District of Columbia registered agent requirements
Check District of Columbia’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 District of Columbia?
A DC registered agent must be an eligible individual resident or authorized entity with a physical District address for service of process. Agent name and registered office information are public and must remain current. The agent must be available to receive service; a mail-only address is not sufficient. DC forms and biennial reports also require disclosure of certain ownership/control information, but that is separate from agent eligibility.
District of Columbia agent changes: forms and fees
Change the registered agent through the CorpOnline manage-business workflow or the entity-specific amendment/biennial filing. The exact fee depends on entity type and whether the change is included in BRA-25; use https://corponline.dlcp.dc.gov/ and the DLCP corporate fee schedule. The new agent must have a DC street address and accept the statutory role.
Resignation, notice, and effective dates
A DC agent resignation is filed through the DLCP Corporations Division with the statutory notice to the entity and effective-date procedure. The reviewed public fee pages did not expose one universal resignation fee for all entity types; CorpOnline's current filing form controls. Resignation does not appoint a replacement, and the entity must maintain a valid DC agent to avoid delinquency and failed service.
Consequences of a missing agent or address
An entity without a valid DC registered agent can miss service of process, default in litigation, lose active/good-standing status, and face revocation or administrative dissolution. The District can use statutory substitute-service mechanisms in limited circumstances, but they do not remove the maintenance duty or protect against missed notices and tax deadlines.
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 District of Columbia entity record →