How to change your resident agent in Michigan
Use the MiBusiness Registry Portal and the current certificate of change to replace the resident agent. MiBusiness replaced COFS in June 2025; old COFS filing links are not the current route.
Checked against primary sources ·
Michigan- Jurisdiction terminology
- resident agent
- Change filing
- Certificate of Change of Registered Office and/or Change of Resident Agent, CSCL/CD 520, revision July 2025
- Filing office
- Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations Division
Choose the right Michigan filing
Michigan calls the appointee a resident agent and uses CSCL/CD 520 for changes of that agent, the registered office or both. The current July 2025 certificate is valuable because it requires a complete before-and-after picture, distinguishes street and mailing addresses, and specifies different domestic and foreign LLC signers. Use the MiBusiness Registry Portal rather than COFS: the state's migration notice identifies retired filing, search, rejection and CID/PIN-recovery sites.
- Procedure scope
- Change of resident agent or registered office for a Michigan domestic LLC using the shared corporation-and-LLC certificate.
Which route fits your resident agent change?
- Replace a domestic LLC's resident agent
Use CSCL/CD 520 or the corresponding current online filing. The certificate covers domestic and foreign LLCs and corporations, but the domestic LLC execution instruction is specific: a manager for manager-managed companies, a member where management remains in members, or an authorized agent of the company. Source 1.
- Change only the registered office
The same certificate can change only the office. In that limited case, the resident agent may sign. Do not extend that exception to an entity appointing a different resident agent: the certificate ties the agent's execution option to an office-only change. Source 1.
- Foreign LLC or corporation: apply its own authority
A foreign LLC's signer must have authority under the law of its jurisdiction of organization. Corporate signers follow separate officer, agent or pre-board incorporator instructions. Use the existing Michigan registration and the entity-appropriate authority rather than copying a domestic LLC member signature onto every record. Source 1.
Prepare for the change in Michigan
- Collect current record details
Retrieve the exact company name, Bureau identification number, current resident agent, current registered-office street address and current mailing address. Item 3 must match the articles or a subsequent filed change. Use current state evidence rather than assuming the formation document still shows the latest appointment. Source 1.
- Obtain the replacement's complete addresses
Prepare the new registered-office street address and any different mailing address. A PO box may be used as a mailing entry but not as the registered office. The certificate states that the resident-agent and registered-office addresses, as changed, are identical. Source 1.
- Check eligibility and authorization
LARA's LLC guidance lists a Michigan resident, Michigan corporation or LLC, or Michigan-authorized foreign corporation or LLC as agent. Separately, item 5 of the certificate describes LLC authorization through an operating agreement, the relevant member vote or managers. Confirm both the appointee and the company's authority before execution. Source 4.
- Choose the return recipient and effective date
The certificate's front-page return box controls where the document is returned; if blank, it goes to the registered office. It also permits a subsequent effective date within 90 days after receipt. Decide these deliberately so evidence is not sent to an outgoing address or a delayed date entered unintentionally. Source 1.
Consent and acceptance
Arrange the incoming agent's agreement before filing. The verified certificate calls for an authorized signature; this checklist does not assert a separate filed consent requirement that the available primary instructions do not establish.
Entity-type differences
CSCL/CD 520 covers domestic and foreign corporations and LLCs. Use the existing Michigan entity record and the authorized signer appropriate to that entity. A resident agent changing only its office address is not the same transaction as the entity appointing a replacement.
Complete the Michigan change filing
Retrieve the entity's exact name, identification number and current resident-agent and registered-office information.
Arrange the replacement resident agent and ensure the agent's Michigan business-office or residence address matches the registered office.
Start the applicable change filing through the MiBusiness Registry Portal, using CSCL/CD 520 as the current certificate reference.
Enter the replacement information, have the appropriate authorized representative sign, and submit the certificate following the current portal or form instructions.
Keep the filed certificate and verify the updated resident-agent and registered-office record.
Open the official filing instructions or transaction. Read the primary sources below alongside these steps.
Form fields and statement requirements
- Items 1 and 2: entity identity
Enter the corporation or LLC name and Bureau identification number. The instructions say an unknown identification number may be left blank, but retrieving it first is useful when distinguishing affiliates. Do not substitute a tax number for the state identifier. Source 1.
- Item 3: information already on file
State the current resident-agent name, registered-office location and mailing address. The instructions require these to match the articles or subsequent filed change. This section is the before-change record, so do not replace it with the incoming provider's information. Source 1.
- Item 4: complete intended public record
The form expressly says to enter the information as it should now appear on the public record. Supply the resident agent, registered-office street address and mailing address if different. Read the whole resulting appointment rather than entering only an isolated changed word or address fragment. Source 1.
- Items 5 and 6: authority and identical addresses
Item 5 states the entity-specific authorization basis; item 6 states the registered-office and resident-agent addresses are identical. Check those statements against the actual LLC arrangement and addresses before signing. A completed address block does not make an inconsistent authorization statement accurate. Source 1.
- Signature, preparer and return details
Supply the signature, printed name, title or capacity and date, and complete the preparer's contact information. For a physical filing, the instructions request one original and legibility suitable for electronic records. Poor black-and-white contrast or otherwise illegible documents are identified as grounds for rejection. Source 1.
Submit the change to Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations Division
- Current MiBusiness online route
The certificate directs online filing to the state's corpfileonline address. The migration notice says MiBusiness launched June 23, 2025, and lists COFS submission, rejected-filings search and CID/PIN recovery among permanently retired sites. Use current state links rather than a saved COFS bookmark or an old recovery walkthrough. Source 2.
- Mail or in-person certificate
The current certificate supplies a Lansing mailing destination and a separate in-person address. Submit one original with the required state payment under the current instructions. Complete the front return box when evidence should go somewhere other than the registered office; do not confuse the mailing destination with the physical delivery address. Source 1.
When the change takes effect
CSCL/CD 520 says the certificate is effective on filing unless a subsequent effective date within 90 days after receipt is stated in the document.
Before you submit
Use MiBusiness rather than retired COFS links. The resident-agent address and registered office must match; a change in one field should not leave the other stale.
Verify the change and finish the transition
- Check the actual effective date
The certificate is effective when filed unless it specifies a permitted subsequent effective date within 90 days after receipt. Preserve the endorsed document and check any delayed date before treating the transition as complete. Do not assume the submission date or contract start date is the filed effective date. Source 1.
- Retrieve the endorsed filing
The instructions say documents endorsed filed are available through the current corpentitysearch address. Keep the endorsed certificate and compare the agent, office and mailing address with the intended item 4 result. Use the new search route rather than the retired COFS search URL. Source 1.
- Close the operational handoff
Practical guidance. Give the incoming resident agent the accepted record and confirm its escalation contact for the LLC. Reconcile pending notices with the outgoing provider and retain access until they are accounted for. Review tax, principal-office and other-state records independently; this certificate addresses the resident-agent and registered-office transaction.
Avoid these Michigan filing mistakes
- Following retired COFS instructions
The state permanently retired multiple COFS services, not only the login page. Replacing the submission bookmark while still relying on old rejection-search or CID/PIN-recovery directions can leave the workflow incomplete. Start from the migration notice's current links for the task you actually need. Source 2.
- Putting a PO box in the street-office field
The form permits a street address or PO box for a separate mailing address but prohibits a PO box as the registered office. Keep those roles separate in both current and new information. The identical-address statement still needs to be true for the agent and registered office. Source 1.
- Using the agent's office-only signing exception for replacement
The resident agent may sign when only the registered office changes. An appointment of a different agent requires the entity-appropriate execution described in the instructions. Check the actual change before asking the incoming provider to sign as though that narrow exception applied. Source 1.
Questions about changing your resident agent in Michigan
Who signs a Michigan domestic LLC's resident-agent replacement?
The current certificate lists a manager if the LLC is manager-managed, a member if management remains in members, or an authorized agent of the company. A foreign LLC uses a person with authority under its organizing jurisdiction's law. The office-only resident-agent signing exception is narrower. Source 1.
Can the Michigan change have a later effective date?
The certificate says it is effective on filing unless a subsequent effective date within 90 days after receipt is stated in the document. Check the endorsed document and chosen date before completing the outgoing-provider transition. The form does not make a private service contract's start date controlling. Source 1.
What happens if the return-address box is blank?
The current certificate says the document is returned to the registered office unless another name and address is entered in the front-page box. Fill that box deliberately when the transition manager needs the returned document somewhere else, especially if the registered office is changing. Source 1.
Does Michigan require a separate incoming-agent consent attachment on 520?
The inspected certificate provides authorized execution and address-and-authorization statements, not a separate incoming-agent consent signature line. Arrange the replacement agent's agreement before filing, but do not describe an additional consent attachment as mandatory without current instructions establishing it. Source 1.
Which primary sources support this procedure?
Checked . The filing office’s current instructions govern the submission.
- LARA: CSCL/CD 520 certificate of change, revision July 2025
- LARA: MiBusiness Registry Portal system updates
- LARA: Resident agent and registered office
- LARA: LLC resident-agent eligibility
Procedural guidance, not legal advice. Confirm the correct filing for your entity and its current record.
Need help with your Michigan change?
Tell us the entity name, its jurisdiction and what needs to change. State fees are confirmed with you before anything is filed.