How to change your registered agent in Washington DC
A DC LLC or other domestic or foreign filing entity replaces its registered agent with RA-3. The combined packet contains several different agent filings; select the represented-entity statement, not an agent's own listing or address change.
Checked against primary sources ·
Washington DC- Jurisdiction terminology
- registered agent
- Filing office
- District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, Corporations Division
Choose the right Washington DC filing
The District's combined registered-agent packet contains seven different transactions. A DC LLC replacing its agent ordinarily needs only RA-3, the represented filing entity's statement of change. RA-4 and RA-5 maintain an existing agent's own information; RA-7 concerns nonqualified foreign or nonfiling domestic entities. Those distinctions matter more than the shared packet cover: choosing the wrong page can address the provider's listing or an entirely different entity category instead of changing the LLC's appointment.
- Procedure scope
- District of Columbia domestic filing entities, including domestic LLCs, and qualified foreign filing entities, including registered foreign LLCs.
- Form or online transaction
- RA-3 — Statement of Change of Registered Agent (domestic or foreign filing entity)
Which route fits your registered agent change?
- RA-3 for a domestic or qualified foreign filing entity
Use RA-3 for a domestic LLC or a registered foreign LLC replacing its agent. The page identifies the current agent and DC address, the new agent and DC address, and the represented entity's governor or authorized person. It is the entity's statement, not an application for the provider to become a commercial registered agent. Source 1.
- RA-4 or RA-5 for the agent's own information
RA-4 is a noncommercial agent's own name or address change. RA-5 changes a commercial agent's listing information and can affect all represented entities; an organizational commercial agent may need its underlying entity amendment first. Do not select these simply because you are replacing one provider's address with another provider's address. Source 1.
- RA-7 is not foreign qualification
RA-7 appoints or cancels an agent for a nonqualified foreign entity or nonfiling domestic entity. The packet expressly says that appointment does not qualify a foreign entity to do business in DC and does not reserve its name. A foreign LLC already qualified in DC belongs in the filing-entity RA-3 route for this replacement. Source 1.
- Commercial listing and resignation are separate
RA-1 lists a commercial agent, RA-2 terminates that listing, and RA-6 is an agent's resignation from an entity. None is the represented LLC's RA-3 naming its chosen replacement. Do not ask the outgoing agent to terminate its entire commercial listing as a way to end one service relationship. Source 1.
Prepare for the change in Washington DC
- Confirm the represented entity's category
Identify the exact DC filing name and whether the company is a domestic or qualified foreign filing entity. RA-3 is labeled for those categories. A nonqualified foreign business is not simply a foreign filing entity awaiting an agent change; its qualification question is separate. Source 1.
- Retrieve the current appointment
Collect the current registered-agent name and current DC agent address as recorded. RA-3 asks for both current and replacement information. Keep those pairs separate so a preparer does not put the incoming address into both columns or use the company's operating office as the outgoing agent address. Source 1.
- Arrange consent and a physical DC office
Obtain the replacement's agreement before filing and confirm the physical street address lies inside the District. RA-3 states that the appointment affirms consent under section 29-102.09. A nearby Maryland or Virginia office is not a DC address merely because it serves the Washington metropolitan area. Source 1.
- Arrange the entity's authorized signature
RA-3 requires the name and signature of a governor or authorized person. Confirm who will act for the entity and review the affirmation before execution. The page does not provide a separate incoming-agent signature line, so do not borrow a signature requirement from another packet form. Source 1.
Consent and acceptance
RA-3 states that appointing the new agent is the represented entity's affirmation under section 29-102.09 that the agent has consented to serve. The RA-3 signature is the governor's or authorized person's; do not confuse it with a separate agent-signature requirement from a different packet form.
Entity-type differences
RA-3 is for domestic or foreign filing entities, including LLCs and corporations registered in DC. RA-4 is a noncommercial agent's own name/address change and RA-5 is a commercial agent's own listing change. RA-7 is for appointing or canceling an agent for a nonqualified foreign entity or nonfiling domestic entity; that appointment does not qualify a foreign entity to do business in DC.
Complete the Washington DC change filing
Identify the represented entity's exact DC filing name, current registered-agent name and current DC agent address.
Obtain the replacement agent's agreement and confirm its physical street address is within the District of Columbia.
Complete only the RA-3 statement in the combined packet with the entity name, current agent and address, and new agent and DC address.
Have a governor or authorized person of the represented entity provide their name and sign the RA-3 affirmation.
Submit RA-3 to the Corporations Division using the packet's filing instructions and retain the filed statement and updated entity record.
Open the official filing instructions or transaction. Read the primary sources below alongside these steps.
Form fields and statement requirements
- Item 1: Domestic or Foreign Filing Entity Name
Enter the existing DC filing entity's name. This identifies the LLC whose appointment changes, not the replacement agent's business. Reconcile it with the DC record before the authorized person signs, particularly for portfolios containing similarly named entities. Source 1.
- Items 2 and 2A: current agent and address
State the current registered-agent name and its DC address. These are identification of the existing appointment, not a place to describe why you are leaving the provider or to add private contract correspondence. Keep the filing focused on the information requested. Source 1.
- Items 3 and 3A: replacement and DC office
Give the new agent's name and physical street address in the District. Confirm the appointment name directly with the incoming agent. The RA-3 page does not ask the represented LLC to complete RA-1's commercial-listing information as part of this entity replacement. Source 1.
- Items 4 and 4A: name and signature
The governor or authorized person names and signs for the represented entity under the form's false-statement warning. Obtain the agent's agreement before that affirmation. Do not treat an unsigned typed agent name as consent, but do not invent a separate filed acceptance page where RA-3 relies on the entity's affirmation. Source 1.
Submit the change to District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, Corporations Division
- Mail the RA-3 statement
The packet directs forms and required payment to the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, Corporations Division, PO Box 92300, Washington, DC 20090. Submit the completed RA-3 for this transaction, not a set of unrelated completed RA-1 through RA-7 statements. Follow the current packet's payment directions without adding unnecessary commercial-listing or cancellation requests. Source 1.
- Check CorpOnline availability through Access DC
The packet points to CorpOnline and says to sign in with Access DC for online filings. It says many corporate filings are online, not that this review inspected every RA transaction in an account. Use the current agent-change transaction if offered; no exact authenticated menu, upload or acceptance flow is asserted here. Source 1.
When the change takes effect
The RA-3 instructions state that the statement of change is effective on delivery for filing.
Before you submit
RA-1 registers a commercial agent and RA-2 terminates that listing; neither replaces the registered agent for an individual LLC. Use RA-3 and the filing-entity subtype appropriate to the represented entity.
Verify the change and finish the transition
- Keep delivery and filed evidence
RA-3 says a statement of change is effective on delivery for filing. Retain the delivery or submission record and obtain the resulting filed statement or acknowledgment. Do not reduce that wording to the day an envelope was posted or treat a private service start date as the legal filing event. Source 1.
- Confirm the right entity changed
Practical guidance. Compare the resulting DC record with the signed RA-3: entity name, replacement name and physical DC address. If the filing history instead reflects a commercial-agent listing change, investigate whether the wrong packet page or online transaction was selected.
- Close the service handoff separately
Practical guidance. Confirm the incoming agent's forwarding contact and reconcile pending notices with the outgoing provider. Do not assume changing the DC appointment updates licenses, operating addresses, tax accounts or other-state agents. Review those as separate records rather than adding unsupported effects to RA-3.
Avoid these Washington DC filing mistakes
- Selecting RA-4 or RA-5 for a new provider
Those statements update an agent's own details. RA-3 is the represented filing entity's change, with old and new agent information. Match the transaction and filer, not merely the words change of agent in the packet. Source 1.
- Using RA-7 as a foreign registration shortcut
The packet expressly says RA-7 does not qualify a foreign entity to do business. Keep qualification and the registered foreign LLC's RA-3 replacement separate; the existence of an agent appointment alone does not answer the qualification question. Source 1.
- Substituting a metropolitan-area address
RA-3 requires a physical street address within DC. Verify jurisdiction, not just a Washington-area postal description, before signing. A Maryland or Virginia office does not satisfy the District-location instruction. Source 1.
Questions about changing your registered agent in Washington DC
Does the new agent sign RA-3?
RA-3 relies on the represented entity's affirmation that the agent consented and is signed by its governor or authorized person. Its page does not add a separate incoming-agent signature line. Obtain agreement before the entity signs. Source 1.
Does hiring a commercial agent mean I file RA-1?
No. RA-1 lists a person as a commercial registered agent. The represented LLC uses RA-3 to change its own appointment; it does not register the provider's commercial business as part of replacing its agent. Source 1.
Can RA-7 qualify my foreign LLC in DC?
No. RA-7 expressly says appointing an agent does not qualify a nonqualified foreign entity to do business. A foreign LLC already registered in DC uses the filing-entity RA-3 route for a replacement. Source 1.
Is RA-6 needed whenever I replace a provider?
RA-6 is the agent's resignation statement. RA-3 is the entity's statement naming the new agent. Do not confuse ending a private service relationship or an outgoing resignation with filing the entity's chosen replacement. 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 Washington DC change?
Tell us the entity name, its jurisdiction and what needs to change. State fees are confirmed with you before anything is filed.