Georgia Registered Agent Requirements

Every Georgia LLC must continuously maintain a registered agent and registered office in the state. For domestic LLCs the requirement comes from O.C.G.A. § 14-11-209; foreign LLCs authorized to do business in Georgia carry the same obligation under O.C.G.A. § 14-11-703. The requirement attaches the day your Articles of Organization are accepted and never lapses while the LLC exists.

What the Registered Agent Actually Does

The registered agent is your LLC's official point of contact for legal and state correspondence:

• Service of process: lawsuit papers naming your LLC go to the agent
• Secretary of State notices: compliance and administrative mail from the Corporations Division
• Tax and official documents: state notices directed to the entity

The agent's name and address sit on the public record with the Georgia Secretary of State, searchable by anyone, and the record even notes the agent's Georgia county.

Who Can Serve in Georgia

Per the Secretary of State's Business Division FAQ, which applies § 14-11-209, a Georgia LLC's registered agent may be:

• An individual who resides in Georgia
• A domestic corporation or another domestic LLC
• A foreign corporation or foreign LLC holding a certificate of authority to transact business in Georgia

The single hard exclusion: an entity cannot be its own registered agent. Your LLC can never list itself. Note that Georgia is more permissive than many states here, since one LLC may serve as agent for another; the SOS FAQ spells this out.

The Address Rule

The registered office must be a street address in Georgia, and it must be identical to the agent's business office address. A post office box or mail drop does not qualify, and the agent must actually be located at the listed address so documents can be delivered in person. That physical-presence expectation is the practical heart of the rule: an agent nobody can find defeats the purpose.

Can You Be Your Own Registered Agent?

Split this question in two. Your LLC cannot appoint itself; Georgia forbids it outright. A person who resides in Georgia, including an owner or manager, can be listed as the agent. Before you do, weigh what that means in practice:

1. The address you list becomes public record, searchable through the state's business database
2. Someone has to be present at that address during business hours, every business day, to accept deliveries
3. Process servers deliver in person, potentially at your home or in front of customers
4. If delivery fails because nobody is there, a lawsuit can move forward without you ever seeing the papers

How to Change a Registered Agent in Georgia

Georgia does not publish a standalone change-of-agent form. Agent changes ride on the annual filing instead, one of two ways:

1. On the Annual Registration ($60): list the new agent when you file during the January 1 to April 1 window each year. This is the routine path and the update is part of the normal fee.
2. On the Amended Annual Registration, Form CD 920 ($30): used to amend a registration already on file, which makes it the way to swap agents mid-year without waiting for the next window. The template is on the SOS site: Form CD 920 (PDF).

Both are filed with the Corporations Division, online through eCorp or on paper. More on the annual filing itself on our annual requirements page.

Our Georgia Registered Agent Service

We serve as the registered agent for Georgia LLCs at $99 per year. The service includes:

• A Georgia street address that satisfies § 14-11-209, keeping your own address off the public record
• Same-day scanning and delivery of legal documents to your inbox
• An online portal holding every document we have received for you
• Reminders ahead of the April 1 Annual Registration deadline
• Staffed availability at the registered address every business day

Form your LLC through us for $199 and the first year of registered agent service is included; the subscription then renews at $99 per year. Already have a Georgia LLC? The standalone service is the same $99 per year, and we handle the paperwork that moves the agent role to us.

Get Registered Agent Service