Georgia Foreign Registration / Agent
Choosing and changing a Georgia registered agent
Changing a registered agent in Georgia costs $20 plus the service charge on an amended annual registration, and a foreign LLC must always keep one at a Georgia street address. The agent can be an individual resident of Georgia, a domestic corporation or LLC, or a foreign corporation or another foreign LLC that has a certificate of authority in Georgia (O.C.G.A. 14-11-703).
Agent filings and their fees
| Filing | How | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Change the agent or office | Annual registration, or an amended one if already filed this year | $60, or $20 plus $10 |
| Change the registered office address | Per entity, with a minimum | $5, minimum $20 |
| Agent resigns | Online | No fee |
| Agent resigns | On paper | $10 |
| Service of process on the Secretary of State as statutory agent | Listed in the fee schedule | $10 |
What the agent does
The Division calls the registered agent the "mailbox" for the entity: the person or company located in Georgia that receives service of process, documents and other official communication. That includes the Division's own notices, since the Division mails a notice of administrative dissolution to the principal office or to the agent. An agent that does not pass mail on can cost an LLC a missed deadline.
Who qualifies
For a foreign LLC the FAQ lists a Georgia resident, a Georgia-organized company, or a company from elsewhere that is itself authorized in Georgia. The LLC cannot appoint itself, and the agent must be physically present at the registered office. The registered office is a Georgia street address where someone can find the agent in person; boxes and mail drops are refused. Agent and office share one address.
Continuous, not one-time
Georgia expects every entity to have an agent and a registered office at all times, with no gaps. An agent who leaves does not end the obligation. If your agent resigns, the LLC needs a replacement, and the quickest route is an amended annual registration.
Our role
We can act as your Georgia registered agent, or you can name another. Pick us at checkout and the first year of agent service is included in our fee. Either way, ask the agent to forward the Division's mail promptly, and tell us if it changes.
Changing the agent
Get the new agent's agreement
The agent must be willing and must have a street address in Georgia.
Choose the filing
An annual registration if none has been filed this year, or an amended annual registration, $20 plus the service charge, if one has.
Enter the new agent and registered office
The name and street address; the agent's business office is the registered office.
Tell the old agent
So it stops receiving mail for the LLC and can pass on anything outstanding.
Choosing between a person and a company
An individual resident can serve, but is one person at one address. If that person is away, moves or resigns, papers can go unanswered. A company that offers the service, which the FAQ says many entities use, has staff and a standing address. The rules are the same for both: a Georgia street address, physically present, with the agent's own business office at that registered office. Whichever you choose, ask how mail is forwarded and how fast. If an LLC has no agent in place, the application appoints the Secretary of State to receive lawsuit papers, and the Division charges $10 when it serves as statutory agent.
When the agent resigns
The fee schedule lists a registered agent resignation as free online and $10 on paper. Treat a resignation as a deadline and name the replacement at once through an amended annual registration.
Paying for an agent
The FAQ notes that many entities use their attorney or a professional corporate service company as agent, and that several service companies in Georgia act for a yearly fee. Compare what each company charges, what it forwards and how fast.
Registered agent questions
Is a mailbox acceptable?
No. Georgia wants a physical street location for the registered office, never a box or a mail drop.
Can the LLC appoint itself?
No. Georgia does not let an entity serve as its own registered agent.
Does the agent need to be an LLC owner?
No. The agent may or may not be an owner, shareholder or officer.
Our price, then the Georgia fee
Register in Georgia
Georgia$199
+ $235 Georgia fee
- Form CD 241, prepared from your answers
- The thirty-day clock checked against your start date
- Our office as your Georgia agent, or the one you choose
- Your annual registration window, marked
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
Our price and the Georgia fee are separate lines at checkout. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Georgia Secretary of State sources
- Georgia Secretary of State, Form CD 241, Application for Certificate of Authority for Foreign Limited Liability Company (PDF)
- Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division filing fees and expedited processing (PDF)
- Georgia Secretary of State, how to file an annual registration
- Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division business FAQ
Working in Georgia already?
Tell us the day it started. We file before the penalty window opens, or tell you plainly if it already has.