form (Form NAIC) from the Georgia Secretary of State website at sos.ga.gov. This form is used to change your registered agent information.
3
Include required information
The form must include your LLC's exact legal name, file number, the new registered agent's name and complete Georgia address, and be signed by an authorized member or manager.
4
Submit the form and fee
File Form NAIC with the Georgia Secretary of State along with the $10 filing fee. You can submit online through the SOS website, by mail to 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Suite 313, Atlanta, GA 30334, or in person.
5
Notify your old registered agent
Inform your previous registered agent in writing that they're no longer serving in this capacity. This prevents confusion and ensures they don't accept service on your behalf.
6
Update internal records
Update your LLC's internal records, operating agreement if applicable, and notify banks, vendors, and other business contacts of the registered agent change.

Ready to file your annual report?

Go directly to the Georgia Secretary of State portal.

File at Georgia SOS →

When Should You Change Your Registered Agent?

Your current registered agent is moving out of Georgia or closing their business
You want to switch from being your own registered agent to a professional service
Your registered agent has failed to forward important legal documents or state notices
You're relocating your business and need a registered agent in a different Georgia location

Hiring a service is optional. You can name yourself or another individual with a street address in Georgia, and the FAQ below gives Georgia's own rule.

Registered agent services for Georgia LLCs, by renewal price

Affiliate disclosure: Northwest Registered Agent, Bizee, ZenBusiness and LegalZoom pay us a commission if you sign up through our link, at no extra cost to you. We list only the registered agent services we have an affiliate relationship with, so this is not a survey of the whole market.

This table is not scored. The four are listed cheapest annual renewal first, and the rows below it say which one fits which situation. The scored ranking, and the formula behind it, is on the formation services review, which orders them on three-year cost, BBB rating and Trustpilot score.

Service	With formation, year 1	Annual renewal	BBB	Trustpilot	Privacy
Northwest Registered Agent	Included with $39 formation	$125/yr	A	4.1/5 (297)	Says it does not sell your information; runs its own servers
Bizee	Free year one	$149/yr	C (unaccredited)	4.8/5 (26,100+)	No data-sharing commitment
ZenBusiness	$99, not included in any plan	$199/yr	A	4.8/5 (32,500+)	Partial
LegalZoom	Not included, $249 extra	$249/yr	A+	4.6/5 (32,900+)	Partial

Note: Bizee holds a C rating from the BBB and is not accredited. BBB's profile carries a live alert describing a pattern of complaints about unexpected charges, difficulty canceling and filing delays, and Bizee has posted a response to it. We flag this so you can make an informed choice.

Prices are each provider's standard published rates; year-one pricing applies when you form your LLC through the same service. BBB and Trustpilot figures as recorded September 15, 2026, not re-checked since, and both sources update continuously. These are the dates the figures were last written to our dataset, which is the most we can show: they are not verification dates. See how we evaluate these companies in our full formation services review →

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each state publishes about filing deadlines, fees, and the consequences of missing them, with the sources this page cites. It cannot tell you what your own company owes: the date turns on when and where you formed, states change these rules between our reviews, and in several states an entity-level tax falls due in a year when no report does. Confirm your own dates with the filing office named on this page before you rely on one here, because the penalty for missing a deadline can be administrative dissolution of the company.

Frequently Asked Questions

: Changes to your registered agent in Georgia take 1 to 2 business days for online filings through the Georgia Secretary of State's website, compared to 5 to 10 business days for paper submissions mailed to the office. You'll submit Form NAIC (Statement of Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office) along with a $15 filing fee. The Georgia Secretary of State processes filings in the order received, and your change becomes officially effective upon their approval, not when you submit the form. This delay matters because your current registered agent remains legally responsible for receiving service of process until the change is complete, creating potential liability gaps. To minimize disruption, file online at sos.ga.gov at least one week before your intended changeover date. Have your LLC's UBI number and both the old and new agent information ready to expedite processing.
: Changing your registered agent in Georgia costs $10 to file Form NAIC with the Georgia Secretary of State's Business Services and Regulations Division. This is the only mandatory state fee required for the change itself. However, your total cost depends on your choice of registered agent. If you appoint an individual as your registered agent, you pay only the $10 filing fee. If you hire a professional registered agent service, expect additional annual fees ranging from $75 to $300, depending on the provider and service level. This distinction matters because Georgia requires you to maintain a registered agent at a Georgia street address at all times. Failing to file the Form NAIC properly or allowing your registered agent position to lapse can result in loss of good standing status and potential dissolution of your LLC. To proceed, prepare your Form NAIC with your new agent's information and submit it to the Georgia Secretary of State along with the $10 fee. You can file online through their Business Portal for faster processing.
: Yes, you can serve as your own registered agent in Georgia if you maintain a physical street address (not a PO box) within the state and are consistently available during business hours to receive legal documents and service of process. However, this creates a practical challenge: you must be personally available to accept lawsuits, subpoenas, and regulatory notices during standard business hours, every business day. Missing a single document can result in a default judgment against your LLC without your knowledge. The Georgia Secretary of State requires your registered agent information on CD 030 (the Articles of Organization) or Form LLC-3 (Amendment), and changes take effect upon filing with the $25 filing fee. Most Georgia LLC owners delegate this responsibility to a professional registered agent service to ensure documents never go unnoticed and to maintain privacy by keeping their home address off public records. Contact the Georgia Secretary of State's Business Services Division at (404) 656-2817 to discuss your options or file your agent change immediately.
: No, properly changing your registered agent won't affect your LLC's good standing status with the Georgia Secretary of State. However, failing to maintain a valid registered agent or not updating the information when required could result in administrative dissolution. To change your registered agent in Georgia, file Form LLC-4 (Certificate of Change of Registered Agent or Registered Office) with the Georgia Secretary of State's Business Services Division. The filing fee is $25. This process takes approximately 5 to 10 business days for processing. The practical implication is significant: if your LLC lacks a valid registered agent for more than 30 days, the Secretary of State will automatically dissolve your company, jeopardizing your liability protection and business operations. This dissolution can damage your credit and make reinstatement more expensive. Ensure your new registered agent (whether an individual or company) has a physical Georgia street address and is willing to accept legal documents. File Form LLC-4 immediately when changing agents to maintain continuous compliance and avoid administrative penalties.
: Georgia requires you to file Form NAIC (Statement Regarding Registered Agent) through the Georgia Secretary of State's online portal at sos.ga.gov, which processes your change within 1 to 2 business days. Online filing is the fastest and most reliable method; mailing the form to the Secretary of State's office in Atlanta takes 7 to 10 business days and costs $15 in filing fees, while in-person filing at 214 State Capitol Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30334 offers same-day processing but requires travel. Filing online eliminates mail delays and reduces processing errors, protecting your LLC from missing legal notices or losing good standing status. You must ensure your new registered agent is a Georgia resident or a corporation authorized to do business in Georgia. Complete Form NAIC with your LLC name, EIN, and your new agent's name and Georgia address, then submit it immediately through sos.ga.gov to avoid service of process complications.

Sources

Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Georgia sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so.

sos.ga.gov/how-to-guide/filing-fees-and-expedited-processing-document-filingsGeorgia Secretary of State: business entity filings
rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/590-7-22Georgia statute: Annual Registration
law.onecle.com/georgia/title-14/14-11-1103.htmlGeorgia statutory text, unofficial mirror: Annual Registration
ecorp.sos.ga.gov/oneClickARGeorgia Secretary of State: file the Annual Registration

Formation Services Compared

Forming an LLC in Georgia?

See how Northwest Registered Agent, Bizee, ZenBusiness and LegalZoom, the formation services we partner with, compare on 3-year cost, BBB rating and Trustpilot score before you choose.

Compare Services →

Need a Registered Agent in Georgia?

Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Not sure which service is right? Compare formation services →

How to File

Obtain consent from your new registered agent

Complete Form NAIC

Include required information

Submit the form and fee

Notify your old registered agent

Update internal records

When Should You Change Your Registered Agent?

Registered agent services for Georgia LLCs, by renewal price

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

Need a Registered Agent in Georgia?

More Georgia LLC Guides

Related guides