Registered agent requirements in Georgia

Who can be a registered agent in Georgia?

Georgia allows an individual who lives in the state, or a corporation or LLC that is either formed in Georgia or authorized to do business here. The statute, O.C.G.A. § 14-11-209, lists them as an individual resident of this state, a corporation, another limited liability company, or a foreign corporation or a foreign limited liability company having a certificate of authority to transact business in this state.¹

Read closely, the list sorts candidates into two groups.

1. People. Only a Georgia resident qualifies. An owner who lives in South Carolina or Alabama can't be the agent, however close to the border they live.
2. Entities. A corporation or LLC formed in Georgia qualifies. So does an out-of-state company, but only once it holds a certificate of authority to do business in Georgia.

The second group is where commercial agent services fit: they register in Georgia so they can accept papers for clients across the state. A law firm or accounting practice can act for you on the same footing, provided the entity itself qualifies.

Nothing in the statute's list asks for a licence, legal training or a minimum number of office hours. What the role does require in practice is someone at a fixed Georgia address who will receive service of process (the formal delivery of court papers) and get it to you without delay. Our explainer on what a registered agent does covers those duties in every state, and the glossary defines the legal terms used here.

What address can a Georgia registered agent use?

Georgia ties the agent to your LLC's registered office: the statute says the agent's business office address shall be the same as the address of the registered office (O.C.G.A. § 14-11-209). In other words, you don't list an agent and then a separate office; the agent's office is the registered office.¹

That single rule settles most address questions.

• A Georgia home address raises the question of whether it is the agent's business office. If you list it, it becomes your LLC's registered office.
• An office, store or workshop in Georgia fits the wording when it is the agent's business office.
• A P.O. box is a poor fit for a business office where papers are handed over in person. Our sources include no Secretary of State statement on boxes, so ask the Corporations Division before listing one.
• A mail-drop or virtual office raises the same question. If it is not the agent's actual business office, it may not meet the statute's wording.

Every agent puts its own address in the agent field, so naming a commercial service moves that line on the record from your address to the service's. That is true of every provider, not a feature of one. Your formation filing may ask for other names and addresses, and our sources don't say which of those the Corporations Division displays, so review the form before filing. If you want a business address for those other fields, a few providers sell one separately from the agent service: Bizee lists a virtual address at $29/month, doola includes a US business address in its Starter plan, and Harbor Compliance lists $350/year per company, per location (limited time offer). The guide to what a registered agent can and can't keep private explains what stays public either way.^{4, 5, 6}

Can you be your own registered agent in Georgia?

Yes, if you are a Georgia resident and can name a Georgia business office where papers can reach you, because that office becomes your LLC's registered office (O.C.G.A. § 14-11-209).

Acting for yourself is allowed, but it has costs that don't show up on a fee schedule.

• The office you list is the registered office on your LLC's record. For a home business, that usually means your home address.
• Court papers arrive when they arrive. A sole owner who works on job sites, travels, or keeps irregular hours may not be there to take them.
• If you move, the registered office moves with you, and the state record has to be updated. Leaving Georgia ends your eligibility altogether.
• Each year the annual registration asks you to confirm the agent and address, which is a good check but also a reminder that the job is yours.

Owners who live outside Georgia can't act for their own LLC. They need a Georgia resident they trust or an entity that qualifies, such as a commercial service. Because the agent's office is the registered office, a service also keeps a home address off the registered-office line. The list of Georgia registered agent services compares their published prices and terms.

How do you name a registered agent when you form a Georgia LLC?

The agent and registered office go on your Articles of Organization (Form CD 030), the filing that creates the LLC, so you need both settled before you submit it.²

The Secretary of State accepts the Articles online or by mail. Mailed filings go in with Transmittal Form CD 231, and the online portal also has a paper-style route that lets you file by uploading your own articles.²

Before you file, confirm three things.

1. The agent qualifies under the statute's list.
2. The address you give is the agent's own business office in Georgia, since it becomes your registered office.
3. The agent has agreed to act for you. Our sources don't describe a consent form for Georgia, so check the filing instructions or ask the Corporations Division how agreement is recorded.

Timing depends on how you file. The state says online filings are generally processed in approximately 7 business days, while its estimate for mailed filings is about 15 business days, and both shift with the office's workload. Paying more shortens the wait, and expedite fees are added to the filing fee. The slowest paid tier adds +$120; the state also lists same day +$275 and one hour +$1,200. For the remaining steps of forming the company, see how to form an LLC in Georgia, and the cheapest ways to form a Georgia LLC page totals the fees.^{2, 7}

How do you change your registered agent in Georgia?

The state's FAQ says it directly: "The name of the registered agent and/or the registered office of an entity can be changed by filing an annual registration". On your regular yearly filing there is no separate fee; mid-year, the amended version costs $30, and an amended annual registration can be filed through the online portal.^{3, 8}

That makes timing a real choice. A switch you can wait on for a few months may cost nothing extra if it goes in with the yearly filing between January 1 and April 1. A switch you need now goes on the amended filing.²

Follow this order either way.

1. Pick the new agent and confirm it qualifies and agrees to act.
2. Get the new agent's Georgia business office address, which becomes your registered office.
3. File the annual registration or the amended annual registration online with the new agent's details.
4. Check the state record and confirm the new agent appears.
5. Only then cancel the old service. Cancelling first can leave your LLC without a working agent, which starts the dissolution clock described below.

Provider terms on cancelling differ. Swyft Filings says a replacement agent must be designated (or business dissolved) before cancellation. Rocket Lawyer's terms let you cancel at any time by contacting Rocket Lawyer and add that you must file change-of-agent paperwork with the state. Northwest lets you cancel anytime through the online account, with no cancellation fee. Harbor Compliance asks for notice of non-renewal at least 90 days before the end of the current term, so plan a switch away from it well ahead of the renewal date.^{9, 10, 11, 12}

The general guide to changing a registered agent and the walkthrough on cancelling an agent service cover the steps that work the same in every state.

What happens if your Georgia registered agent resigns?

A Georgia agent who wants to stop acting for your LLC files a statement of resignation with the Secretary of State, and must notify the LLC in writing on or before filing.¹³

That notice means you should hear about it directly. The state's fee for the resignation is $10.00 on paper, and there is no fee online.¹³

The appointment does not end on the day the agent files. Under the statute it ends on the earlier of the LLC's annual registration filing or the 31st day after the resignation is filed. Filing your annual registration with a new agent therefore ends the old appointment and names the replacement in the same filing.¹³

Once the resignation takes effect, your LLC has no agent until you appoint one, and a gap of 60 days or more gives the state a ground to dissolve it, as the next section explains. Treat the written notice as a deadline.¹⁴

A resignation can follow an individual agent moving out of state, or a commercial agent ending service after an unpaid renewal, with its notice going to an inbox nobody checks. Keep your contact details current with whoever acts as your agent, and if you suspect a resignation you never saw, look up your LLC's record with the Corporations Division.

What happens if a Georgia LLC has no registered agent?

An LLC left without a registered agent or registered office in Georgia for 60 days or more gives the Secretary of State a ground for administrative dissolution under O.C.G.A. 14-11-603(b)(1)(B).¹⁴

The statute then sets out a process.

1. The ground arises once the LLC has been without an agent or office for 60 days or more.
2. The Secretary of State gives notice, and the LLC has 60 days after notice to correct the ground.¹⁴
3. If the LLC does not correct it, the state can dissolve it administratively.

Dissolution costs you good standing, which lenders, landlords and licensing offices often ask to see. It also means papers in a lawsuit may have nowhere reliable to go, so a case can move ahead while you are unaware of it.

Georgia lets a domestic LLC come back. A reinstatement application costs $260 ($250 + $10 service charge), and the LLC must apply within 5 years of administrative dissolution. Out-of-state companies don't have that route. Foreign entities cannot reinstate, according to the state's reinstatement guidance. The Georgia compliance guide walks through reinstatement and the other filings that keep an LLC active.¹⁵

What does a Georgia LLC file each year to stay in good standing?

Georgia's recurring filing is the annual registration, filed between January 1 and April 1 for $60 ($50 filing fee + $10 service charge). The first annual registration is due in the calendar year after formation, so an LLC formed this year files next year.²

The annual registration is also the agent's yearly checkpoint. The state calls it the means for changing officers, registered agents, or address information. Each year you either confirm the agent on file or name a new one at no added cost. Filing after the window closes adds a $25 penalty.^{3, 8}

The Georgia compliance calendar lays out the first and second year in order, and annual reports explained covers how these filings work across states. Some agent services list annual report reminders; the services with compliance tools list shows which.

Do out-of-state LLCs need a Georgia registered agent?

An LLC formed elsewhere that does business in Georgia applies for a certificate of authority, which costs $235 ($225 + $10 service charge). Our sources don't state a foreign LLC's agent requirement, so confirm it with the Corporations Division when you apply.³

Who may act as a Georgia agent is set by the statute's list (O.C.G.A. § 14-11-209). Your home-state agent carries over only if it also qualifies in Georgia, which for a business means holding its own Georgia certificate of authority. A Tennessee LLC whose agent works out of Nashville needs a separate Georgia agent unless that firm is registered here too. National services often cover both states, but check how a second state is billed before assuming it is included.

Keep the reinstatement rule in mind as well: the route open to domestic LLCs does not apply to a foreign one. If your LLC also works across the border, compare Florida's registered agent rules, Tennessee's rules and South Carolina's rules.

Registered agent services in Georgia and their published prices

If a commercial agent suits you better than acting for yourself, the table shows each provider's published agent price and renewal. Order follows our score, highest first. Ties fall in editorial order, and each price is cited to the provider's own site. The Georgia registered agent comparison has the full terms, and individual reviews cover ZenBusiness, LegalZoom and Harbor Compliance.