Georgia Certificate of Authority / Registered agent
The Georgia registered agent for a foreign corporation or LLC
An amended annual registration, at $20 plus the service charge, is how a foreign entity swaps its Georgia agent or office; moving the office address alone is $5 per entity, minimum $20. Both an agent and an office must stay in place for every entity holding a certificate.
Who may be the agent
| Entity | Qualifying agents |
|---|---|
| Foreign LLC | 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 |
| Foreign profit or nonprofit corporation | an individual resident of Georgia whose business office is the registered office, a domestic profit corporation, nonprofit corporation or LLC, or a foreign one authorized to transact business in Georgia |
| Foreign LP or LLLP | A Georgia resident, or a company organized in Georgia, or a company from elsewhere that already holds Georgia authority |
For every entity type the agent's business office address must be the registered office address.
The role
In the Division's word the agent is the entity's mailbox, a person or company in Georgia that takes in legal process, documents and official mail. The entity cannot fill the role itself. Ownership or office in the entity is not required of the agent, though it is allowed. Many entities use an attorney or a professional corporate service company, and several such companies act for an annual fee.
The address rule
Georgia wants the registered office to be a street location, in the state, where the agent is actually present. A post office box and a mail drop are both unacceptable. The same rule holds on the annual registration, where the agent's name and street address are asked for in full.
Changing and resigning
Use the annual registration to change an agent or office; if one is already on file for the year, use an amended annual registration. An office address change costs $5 per entity, minimum $20. An agent can resign at no charge online, or for $10 on paper. Because the entity must never be without an agent, name the successor at the same moment.
Why the agent matters to the certificate
Any dissolution notice from the Division goes to the principal office address or the agent's address. If the agent sits on such a notice, the entity can lose the sixty days it has to respond. Tell the agent what to look for and ask for same-day forwarding.
Our part
Our office can be your Georgia agent, or you can supply another; the order screen shows the agent before you pay. Whoever it is, we recommend writing down who forwards what.
An individual or a company as agent
| Point | An individual | A service company |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | One person, who may travel or move | Staff covering the address |
| Cost | Agreed between you and the individual | A yearly fee quoted by the company |
| Continuity | A resignation leaves a gap to fill | The company holds the address |
| Rules | Georgia resident at the registered office | Qualifying company with a Georgia office |
What to tell your agent
Say which entity you represent and ask the agent to forward everything from the Secretary of State at once, including notices of administrative dissolution and any service of process. Agree how quickly. Give a second contact at the entity in case the first is away. Ask the agent to tell you if it plans to resign, and agree that it will not do so without naming a successor. These points cost nothing and protect the certificate.
Changing the agent
Secure the new agent's consent
The agent must have a Georgia street address and be willing.
Pick the filing
The annual registration, or an amended one at $20 plus the service charge.
Enter the new details
Agent name and Georgia registered office address.
Inform the old agent
So it passes on anything outstanding.
Agent questions
Can a corporation officer be the agent?
If the officer is a Georgia resident, located at the registered office, yes. The agent need not be an owner or officer, but can be.
Can I list a virtual office?
Only if the agent is physically located at that street address. Mail drops are refused.
What does an amended filing change?
It updates the agent and registered office on the Division's record.
Our filing fee, then the Georgia fee
Checkout lists what we charge and what Georgia charges on separate lines. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Get a Georgia certificate of authority
$199
+ $235 Georgia fee
- The Georgia application that fits your entity type, filled in from your answers
- The home-state certificate requested, where your entity type needs one
- A Georgia registered agent: our office, or the one you name
- A note of the annual registration window that follows
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
Need Georgia authority for a company?
Send us the entity type and the date it started in Georgia. We assemble the papers and file.