Delaware registered agent requirements
Check Delaware’s rules for receiving legal notices and keeping the public contact record current. The local role may be called a registered agent, resident agent, statutory agent, or agent for service of process.
Open official agency forms and instructions ↗Who can serve in Delaware?
Every Delaware business entity must maintain a registered agent in Delaware. The agent may be an individual resident or a business entity authorized to do business in Delaware, with a Delaware registered office for service. A Delaware-based entity may act as its own agent if it meets the physical-address and availability requirements. Agent identity/contact details are maintained in the public record, and Delaware separately regulates commercial registered-agent contacts.
Delaware agent changes: forms and fees
Use the Delaware Certificate of Change of Registered Agent/Registered Office through the Division's corporate forms and Document Filing and Certificate Request Service. The fee is entity/document specific; Delaware corporate law commonly lists $50.00 for a corporate agent change, while LLC fees are controlled by the LLC fee schedule. Start at https://corp.delaware.gov/corpforms/ and confirm the current charge before submission.
Resignation, notice, and effective dates
A Delaware registered agent resigns by filing the statutory resignation notice and providing the required notice to the entity. The fee varies by entity type and current fee schedule; it is not safe to assume a no-fee resignation. The resignation becomes effective only after the statutory notice period, and the entity must appoint a replacement or face service, tax, and forfeiture risk.
Consequences of a missing agent or address
An entity without a Delaware registered agent can miss service, be unable to receive legal process, be forfeited or dissolved, and lose the ability to enforce rights or defend claims. Delaware may accept substitute service in defined circumstances, but that is not a safe operational substitute and does not stop annual tax or report obligations.
Confirm the change reached the public record
Keep the accepted filing and confirm the agent or service address shown for the business. Arrange forwarding of legal notices during the change, and check which contact information will be public before supplying a home address.
Look up the Delaware entity record →