How to change your registered agent in Florida
Sunbiz supplies an LLC-specific paper change statement with a cover letter. Identify the current and replacement agent and Florida street address, obtain the required signatures, and mail the package to the Division of Corporations.
Checked against primary sources ·
Florida- Jurisdiction terminology
- registered agent
- Change filing
- Statement of Change of Registered Office or Registered Agent or Both for Limited Liability Company (INHS18)
- Filing office
- Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz)
Choose the right Florida filing
Florida's standalone LLC change uses Sunbiz Form INHS18 with its cover letter. The statement captures more than the replacement agent: it asks for the LLC's principal and mailing addresses, Florida filing or registration date, document number, and old and new registered-office details. Its final certifications also differ for domestic and foreign LLCs. The practical aim is a packet that identifies the correct existing company, obtains company execution and the agent's acceptance, and reaches the Division through the published mail-filing route.
- Procedure scope
- Standalone registered agent or registered office changes for Florida domestic LLCs and foreign LLCs registered in Florida.
Which route fits your registered agent change?
- Replace an LLC's registered agent
Use the Statement of Change of Registered Office or Registered Agent or Both for Limited Liability Company, INHS18. Enter the before and after agent information and obtain the replacement agent's acceptance of appointment and duties. A private appointment contract is not a substitute for the submitted signed statement. Source 1.
- Change only the registered office
The same statement covers an address-only change. Its final agent paragraph has an alternative certification confirming that the LLC was notified in writing of the registered-office change. Do not use that address-only wording to avoid acceptance when a different agent is actually being appointed. Source 1.
- The entity is a corporation, not an LLC
The official LLC forms page expressly warns not to use its forms for corporations. Select the corporation's own route instead of assuming an LLC form applies because the company has limited liability or a corporate tax election. INHS18's legal statements identify an LLC under Chapter 605. Source 2.
Prepare for the change in Florida
- Find the Florida document number and registration date
Prepare the LLC's name, date of Florida filing or registration and Florida document number. A foreign LLC uses its Florida registration identity here, not merely its home-state formation number. Keep the current Sunbiz record available to populate the old registered-agent and office section accurately. Source 1.
- Separate four address purposes
The form asks for a principal office street address, a company mailing address that may be a PO box, the current Florida registered-office street address, and the new office street address. Obtain each deliberately. The company's mailing flexibility does not turn the registered office into a PO-box field. Source 1.
- Check the domestic or foreign certification
For a foreign LLC, the printed certification confirms that the resulting Florida registered-office street address and the agent's business office are identical. For a Florida LLC, it confirms authorization by affirmative member vote or as otherwise provided in the articles or operating agreement. Review the statement applicable to the company. Source 1.
- Arrange company and agent execution
The company execution line calls for a member or authorized representative of a member, with a printed or typed name. The registered agent signs the acceptance/address-change paragraph separately. Prepare both signatures rather than assuming the person filling the cover letter can sign every block. Source 1.
- Choose the correspondence recipient
The cover letter asks for the person and firm to receive correspondence, return address, daytime contact and an address for future annual-report notifications. Use current responsible contacts. Avoid adding unnecessary sensitive information: the official forms page says submitted information becomes available on the public-record website. Source 2.
Consent and acceptance
The submitted LLC statement contains the registered agent's signed acceptance of appointment and duties. Its alternative certification for an address-only change confirms that the LLC was notified in writing; do not use that alternative as a substitute for a new agent accepting appointment.
Entity-type differences
INHS18 expressly covers Florida and foreign LLCs, with different certifications for each. The official LLC forms page warns that these forms are not for corporations; corporations must select their own registered-agent change document.
Complete the Florida change filing
Find the LLC's Florida document number and registration date. Confirm its current agent, registered office, principal address and mailing address.
Complete INHS18 with the old and new agent information and a Florida street address for the registered office.
For a domestic LLC, complete the form's certification that the change was authorized by the members or as provided in the articles or operating agreement. For a foreign LLC, complete the registered-office/business-office address certification.
Obtain the company execution signature required by the form and the new registered agent's signed acceptance.
Complete the cover letter and return contact details, then mail the statement and required payment to the Registration Section at the address printed on the cover letter. Retain the filed response.
Open the official filing instructions or transaction. Read the primary sources below alongside these steps.
Form fields and statement requirements
- Items 1 through 4: LLC identity and company addresses
Enter the LLC name, principal office street address, mailing address, Florida filing/registration date and document number. The form labels the principal address as a street address and allows a PO box for mailing. Do not put an agent's billing address into the principal-office field solely to simplify the packet. Source 1.
- Item 5(a): existing state record
List the registered agent and registered office shown in Florida Department of State records. This is the before position. Use the existing record even if the old provider has already stopped receiving ordinary business mail, so the transaction accurately identifies what is being replaced. Source 1.
- Item 5(b): new agent and office
Enter the new registered agent name and/or new Florida registered-office street address. Match the legal name and location agreed with the incoming agent. If only the office changes, make that scope clear without accidentally naming a different agent. Source 1.
- Entity certification and execution
Review the printed domestic authorization or foreign address-equivalence certification, then obtain the member or authorized representative of a member signature and printed or typed name requested by the form. This execution is separate from the agent's acknowledgement of its duties. Source 1.
- Registered-agent paragraph
For an appointment, the agent accepts the position, agrees to comply with the statutes governing its duties and acknowledges the Chapter 605 obligations. For merely changing the office address, the paragraph instead confirms written notification to the LLC. The signature must fit the transaction being made. Source 1.
Submit the change to Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz)
- Fill, print and mail the signed packet
The official LLC forms page allows printing and then preparing the form, or filling it online and then printing it. It directs mailing the completed form with required payment for processing and filing. An editable PDF completed in a browser is not, by itself, electronic submission to Sunbiz. Source 2.
- Use the cover letter's registration delivery details
The packet supplies the Registration Section mailing address, P.O. Box 6327, Tallahassee, Florida 32314, and a separate street address. Complete the return correspondence fields and required payment selection before mailing. The cover letter also distinguishes the ordinary filing from a request that includes a certified copy. Source 1.
Before you submit
A change to the company's principal or mailing address is not the same field as the registered office. Use the LLC's Florida document number and the correct entity-specific form.
Verify the change and finish the transition
- Wait for a filing result, not just delivery
Practical guidance. Keep the Division's returned correspondence and any filed copy with the submitted packet. The cover letter identifies where correspondence should be returned but does not give a guaranteed review deadline. A postal scan is evidence of delivery, not evidence that the change was accepted and recorded.
- Review the resulting Sunbiz record
Practical guidance. Check the agent name and registered-office address against the new designation. Also compare the company addresses supplied on the statement so a mistaken principal or mailing address is not overlooked. If a certified copy was requested, retain it separately from ordinary correspondence.
- Reconcile the incoming service and report reminders
Practical guidance. Confirm the agent's forwarding instructions, ask the old provider about documents already received and check who will monitor future annual-report notifications. Review tax, license and bank contact changes independently rather than assuming an agent-change statement updates every organization that writes to the LLC.
Avoid these Florida filing mistakes
- Calling a filled PDF an online filing
The official page describes filling online and then printing, followed by mailing. Complete the signed submission process rather than saving the PDF and assuming it reached the Division electronically. Source 2.
- Using the address-only certification for a new agent
A replacement appointment needs the agent's acceptance of the role and duties. The alternative written-notification statement is for merely changing the registered-office address; it should not be used to characterize an actual replacement as an address-only update. Source 1.
- Confusing company mailing and registered office
The mailing address may be a PO box, but the registered office is a Florida street address. Fill each section for its actual purpose and keep the old/new office comparison distinct from the company's principal and mailing information. Source 1.
Questions about changing your registered agent in Florida
Does INHS18 cover a foreign LLC registered in Florida?
Yes. Its certification expressly addresses an LLC not organized under Florida law and confirms the resulting Florida registered-office and agent business-office addresses are identical. Use the company's Florida registration date and document number. Source 1.
Can a corporation use this Florida LLC form?
No. The official LLC forms page specifically warns that its forms are not for corporations. Choose the corporation's own registered-agent change route rather than INHS18. Source 2.
Does the incoming agent sign?
Yes. The statement includes the registered agent's signature accepting appointment and duties. The company also has its separate execution line. For an office-only change, the agent paragraph contains the alternative written-notice certification. Source 1.
Will the cover letter's contact information stay private?
Do not assume that it will. Sunbiz's LLC forms page warns that all information entered on documents submitted to the Division will be available on its public-record website. Supply required useful contact information without unnecessary sensitive details. Source 2.
Which primary sources support this procedure?
Checked . The filing office’s current instructions govern the submission.
- Florida Division of Corporations — INHS18 statement and cover letter
- Florida Division of Corporations — LLC forms and mail-filing instructions
Procedural guidance, not legal advice. Confirm the correct filing for your entity and its current record.
Need help with your Florida change?
Tell us the entity name, its jurisdiction and what needs to change. State fees are confirmed with you before anything is filed.