Change Registered Agent in Nevada

There are a number of reasons you might need to change your Nevada LLC’s registered agent. Maybe your designated registered agent moved out of state, left the company, or no longer wants the responsibility. Maybe you had assigned the job to yourself, and you no longer want your address on public record. Maybe (hopefully) your business has expanded so much that you no longer have time to handle the registered agent responsibilities.

Whatever your reason may be, changing a registered agent in Nevada might seem like a daunting task, with a mountain of paperwork and legal proceedings involved. However it’s actually quite simple, and this guide will help make the process quick and painless.

What the State of Nevada Says about changing a Registered Agent

The state of Nevada has certain requirements for changing your LLC’s registered agent. Resident agent information can be changed by the represented entity or the agent themselves. To make a resident agent change, an entity must file a Statement of Change with the Nevada Secretary of State.

The S.O.S. website has an entire page dedicated to registered agents, although it focuses more on the responsibilities of commercial and noncommercial agents than it does agent changes. Although it’s online filing system, SilverFlume, has an FAQ with that features two registered agent-related questions, and you can find a few more specifics in the Nevada Revised Statutes Section 77.340.

Who can be a Nevada Registered Agent

You can’t pick just anyone to be a registered agent for your LLC. The state of Nevada puts certain restrictions on who can serve as one. If you’re choosing or changing your registered agent, keep these requirements in mind. The registered agent in Nevada must:

• Be an individual Nevada resident or a business entity located in Nevada
• Have a Nevada street address (P.O. boxes are not allowed)

* If your registered agent is a foreign business entity, it must be authorized to transact business in Nevada.

How to Change Your Nevada Registered Agent

You’ve said goodbye to your former registered agent and talked terms with your new one. Now all that’s left is to make the official change. For this, you’ll need to download a “Statement of Change of Registered Agent by Represented Entity.” Find this document, among other registered agent forms, on the S.O.S. Registered Agents page or the Business Forms page.

While there isn’t an online submission option for this form, there are a few others: mail, email, fax, or in-person. Here’s the information you’ll need for each:

• Mail: 202 North Carson Street Carson City, NV 89701

OR 2250 Las Vegas Blvd. North, Suite 400 (only for expedited requests)

• In-Person: Same as mail
• Email: statusdocs@sos.nv.gov
• Fax: (775) 684-7123

This form comes with a $60 fee. You can pay via check or money order made out to “Secretary of State,” or card (if you submit an ePayment Checklist). Any paper form you file in Nevada must also be accompanied by a Customer Order Instructions sheet.

Nevada doesn’t allow businesses to make official registered agent changes on their annual lists (reports) or Articles of Organization. You must use the “Statement of Change” form and one of the submission methods listed here.

If you’re too busy, or if you’d feel more comfortable letting someone else take the reins, you have the option of hiring a company or individual to file your paperwork for you. It’s a great way to save time and stress.

Submit your form? Pay your fee? That’s all there is to it. The Secretary of State consistently updates their filing times. This page shows the submission dates of the documents they’re currently processing. If you’re in a time crunch and need expedited service, they offer three options:

• 24-hour: $25 (use Customer Order Instructions)
• 2-hour: $500 (special Customer Order Instructions)
• 1-hour: $1,000 (special Customer Order Instructions)

Consider a Registered Agent Service

Think of your registered agent as a mediator between you and the state of Nevada, the person or business entity that handles some of your most important paperwork.

In case you thought the registered agent was just a formality, look at the documents they handle:

• service of process notices
• tax information
• lawsuits
• and other Secretary of State correspondence.

A lot of important stuff. Which is why a reliable registered agent is essential to every Nevada business owner.

By handling high-priority and sensitive documents on your behalf, your registered agent takes care of your communications with the state, so you can spend more time building your business.

Plus, if you operate a Nevada small business from out of state, a trustworthy registered agent is especially important, as the state requires a local contact for your LLC. Having this contact ensures your company will receive and respond to time-sensitive documents, so you won’t miss filings and get hit with penalties.

If you’re unsure where to find a good Nevada registered agent, consider using a registered agent service. These companies provide you a reliable, professional registered agent so you can have peace of mind knowing you won’t ever miss a filing, tax deadline, or state correspondence.

Sure, you can jump online, search “registered agent services,” and get a ton of results. But the truth is that not all of these services are trustworthy. So, we’ve done some research for you. If you want to know you’re getting a top-quality registered agent, take a look at our comparison guide on the best registered agents. Many of these providers can also form an LLC for you if you’re needing a fresh start. ZenBusiness is a very well known option.

Need to Resign your Nevada Registered Agent?

There are numerous reasons you might need to give up your Nevada registered agent role, but only one way to resign.

Registered agents play an important role in the life of an LLC, handling sensitive legal and tax documents, so it’s essential that agents follow proper resignation procedures. Otherwise, you could leave your company with unplanned fines or penalties, and you could be individually liable.

Fortunately, for Nevada LLCs it is easy.

Follow these steps and the hardest part of your resignation won’t be the process itself, it’ll be saying “so long” to your former business.

Notifying the Nevada LLC

When you relinquish your registered agent duties, you need to inform two entities: the Secretary of State and your LLC. The Nevada Revised Statutes 77.370 mandates that you promptly notify your LLC as soon as you’ve filed your official resignation with the state. Even though you aren’t required to give your company advance notice, it can often help to do so. Giving your LLC colleagues plenty of time to plan their registered agent change will help them avoid penalties.

Giving notice beforehand can help you too. After you resign, you remain on file as the registered agent for 31 days unless your LLC appoints a replacement sooner. If the company already has one lined up, you can pass off your duties right away.

Submitting Your Resignation

There are two forms necessary for submitting an official resignation with the Nevada Secretary of State: The Statement of Resignation and the Customer Order Form. Omit either form and your filing will not be accepted. Find both on the Secretary of State Business Forms page.

Statement of Resignation: This form is pretty straightforward. For each of your companies list the name, entity number, and name/address of representative to whom you will send your notice. Then, sign the bottom and you’re done.

Customer Order Form: These are required for every Nevada business filing, and resignations are no exception. To complete it, enter the following information:

• Type of processing (standard, 24-hour, one-hour, two-hour). There is a separate form for one- or two-hour expedited service options.
• LLC name
• Date
• Contact name and address for return delivery
• Return delivery options (email, mail, fax, hold for pickup, etc.)
• Order description
• Payment type

ePayment Checklist: This is only required if you’re paying the filing fee via credit card. It requires a processing option and your card information.

This filing comes with a fee of $100, plus $1 for every additional entity from which you’re resigning. When you’ve gathered your documents and payment, submit them by mail, by fax, or in person. For postal mail, send everything to:

Secretary of State

202 North Carson Street

Carson City, Nevada 89701-4201

If you live near Carson City and would rather drop it off in person, you can do so at the same address. Or, fax your forms to (775) 684-5725 for standard filing or (702) 486-2888 for expedited ones.

Don’t forget to send an official notice to your LLC as soon as you’ve submitted your forms.

The Secretary of State typically processes business filings within five business days. But if you’re in a hurry, you can pay $25 for 24-hour processing, $500 for two-hour processing, and $1,000 for one-hour processing. Unless your LLC appoints a replacement sooner, you will retain those duties for 31 days, so be aware that you may still receive service of process for up to one month.

Handing off Your Responsibilities

When you put down your registered agent responsibilities, someone else has to pick them up, or your LLC will lose its good standing with the state. Help your LLC keep its momentum by carefully planning your transition.

This starts with finding a successor who’s ready to take over right away. Even a small gap in registered agent coverage can result in severe penalties. After you’ve resigned and stayed on call for the requisite 31 days, the LLC has 30 more days to appoint a new agent. If they don’t do so in time, they will be administratively dissolved by the state.

The new registered agent can’t be just anybody, though. They must meet Nevada’s registered agent requirements, which means that they should:

• Be an individual or business entity residing in Nevada
• Have a physical Nevada address (P.O. boxes aren’t allowed)
• Have a mailing address in Nevada
• Be authorized to transact business in Nevada, if a foreign entity
• Be present and available at the registered office address during regular business hours

While LLCs are allowed to appoint an individual member as registered agent, outsourcing those responsibilities to a professional service can save time and reduce stress.

We recommend using a registered agent service, which can take over registered agent duties, freeing up more time for the LLC’s managers to focus on running the business.