How to Change Your Registered Agent in North Carolina (2026)
To change a North Carolina LLC's registered agent, file a Statement of Change of Registered Office and/or Registered Agent. This is Form BE-06. You file it with the Secretary of State's Business Registration Division. The fee is a flat $5.
A professional registered agent service can handle that filing for you, or you can fold the update into your LLC's next Annual Report instead of filing it on its own. The section below walks through every option.
Quick Summary
- A standalone filing costs a flat $5, whether you file online, by mail, or in person.
- File online, by mail or in person, fold it into your Annual Report, or hire a professional service to handle it.
- The new agent's written consent is required before the state accepts the change.
| Detail | North Carolina Change-of-Agent Facts |
|---|---|
| Filing | Statement of Change of Registered Office and/or Registered Agent (Form BE-06) |
| Filing fee | $5 flat for a standalone filing |
| Filing agency | Business Registration Division, NC Secretary of State |
| Filing methods | Online, by mail or in person, combined with your Annual Report, or through a professional service |
| Consent requirement | The new agent's written consent, on the form or attached to it |
| Governing statute | N.C. Gen. Stat. §55D-31 |
| Annual Report (separate filing) | $200 a year, due April 15 |
How to Change Your North Carolina Registered Agent
North Carolina gives you four ways to make the switch:
- File the Statement of Change on its own, online.
- Mail or hand-deliver the paper form.
- Fold the change into your LLC's Annual Report.
- Hire a professional service to file it for you.
Every route uses the same Form BE-06 and costs the same flat fee. Everything below is specific to North Carolina LLCs.
For a business registered elsewhere, our national guide to changing a registered agent covers each state's own rules. It breaks the process down one state at a time.
1. File the Statement of Change Yourself
You have three self-file options, all built around the same Form BE-06:
- Online: sign into your account on the North Carolina Secretary of State website. Choose "Submit a Filing to an Existing Entity." Search for your company. Upload the completed BE-06 PDF.
- By mail: send the signed form and a $5 payment to Business Registration Division, P.O. Box 29622, Raleigh, NC 27626-0622.
- In person: bring the form and payment to 2 South Salisbury St., Raleigh, NC 27601.
The new registered agent's name and written consent have to appear on the form itself. Or you can attach a separate signed consent instead. The change takes effect as soon as the state files it, unless you specify a later date. That delayed date can run up to 90 days out.
If your LLC's Annual Report is coming due, you can update the registered agent inside that same filing instead of running a separate transaction [1]. The Annual Report itself is a distinct $200-a-year requirement, due every April 15. Combining the agent change with it doesn't waive that fee.
2. Use a Professional Registered Agent Service
Some LLC owners would rather skip the form fields and mailing addresses. A professional registered agent service takes the Form BE-06 paperwork off your plate. It fills in your entity's details and gets the change on file for you.
You'll see two separate charges once it's done: the state's $5 filing fee, and a service charge that varies by provider.
Hiring a North Carolina registered agent service from the start often beats switching later. The provider ends up filing its own office address as part of setup anyway.
Who Can Be a North Carolina Registered Agent
North Carolina law allows three kinds of registered agents [2]:
- A resident whose home office matches the registered office.
- An in-state LLC, corporation, or nonprofit at that same address.
- An out-of-state LLC, corporation, or nonprofit cleared to do business here, also at that address.
Every North Carolina entity must continuously keep a registered office in the state, and that office can double as any of its regular places of business. But it has to be a real street address the agent works from, not a bare mailing point.
By law, the agent's only job is passing notices, process, or demands on to the entity. It sends them to the entity's last known address.
An entity can't name itself as its own new registered agent on the Form BE-06 change filing. It has to name a qualifying individual or a separate entity instead.
Naming a registered agent service instead of yourself keeps your home address off the public record. The state lists the provider's office instead.
FAQs
Can a Foreign Entity Doing Business in North Carolina Change Its Registered Agent?
Yes. A foreign corporation, nonprofit, or LLC authorized to do business in North Carolina must maintain a registered agent too. It can change that agent by filing the same Form BE-06.
Can a Company Act as Its Own Registered Agent in North Carolina?
No, but you can name someone else. Any North Carolina resident whose business office matches your registered office can serve, or a qualifying domestic or authorized foreign entity. That person or entity doesn't have to be an officer, member, or manager of your company.
Can I Be My Own Registered Agent in North Carolina?
Yes, if you meet the requirements. You need to live in North Carolina. Your business office also has to match the registered office address you list with the state.
How Much Does It Cost to Change a Registered Agent in North Carolina?
A standalone North Carolina registered agent change costs $5 flat, whether you file it online, by mail, or in person. The state doesn't publish a separate fee breakdown for combining the change with your Annual Report.
Is It Possible to Update My Registered Agent Through My Annual Report?
Yes. North Carolina lets you update your registered agent inside your Annual Report filing. You skip filing a separate Statement of Change that way. The Annual Report's own $200 fee still applies on top.
References:
- https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_55D/GS_55D-31.html
- https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_55D/GS_55D-30.html
