The cost to change a registered agent in Florida is $25 for an LLC and $35 for a corporation, filed as a Statement of Change of Registered Agent/Registered Office with the Florida Division of Corporations. If your annual report is coming up, you can make the change on the report for no extra fee. Online filings are usually processed within a day, and the change takes effect once the Division files it.
The step that’s easiest to miss: your new agent has to sign the form accepting the appointment, and unsigned forms are rejected. Get their consent before you start.
What does it cost to change a registered agent in Florida?
| Entity | Standalone filing | On the annual report |
|---|---|---|
| LLC | $25 | $0 extra (annual report is $138.75, due by May 1) |
| Corporation (including professional and nonprofit corporations) | $35 | $0 extra (annual report is $150, due between January 1 and May 1) |
If your annual report is due within a few months and the change isn’t urgent, wait and do it on the report. If your current agent is leaving, unreliable or about to stop forwarding mail, don’t wait. Pay the fee.
The annual report route has one catch. It only works if your annual reports are current. If you’re behind, you’ll need to catch up on the missed reports before the Division will process any changes.
Who can be your registered agent in Florida?
Your new agent has to meet these requirements:
- A Florida street address. The registered office must be a physical address in Florida where legal documents can be delivered. P.O. boxes aren’t accepted.
- Available during business hours, generally 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday, to accept service of process and official documents.
- An individual agent must be at least 18 years old and a Florida resident.
- Or a business entity: a Florida corporation, LLC or other business entity authorized to do business in Florida.
- Consent. Florida requires the agent’s acceptance, so they must agree before you file.
Florida doesn’t require the agent to be in the same county as your business.
Why do businesses switch agents?
Usually one of a few reasons. The owner was serving as their own agent and has moved out of Florida or changed offices. An agent missed a legal document or notice, which is a serious risk. Or the owner doesn’t want a home address on the public record, since the registered office address is public.
Changes in ownership or management also prompt a switch, and so does price, if you’re paying for a service you no longer need or found a cheaper one.
How do you change a Florida LLC’s registered agent?
File a Statement of Change of Registered Agent/Registered Office (Form CR2E023) with the Division of Corporations and pay $25. You’ll need:
- The LLC’s document number (found on Sunbiz.org) and exact legal name
- The current registered agent’s name and address
- The new agent’s name and Florida street address
- The new agent’s signature accepting the appointment
- The signature of an authorized member or manager
The same form lets you change just the agent, just the registered office address, or both. If your agent is moving but staying on as your agent, update only the address. If you’re switching to a new person or company, change both.
The change is effective when the Division files it. This form has no waiting period and no option for a delayed effective date.
How is it different for a corporation?
Corporations use the same form (Form CR2E023) with two differences. The fee is $35 instead of $25, and the form must be signed by a corporate officer: the president, vice president, secretary or treasurer. An LLC can have any authorized member or manager sign.
If you’re a foreign corporation or foreign LLC registered to do business in Florida, the form and process are the same. Check that your principal office information is current while you’re at it.
How do you file the change online?
- Go to dos.myflorida.com/sunbiz/ and click “eFile.”
- Under “Annual Reports & Name Changes,” select “Change Name/Address,” then “Statement of Change of Registered Office or Agent” to reach Form CR2E023.
- Enter your document number and entity name. The name must match state records exactly. “ABC, LLC” isn’t the same as “ABC LLC.”
- Check the current agent information the system fills in.
- Enter the new agent’s full legal name (or business name), Florida street address including any suite or unit number, and a mailing address if it’s different.
- Confirm the new agent has accepted the appointment. For an online filing, you’ll typically need their written or electronic consent before this point.
- Add the authorized signer: a member or manager for an LLC, an officer for a corporation.
- Review everything. A mistake means filing an amendment, with another fee.
- Pay by credit card, debit card or electronic check.
You’ll get an electronic confirmation right away.
How long does processing take?
Online filings take from the same day to 3 business days, and most are processed within 24 hours at normal volumes. Mailed filings take 5 to 10 business days after the Division receives them, so budget 2-3 weeks from the day you send the form.
Expect delays in April and early May, when annual reports are due, and around December and January. Florida doesn’t offer expedited processing for registered agent changes.
Once processed, the new agent shows up right away in the Sunbiz database under Detail by Entity Name. Don’t treat the change as done until you see it there. If your filing hasn’t been processed within the expected time, contact the Division’s Contact Center at 850-245-6051.
What should you tell your new agent?
After the filing is processed, send your new agent a copy of the filed Statement of Change, plus your entity name and document number, your business address and main contact, and any ongoing legal matters they should know about.
Agree on how they’ll handle what arrives: how they’ll notify you (phone, email or text), how they’ll forward documents (scan and email, or overnight mail), and who to call in an emergency. A commercial registered agent service usually handles this onboarding itself and gives you an online portal for your documents.
You aren’t legally required to tell your old agent, but it’s courteous, and it stops them from forwarding things to the wrong place.
What happens if you don’t have a registered agent?
The Division of Corporations can administratively dissolve your LLC or corporation, which revokes your legal authority to operate. Before that happens, you’d miss lawsuit papers, tax notices, government correspondence and official legal documents.
The lawsuit risk is the worst of it. If you’re sued and never receive the papers because you have no agent, the court can still go ahead, and you can end up with a default judgment against your business.
Falling out of good standing also affects your business licenses and permits, your bank, your contracts, your professional licensing and your ability to bring a lawsuit. To get reinstated after administrative dissolution, you’d appoint an agent, file a statement of change, file all past-due annual reports, pay the associated fees and penalties, and file for reinstatement. The reinstatement fee is $600 for a corporation and $100 for an LLC, plus all past-due obligations. That’s far more than keeping an agent in place.
Should you use a professional agent or do it yourself?
Professional registered agent services range from $99 to $299 a year. Serving as your own agent, or using a partner or employee, saves that money, but someone has to be at a Florida street address every business day, and that address becomes public record.
Many services also include online document access and scanning, compliance reminders, mail forwarding and business address services. If you compare providers, look at reviews, how long they’ve been in business, how they notify you, and whether you can reach a person when you need one.
Our recommendation: if you work from home, travel, or ever close the office during business hours, use a professional service. The annual fee is small next to the cost of a default judgment.
What else needs updating after the change?
The state filing doesn’t update anyone else. If you used your agent’s address for any of these, change them too:
- Your IRS correspondence address
- Business licenses and permits
- Bank accounts that send notices
- Professional licensing boards
- Registrations with the Secretary of State in other states
Then do one last check: search your business on Sunbiz and confirm the new agent’s name and address appear exactly as you entered them.