How to Change Your Registered Agent in Alabama (2026)
To change your registered agent in Alabama, file the Change of Registered Agent or Registered Office by Entity form with the Alabama Secretary of State. The filing fee is $100.
There's no self-service online portal for this form. You file it by mail. Or you email the finished form to the Secretary of State's office.
We've helped Alabama firms through this exact filing. So we know which details on the form matter and which numbers floating around online are outdated.
Quick Summary
- Download the form and get the new agent's signed consent. Send it to the Alabama Secretary of State by mail or email.
- There's no online filing option. You either handle the papers yourself or hire a registered agent service to file them for you.
- Notarization isn't required. The form only needs signed names from your firm and the new agent.
| Filing Method | Cost | Processing Time | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| By email | $100 | Not published by the state | miscellaneous.filings@sos.alabama.gov |
| By mail | $100 | Not published by the state | Secretary of State, Business Services, P.O. Box 5616, Montgomery, AL 36103 |
| Professional registered agent service | $100 state fee + provider's service fee | Varies by provider | Handled on your behalf |
Steps to Change Your Registered Agent
Before you touch the form, pick a new agent who can legally serve in Alabama. That means a real street address in the state, not a P.O. box, plus someone free to accept papers on your business's behalf.
The new agent signs the consent section built into the form before you file it. No extra notarized document is needed on top of that [1].
If you're handling this in another state instead of Alabama, check our state-by-state guide instead. It has the steps for wherever your business is really registered.
Alabama gives you three ways to get this filed:
- By email (no separate portal, but the fastest way to reach the Secretary of State directly)
- By mail
- Using a registered agent service
1. By Email
Alabama doesn't run a state filing portal for this change [2]. Download the form from the Secretary of State's Business Downloads page.
Fill in the form with:
- Your Alabama entity ID number
- Your business name as registered with the state
- The current registered agent's name, for verification
- The new registered agent's name and Alabama street address
- Signed names from someone allowed to sign at your firm and from the new agent
The form must be typed, since Alabama rejects handwritten submissions without review. Once it's filled out, scan it and email it to miscellaneous.filings@sos.alabama.gov.
Alabama's Secretary of State doesn't publish a standard turnaround time for this filing, whether you email it or mail it. Email at least skips the mail transit time in both directions. That's the main practical difference between the two methods.
2. By Mail
Mailing the form works the same way as email, just on paper. Print two copies of the completed, typed form.
To file by mail:
- Attach a check, money order or credit card payment slip for the $100 fee. Paying by card adds a 3% plus $2 convenience charge, and a dishonored check adds a $30 fee.
- Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope so the Secretary of State can return your stamped copy.
- Mail everything to Secretary of State, Business Services, P.O. Box 5616, Montgomery, AL 36103.
The state doesn't publish a specific processing window. So budget extra time for mail transit on both ends compared to email.
3. Using a Professional Registered Agent Service
Hiring a registered agent service in Alabama is the least hands-on option. You hand over your old and new agent details, and the service prepares and submits the papers for you.
A registered agent service typically handles:
- Getting the new agent's consent signed and in place
- Filing the paperwork with the Alabama Secretary of State
- Acting as your new registered agent from that point on
You still pay the state filing fee yourself. On top of that, you pay the service's own annual charge going forward.
If you're still setting up the business itself, start with our guide on how to start an LLC in Alabama. Then see the best LLC formation services in Alabama guide.
Once the LLC is formed, our guide on Alabama's recurring state filings covers what stays due afterward, year after year.
Who Can Be an Alabama Registered Agent
Alabama registered agents can be an individual who lives in the state. Or a business entity allowed to do business there works too.
The registered agent must:
- Use a real Alabama street address, not a P.O. box.
- Be allowed to accept legal papers and official state mail on the business's behalf.
- Be reachable during normal business hours, since that's when service of process really gets delivered.
Alabama's statute limits the agent's job to accepting service of process and official notices for the business. It doesn't cover filing taxes or other papers on the firm's behalf.
You can serve as your own registered agent if you meet these requirements. The catch is that your address then sits in the business's public record, since that's where the state lists it.
Owners who'd rather keep that address private usually hire a registered agent service instead. Firms with a presence in several states often pick one Alabama-based provider that covers every state they're registered in. That beats managing a separate agent for each state.
FAQs
Can I Change My Registered Office Address Without Changing the Agent?
Yes. The form covers an agent change, an address change, or both changes together on a single filing, so you only fill in whichever part actually needs updating.
Does the Registered Agent Change Form Need to Be Notarized?
No. Alabama's registered agent change form skips notarization entirely, since it only needs plain signatures rather than a notary stamp on either side.
What Happens if My Card Payment Doesn't Go Through?
If your card payment doesn't authorize, the Secretary of State won't index your filing at all until you resolve the payment problem and resubmit it.
References:
- https://www.sos.alabama.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/ChangeRegisteredAgent.pdf
- https://www.sos.alabama.gov/business-entities
