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Change Registered Agent in Illinois

When Is a Change of Registered Agent Required in Illinois?

Under the Business Corporation Act of 1983 (805 ILCS 5/) § 5.10, a domestic or foreign corporation must file a statement of change with the Illinois Secretary of State whenever it changes its registered agent, its registered office address, or both. The same obligation applies to every type of filing entity in the state: the Limited Liability Company Act (805 ILCS 180/) § 1-36 imposes an identical requirement on domestic and foreign LLCs, and the Uniform Limited Partnership Act (2001) (805 ILCS 215/) § 115 requires limited partnerships and foreign limited partnerships to file a statement of change as well. Every domestic and foreign filing entity must continuously maintain a registered agent and registered office in Illinois, and failure to do so can lead to administrative dissolution for domestic entities or revocation of authority for foreign entities.

A change filing is required whenever any of the following occurs:

  • The current registered agent resigns
  • The current registered agent moves out of Illinois or is no longer a resident of the state
  • The registered agent’s address changes due to physical relocation, postal renaming, or any other cause
  • The registered agent is no longer available at the registered office during normal business hours
  • The registered agent becomes disqualified or incapacitated to act
  • The entity voluntarily selects a new registered agent
  • The entity revokes the appointment of its current registered agent

Illinois does not distinguish between a voluntary and an involuntary change of registered agent — the filing requirement and form are the same regardless of the reason for the change.

Grounds for Changing Your Registered Agent in Illinois

The most common grounds for filing a change of registered agent or registered office in Illinois are summarized in the table below.

Ground Filing Required
Registered agent resigns Entity files appropriate Statement of Change form
Registered agent moves out of Illinois Entity files appropriate Statement of Change form
Registered agent’s address changes (physical relocation, postal renaming) Entity files appropriate Statement of Change form, or registered agent files an agent-initiated address change
Entity switches to a professional registered agent service Entity files appropriate Statement of Change form
Registered agent no longer available at registered office during business hours Entity files appropriate Statement of Change form
Registered agent becomes disqualified or incapacitated Entity files appropriate Statement of Change form
Entity changes its own registered office address Entity files appropriate Statement of Change form

Each entity’s registered agent and registered office information is part of the public record maintained by the Secretary of State and is searchable through the Business Entity Search database. Any inaccurate or outdated information should be corrected promptly by filing the appropriate change form for the entity type.

Illinois Registered Agent Change Requirements

Several requirements must be satisfied before filing a change of registered agent in Illinois. The eligibility rules, address requirements, and execution standards are consistent across entity types.

Eligibility of the new registered agent:

  • Option A — Organization: A domestic or foreign corporation, LLC, limited partnership, or limited liability partnership authorized to transact business in Illinois and authorized by its statement of purpose to act as a registered agent. The filing entity itself cannot serve as its own registered agent.
  • Option B — Individual: An individual who is a resident of Illinois, whose business office address is identical with the registered office address.

Under 805 ILCS 5/ § 5.05, a corporation’s registered agent “may be either an individual, resident in this State, whose business office is identical with such registered office, or a domestic or foreign corporation, limited liability company, limited partnership, or limited liability partnership authorized to transact business in this State.” The same eligibility standard applies to LLCs under 805 ILCS 180/ § 1-35, which requires the registered agent to be “an individual resident of this State or other person authorized to transact business in this State.”

Registered office address:

The registered office must be located at a physical street address within the State of Illinois. A P.O. Box alone is not acceptable. The address of the registered office and the business office of the registered agent must be identical. The registered agent must be available at the registered office during normal business hours to accept service of process and official correspondence.

Consent of the new registered agent:

The new registered agent must consent to the appointment before the change form is filed. For corporations, the statement of change must include a recitation that the change “was authorized by resolution duly adopted by the board of directors,” and the form itself requires the signature of a duly authorized officer, which serves as an affirmation that the new agent has agreed to serve. For LLCs, the statement must recite that the change “was authorized by the members or managers.”

Note: A business entity designated as a registered agent must itself be registered with the Illinois Secretary of State. An LLC may not act as its own registered agent.

Execution:

The statement of change must be signed by a duly authorized officer (for corporations) or by an authorized member or manager (for LLCs). For limited partnerships, the form must be signed by an authorized general partner. The statement does not need to be notarized. Forms filed by mail must be submitted in duplicate, with payment in the form of a check or money order payable to the Secretary of State.

How to File a Statement of Change of Registered Office/Agent

The specific form depends on the entity type. Corporations (both business and not-for-profit) file Form BCA 5.10/5.20 — Statement of Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office. LLCs file Form LLC 1.36/1.37 — Statement of Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office. Limited partnerships file Form LP 115 — Change of Designated Office or Agent for Service of Process. Not-for-profit corporations file Form NFP 105.10/105.20 — Statement of Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office. LLPs change their registered agent information through a Statement of Amendment (Form UPA 1001(h)/1102(g)).

Regardless of entity type, the form requires the following information:

  1. The legal name of the entity, exactly as it appears on file with the Secretary of State.
  2. The entity’s file number assigned by the Secretary of State.
  3. The name and address of the current registered agent and registered office.
  4. If the registered agent is being changed, the name of the new (successor) registered agent.
  5. If the registered office address is being changed, the new address including street and number.
  6. A statement that the address of the registered office and the business office of the registered agent, as changed, will be identical.
  7. A statement that the change was authorized by resolution of the board of directors (for corporations), or by the members or managers (for LLCs), or by the authorized general partner (for LPs).

The form allows the entity to change the registered agent, the registered office address, or both in a single filing. A single filing fee applies regardless of whether one or both items are changed.

Note: When filing by mail, submit the form in duplicate original. When filing online, complete the electronic form directly — do not attach the PDF form.

Filing Method: Online vs. Mail

The Illinois Secretary of State accepts change-of-registered-agent filings online, by mail, and in person at the Springfield and Chicago offices.

Method Details
Online Filed through the Secretary of State’s Corporation Registered Agent or Address Change page (for corporations and NFPs) or the LLC Change of Registered Agent page (for LLCs). Payment by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express).
Mail Submit the completed PDF form in duplicate with a check or money order payable to the Secretary of State to: Department of Business Services, 501 S. Second Street, Room 350, Springfield, IL 62756.
In Person Deliver the completed form to: 501 S. Second Street, Room 350, Springfield, IL 62726 or 160 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL 60601. Expedited (24-hour) service is available only in person or online, not by mail.

Non-expedited filings submitted online or by mail are typically reviewed within approximately 10 business days. Expedited (24-hour) service is available online and in person for an additional fee and excludes weekends and holidays. Cash is not accepted for any filing with the Secretary of State’s office.

Registered Agent Change Filing Fees by Entity Type

Filing fees for a change of registered agent or registered office in Illinois vary by entity type. The fees are set by the Secretary of State and listed on the official Domestic and Foreign Corporations Publications and Forms, LLC Publications and Forms, LP Publications and Forms, and NFP Publications and Forms pages.

Entity Type Form Filing Fee Expedited Fee (additional)
Domestic or Foreign Business Corporation BCA 5.10/5.20 $25 $50
Domestic or Foreign Not-for-Profit Corporation NFP 105.10/105.20 $5 $25
Domestic or Foreign LLC LLC 1.36/1.37 $25 $50
Limited Worker Cooperative Association LWCA 1.36 $25 —
Domestic or Foreign Limited Partnership LP 115 $50 —
Limited Liability Partnership (Domestic or Foreign) UPA 1001(h)/1102(g) $25 —

For corporations and LLCs, expedited (24-hour) processing is available for an additional fee as shown above. Expedited service for LPs and LLPs must be requested in person at the Springfield or Chicago office, not by mail.

Payment for online filings must be made by credit card — Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express are accepted. Payment for mail filings must be made by check or money order payable to the Illinois Secretary of State. Cash is not accepted for any filing.

The registered agent resignation forms also carry a filing fee: $5 for corporations (Form BCA 5.15), $5 for LLCs (Form LLC 1.35), $5 for not-for-profit corporations (Form NFP 105.15), $50 for limited partnerships (Form LP 116), and $25 for LLPs (Form UPA 1005/1106).

Effective Date of a Registered Agent Change in Illinois

The change of registered agent or registered office becomes effective upon filing by the Secretary of State. Illinois law does not provide for a delayed effective date or a future-event-conditioned effective date for a change of registered agent.

Immediate effect: Under 805 ILCS 5/ § 5.10(e), “the change of address of the registered office, or the change of registered agent, or both, as the case may be, shall become effective upon the filing of such statement by the Secretary of State.” The same immediate-upon-filing rule applies to LLCs under 805 ILCS 180/ § 1-36(c) and to limited partnerships under 805 ILCS 215/ § 115(b).

Because the change is effective upon filing rather than upon receipt of the form, the relevant date is the date the Secretary of State processes and files the statement — not the date the entity mails or submits it. For that reason, entities that need an immediate change should consider online or in-person expedited filing rather than standard mail processing.

Changing the Registered Agent Address Without Changing the Agent

When a registered agent changes its own address but continues to serve as agent, the agent may file a separate form to update the address on behalf of the entity, rather than requiring the entity to file its own change form. For corporations, this mechanism is authorized by 805 ILCS 5/ § 5.20, which allows a registered agent to change the address of the registered office by filing a statement directly with the Secretary of State. For LLCs, the equivalent provision is 805 ILCS 180/ § 1-37.

Both the entity-filed change form and the agent-initiated address change are handled through the same combined form in Illinois. For corporations, Form BCA 5.10/5.20 serves both purposes — it can be filed by the entity (to change the agent, the office, or both) or by the registered agent (to change only the registered office address). The key distinction is who signs the form: when the entity files, a duly authorized officer signs; when the agent files an address change under § 5.20, the registered agent itself executes the form. The same dual structure applies for LLCs using Form LLC 1.36/1.37.

Feature Entity-Filed Change (§ 5.10 / § 1-36) Agent-Initiated Address Change (§ 5.20 / § 1-37)
Filed by The entity (officer, member, or manager) The registered agent
Purpose Change agent, change address, or both Change address only
Can appoint a new agent Yes No
Covers multiple entities in one filing No — one form per entity No — one form per entity
Signed by Authorized officer (corp) or member/manager (LLC) The registered agent

Because the agent-initiated address change and the entity-filed change use the same combined form in Illinois, the filing fee is the same — $25 for corporations and LLCs, $5 for not-for-profit corporations. Commercial registered agent services that represent many entities must file a separate form for each entity whose address needs updating.

What Happens After the Change Is Filed

Once the Secretary of State accepts and files the statement of change, several effects follow:

  • The entity’s registered agent and registered office information in the Secretary of State’s records is updated immediately.
  • The new agent’s name and address become part of the entity’s public filing history and are searchable through the Business Entity Search database.
  • The former agent’s authority to receive service of process on behalf of the entity terminates.
  • All future service of process, official notices, and correspondence from the Secretary of State will be directed to the new registered agent at the new registered office address.
  • The Secretary of State returns evidence of filing to the submitter.

There is no separate confirmation or certificate issued for the agent change. The entity can verify that the change has been recorded by searching for the entity in the Secretary of State’s online Business Entity Search.

Changing a Registered Agent for a Foreign Entity Registered in Illinois

A foreign entity registered to transact business in Illinois is subject to the same registered agent and registered office requirements as a domestic filing entity. Under 805 ILCS 5/ § 5.05, each foreign corporation having authority to transact business in Illinois must “have and continuously maintain in this State” a registered office and a registered agent. The same requirement applies to foreign LLCs under 805 ILCS 180/ § 1-35 and to foreign limited partnerships under 805 ILCS 215/ § 114.

A foreign entity changes its registered agent or registered office by filing the same change form used by domestic entities of the same type. The same eligibility requirements, physical street address requirements, execution standards, filing methods, and fees apply. The filing fee for a foreign business corporation is $25 (Form BCA 5.10/5.20), for a foreign LLC is $25 (Form LLC 1.36/1.37), for a foreign not-for-profit corporation is $5 (Form NFP 105.10/105.20), and for a foreign limited partnership is $50 (Form LP 115).

If a foreign corporation’s authority to transact business in Illinois is revoked — for example, because it failed to maintain a registered agent — the registered agent and registered office on record at the date of revocation remain the agent for service of process unless the agent resigns. The Secretary of State also becomes an irrevocable agent for service of process on any foreign corporation whose authority has been revoked, under 805 ILCS 5/ § 5.25.

Frequently Asked Questions About Changing a Registered Agent in Illinois

How long does it take to change a registered agent in Illinois?

The Illinois Secretary of State does not publish a guaranteed processing time. Non-expedited filings are generally reviewed within approximately 10 business days, according to the LLC Change of Registered Agent filing page. Expedited (24-hour) processing is available for an additional fee and excludes weekends and holidays. The change becomes effective upon filing by the Secretary of State, not upon submission. For questions about current processing times, contact the Department of Business Services at 217-782-6961 or 800-252-8980.

Do I need to notify my current registered agent before changing?

Illinois law does not require an entity to notify its current registered agent before filing a change form. The change is effective upon filing and acceptance by the Secretary of State. Many entities choose to notify the outgoing agent as a courtesy, particularly if the outgoing agent holds documents or has pending service-of-process matters. If the current agent wishes to end the relationship on its own initiative, it may file a separate resignation form under 805 ILCS 5/ § 5.15 (corporations) or 805 ILCS 180/ § 1-35(c) (LLCs).

Can I change my registered office address without changing the registered agent?

Yes. The statement of change form in Illinois permits changing only the registered office address while keeping the same registered agent. When completing the form, simply provide the new address and leave the registered agent name unchanged. If the same registered agent is changing its own address while continuing to serve, the agent may also use the agent-initiated address change provision under 805 ILCS 5/ § 5.20 (for corporations) or 805 ILCS 180/ § 1-37 (for LLCs). A single filing fee applies whether the change involves only the address, only the agent, or both.

What is the agent-initiated address change form and when is it used?

The agent-initiated address change uses the same combined form as the entity-filed change — Form BCA 5.10/5.20 for corporations or Form LLC 1.36/1.37 for LLCs. It is filed by the registered agent (not the entity) when the agent changes its own business address while continuing to serve in the same capacity. This form cannot be used to appoint a different registered agent. The agent-initiated change is authorized by 805 ILCS 5/ § 5.20 for corporations and 805 ILCS 180/ § 1-37 for LLCs, and it is signed by the registered agent rather than by the entity’s officer or manager.

Is there a penalty for not filing a change of registered agent?

Illinois requires every filing entity to continuously maintain a current registered agent and registered office. Failure to appoint and maintain a registered agent is a ground for administrative dissolution under 805 ILCS 5/ § 12.35(e) for corporations and under 805 ILCS 180/ § 35-25(3) for LLCs. After the Secretary of State issues a notice of delinquency, a corporation that fails to correct the default within 90 days will be dissolved administratively. For LLCs, the dissolution follows the same pattern. A dissolved or revoked entity loses its ability to maintain lawsuits in Illinois courts and faces the risk of default judgment through substitute service on the Secretary of State.

Can I change my registered agent and the registered office address in the same filing?

Yes. Every change form used in Illinois permits changing the registered agent, the registered office address, or both in a single filing. A single filing fee applies. The form requires a statement confirming that the address of the registered office and the business office of the registered agent, as changed, will be identical.

What happens if my registered agent resigns?

A registered agent may resign at any time by filing written notice with the Secretary of State. Under 805 ILCS 5/ § 5.15, the agent must mail a copy of the resignation notice to the corporation at its principal office at least 10 days before filing the notice with the Secretary of State. The resignation is not effective until at least 30 days after the filing date. For corporations, the resignation form is Form BCA 5.15 — Notice of Resignation of Registered Agent (filing fee: $5). For LLCs, the form is Form LLC 1.35 — Resignation of Registered Agent (filing fee: $5). Under 805 ILCS 180/ § 1-35(d), a new registered agent must be placed on record within 60 days after the agent’s notice of resignation. Failure to appoint a replacement within that period may result in a $100 penalty and can lead to administrative dissolution.

Does the new registered agent need to sign the change form?

No. The change form is signed by the entity’s duly authorized officer (for corporations), authorized member or manager (for LLCs), or authorized general partner (for limited partnerships). The signature on the form constitutes an affirmation that the new registered agent has consented to serve. The consent itself is retained by the entity and is not filed with the Secretary of State. Under 805 ILCS 5/ § 5.10(b)(7), the entity must confirm that “such change was authorized by resolution duly adopted by the board of directors.”

Can I use a P.O. Box for the new registered office address?

No. The registered office must be located at a physical street address within the State of Illinois where service of process can be personally delivered during normal business hours. A P.O. Box alone is not acceptable. The Corporation Registered Agent or Address Change filing page confirms that “the Registered Office must be located at a street address (a P.O. Box alone is not acceptable) within the State of Illinois.”

Is the filing fee the same whether I file online or by mail?

Yes. The base filing fee is the same regardless of filing method — $25 for corporations and LLCs, $5 for not-for-profit corporations, and $50 for limited partnerships. Expedited (24-hour) processing carries an additional fee and is available only online or in person, not by mail. Online filings require payment by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express). Mail filings require payment by check or money order payable to the Illinois Secretary of State. There is no separate surcharge for online filing beyond the expedited fee if selected.