How to change your registered agent in Kentucky
Complete RAC with the current and replacement information, obtain the new agent's consent signature, and file the signed statement with the Secretary of State.
Checked against primary sources ·
Kentucky- Jurisdiction terminology
- registered agent
- Filing office
- Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings
Choose the right Kentucky filing
Kentucky's RAC combines the old and new agent details with two different execution functions: the incoming agent consents to serve and an authorized representative declares the entity's change. For an LLC, the main practical risks are using the wrong person to sign for an agent that is itself an LLC, confusing the principal-office return address with the registered office, and relying on delivery information associated with the older officeholder printed on the published form.
- Procedure scope
- Entity-filed registered-agent or registered-office change for a Kentucky domestic LLC using the shared RAC form.
- Form or online transaction
- Statement of Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office Address, Form RAC
Which route fits your registered agent change?
- Replace the agent, change the office or do both
RAC expressly covers a change of registered agent and/or registered-office address. Compare the current appointment with the intended result before completing the replacement side. A provider change often also changes the office, but do not assume the office is unchanged merely because the company's headquarters is staying put. Source 1.
- Identify the entity represented
The form cites several Kentucky entity statutes and is not LLC-only. Use the legal name exactly as on the Secretary of State record. For a foreign company already registered in Kentucky, work from that Kentucky record rather than treating a replacement as a new qualification. Source 1.
- Separate company and agent signatures
If the incoming registered agent is a corporation or LLC, identify who signs its consent in that capacity. That signature is separate from the person executing the represented company's declaration. One person may occupy relevant roles, but the two capacities still need to be understood and completed. Source 1.
Prepare for the change in Kentucky
- Retrieve the before-change record
The form requests the registered agent and registered-office address currently on file. Copy those from the Kentucky record rather than from an old service invoice. This lets the person signing the declaration compare the current appointment with the actual requested change. Source 1.
- Confirm agent eligibility
The instructions list a Kentucky-resident individual and specified Kentucky or Kentucky-authorized business entities as eligible agents. They also say the company seeking formation may not act as its own registered agent. Do not import Kansas's different self-agent wording into a Kentucky appointment. Source 1.
- Prepare a specific Kentucky location
The office must be in Kentucky, with a street address or other specific location such as a highway, rural route or building. A post office box is insufficient. The agent's address must be identical to the registered office, so reconcile both entries with the provider before signing. Source 1.
- Arrange return delivery deliberately
The published instructions say a file-stamped postcard goes to the principal-office address. A different delivery address requires a written request with each document. Check the principal office before submission and include that request if the person managing the transition needs the evidence elsewhere. Source 1.
Consent and acceptance
Written consent is filed on the RAC form itself. The incoming agent signs the statement consenting to serve; an agent that is an entity signs through the representative specified in the instructions.
Entity-type differences
RAC cites the LLC, corporate, nonprofit and other covered Kentucky entity statutes. Use the correct existing record for a foreign LLC or corporation and the authorized signer for that entity type. The company may not appoint itself as its own registered agent.
Complete the Kentucky change filing
Use the entity name exactly as it appears on the Secretary of State record and enter the current agent and registered office.
Enter the replacement agent and Kentucky registered-office street address or other specific location; a PO box is insufficient.
Have the incoming agent sign the consent line. An entity serving as agent must use the appropriate representative and title identified in the instructions.
Have an authorized officer, member, manager, partner or trustee sign the entity's declaration, as applicable to its entity type.
Submit the statement online or deliver the paper filing by mail or in person according to the instructions, then keep the filed record.
Open the official filing instructions or transaction. Read the primary sources below alongside these steps.
Form fields and statement requirements
- Entity identification
Enter the identical legal name on the state record, not a trade name or shorthand. The form's opening language applies the change on behalf of that identified entity, so verify the suffix as well as the distinctive name before any signature is collected. Source 1.
- Current agent and office
Complete the current-on-file agent and office information separately from the new information. A replacement packet should explain the transition through these fields rather than by overwriting the old provider's name everywhere. Keep the existing address recognizable as the before-change address. Source 1.
- Replacement name and written consent
Enter the new agent's name and have the appropriate person sign the adjacent consent. For a corporate agent, an officer or board chair signs. For an LLC agent, a manager signs when manager-managed; a member signs when management is vested in members. State the representative's title or capacity. Source 1.
- Replacement office
Enter the Kentucky street address or sufficiently specific location for the registered office. This is not the principal-office field and is not satisfied by giving only a PO box. Compare it directly with the new agent's address before approving the packet. Source 1.
- Company declaration
The execution block is a declaration under penalty of perjury and requests the authorized signature, printed name and date. The instructions list an officer, board chair, member, manager, partner or trustee as applicable. Use the capacity appropriate to the represented entity, not automatically the agent's consent signer. Source 1.
Submit the change to Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings
- Published online option
The RAC instructions expressly contemplate online filing and say no copies are required for that route. Follow the current Secretary of State transaction and its consent requirements. The public paper instructions establish the option, not every screen label or an assurance of immediate acceptance. Source 1.
- Mail or in-person packet
The published instructions allow mail or in-person filing and request one exact copy with the required state payment. They bear an older officeholder's name, so confirm current delivery details before dispatch rather than addressing a packet to the named former official. Include a separate return-address request when applicable. Source 1.
Before you submit
The registered office must match the agent's address. The linked published form bears an older officeholder name; use the Secretary of State's current delivery instructions when submitting.
Verify the change and finish the transition
- Look for filing evidence, not just dispatch
The form describes a file-stamped postcard and a filing copy available through the organization search tool. Retain the state's evidence and compare the recorded agent and office against the instruction. Keep any alternate-delivery request with the submitted packet so the return destination is documented. Source 1.
- Keep any county-copy task distinct
The instructions explain that a copy for delivery to a local county clerk's office can be printed from the organization's search record. That is a copy-handling instruction, not a basis to describe county delivery as a substitute for filing RAC with the Secretary of State. Source 1.
- Finish the service transition
Practical guidance. Give the incoming agent the accepted record and an internal escalation contact. Reconcile unforwarded notices with the former provider before ending access. Check separate business-address and tax records as their own tasks instead of assuming that an agent-and-office statement updates every address associated with the company.
Avoid these Kentucky filing mistakes
- Collecting only the company's signature
RAC contains an express written-consent requirement for the new agent. The company's perjury declaration does not replace that consent. Circulate the packet to the incoming agent's appropriate signer before submitting it, including a title when the agent is a business entity. Source 1.
- Letting any employee sign an LLC agent's consent
The instructions tie an LLC agent's consent signer to its management structure: manager if manager-managed, member if member-managed. Confirm that structure with the agent rather than assuming that the employee handling onboarding is the proper consent signer. Source 1.
- Sending evidence to the wrong office
A filer who expects evidence at a service-provider address can miss the form's principal-office delivery rule. Include the written alternate-address request with this document if needed; the instructions say that the request must accompany each filing, not merely an earlier unrelated submission. Source 1.
Questions about changing your registered agent in Kentucky
Can Kentucky's registered office be a rural-route location?
The published instructions permit a street address or another specific location, including a highway, rural route or building. A post office box alone is insufficient. The location must be in Kentucky and identical to the registered agent's address. Source 1.
Who consents when the Kentucky registered agent is an LLC?
For an LLC agent managed by managers, a manager signs. If its management is vested in members, a member signs. The signer states the title or capacity. This is the incoming agent's consent, distinct from the represented company's execution of the change. Source 1.
Will Kentucky send filing evidence to the person who signed?
The published RAC instructions specify a file-stamped postcard sent to the principal-office address. To use another address, submit a written request with the document. Do not assume the signer's location or the new registered office controls that return destination. Source 1.
Why does the linked Kentucky form show an older Secretary of State?
The form still published at the official link bears an older officeholder's name. Its procedural text was inspected, but that name should not be copied as current delivery information. Confirm the Secretary of State's current submission destination before sending a physical packet. Source 1.
Which primary sources support this procedure?
Checked . The filing office’s current instructions govern the submission.
Procedural guidance, not legal advice. Confirm the correct filing for your entity and its current record.
Need help with your Kentucky change?
Tell us the entity name, its jurisdiction and what needs to change. State fees are confirmed with you before anything is filed.