California Agent for Service of Process
Yes, but California does not call it a registered agent. Every corporation, LLC, LP and LLP must designate an agent for service of process who is either an individual residing in California or a corporation that has filed a section 1505 certificate. Your own company can never be its own agent.
Verified against the California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division · Reviewed September 2026
- Appointed the same day
- Real California street address
- Every US filing jurisdiction, one login
- Required?
- Yes — called an agent for service of process
- Address rule
- Street address in CA for an individual agent
- Form to switch agents
- Statement of Information — CA and Out-of-State LLC
- Key deadline
- Statement of Information by anniversary month endSee all deadlines
Your California year
Every recurring California filing on a single line, with a two-week heads-up before each due date.
- January: Statement of Information — corporations due, Jan 31
- February
- March
- April: LLC annual tax (FTB 3522) due, Apr 15
- May
- June: Estimated LLC fee (FTB 3536) — only above the statutory income threshold due, Jun 15
- July
- August
- September
- October
- November
- December
4 recurring filings: Statement of Information — corporations, due by the last day of your anniversary month; Statement of Information — LLCs, due by the last day of your anniversary month; LLC annual tax (FTB 3522), due April 15; Estimated LLC fee (FTB 3536) — only above the statutory income threshold, due June 15.
- Form
- Statement of Information (filed in bizfile Online)
- If late
- Franchise Tax Board penalty, plus suspension or forfeiture of the entity’s powers
- Form
- Statement of Information (filed in bizfile Online)
- If late
- Franchise Tax Board penalty, plus suspension or forfeiture of the entity’s powers
- Form
- LLC Tax Voucher (FTB 3522)
- If late
- Penalties and interest accrue until it is paid
Deadline rules from the California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division · reviewed September 2026. We confirm every date when you file.
What does California require of your agent for service of process?
On California filings this role is called agent for service of process rather than registered agent. Why California says agent for service of process
The rule
Governing statute: Cal. Corp. Code § 17701.13 (LLC agent), § 1502 (corporate Statement of Information and agent), § 1505 (registered corporate agents), § 17702.09 (LLC Statement of Information)
The agent must be an individual residing in California — the statement then carries that person’s complete business or residence street address — or a corporation that has complied with section 1505, in which case no address is listed at all. A California LLC or corporation cannot name itself.
California sets no statutory office hours, but the agent has to be personally servable at that California street address; the Code of Civil Procedure also allows other methods of direct and substituted service.
If you have no agent
If service on your designated agent fails after reasonably diligent attempts, a court can order substituted service through the Secretary of State in Sacramento, which binds you whether or not the papers reach you. Missing the Statement of Information separately triggers Franchise Tax Board penalties and suspension or forfeiture of the entity’s powers.
New to the role? What an agent for service of process actually does — the role, explained in plain English.
Other states call the same role a registered agent, resident agent, statutory agent or agent for service of process. In California the law says agent for service of process. Which term each state uses.
Operating beyond California? Compare agent requirements state by state — the term, the address rule and the recurring filing all change at the state line.
Licensed, and forming a practice in California? California offers no professional LLC — a licensed practitioner incorporates under its professional corporation law instead, and the agent requirement is the one on this page. What California asks of a licensed practice instead
What does California ask you to file, and when?
| Obligation | Form | Due | Late penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| LLC formation (Articles of Organization) | Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) | At formation | N/A |
| Statement of Information — corporations | Statement of Information (filed in bizfile Online) | Within 90 days of registering, then every year during the filing window: your registration-anniversary month and the five calendar months before it | Franchise Tax Board penalty, plus suspension or forfeiture of the entity’s powers |
| Statement of Information — LLCs | Statement of Information (filed in bizfile Online) | Within 90 days of registering, then every two years during the same six-month filing window | Franchise Tax Board penalty, plus suspension or forfeiture of the entity’s powers |
| LLC annual tax (Franchise Tax Board) | LLC Tax Voucher (FTB 3522) | By the 15th day of the 4th month of your taxable year — April 15 for a calendar-year LLC; the first year’s payment is due by the 15th day of the 4th month after you register | Penalties and interest accrue until it is paid |
| Change of agent for service of process | Statement of Information (there is no standalone change-of-agent form) | Whenever the agent or the agent’s address changes | N/A |
State fees change; we confirm current amounts with you before anything is filed.
Missed a filing? What happens to a California LLC, and how to put it right — California’s own status term, the filing that brings it back and the time limit.
What we file for you in California
- Every filing in the table above, prepared and submitted on time
- Reminders ahead of each deadline, for every entity you hold
- State fees confirmed with you before anything is filed
Priced for your portfolio, not a rate card.
Every California quote is built around your entities, your states and your filings — one entity or hundreds. Most quotes are same-day.
How do you appoint or change your agent for service of process in California?
Procedure scope: Agent for service of process changes for California domestic LLCs and qualified out-of-state LLCs through their Statement of Information.
5 steps
to switch your agent for service of process in California.
Agent consent
Step 1: Choose either an individual residing in California or an active registered 1505 corporate agent. The LLC cannot designate itself.
Agent consent
Step 2: Obtain the corporate agent's advance approval if appointing a registered corporate agent, and arrange acceptance with any individual you intend to name.
Online portal
Step 3: Sign in to bizfile Online and establish User Access for the LLC. The Secretary of State requires that access for Statement of Information filings.
California formStatement of Information — CA and Out-of-State LLCStep 4: Open the LLC's Statement of Information and complete the current information requested, including the replacement agent designation and the individual agent's physical California address when applicable.
Submit
Step 5: Submit the statement, save the filed copy and review the updated entity record. File an updated statement when the information changes rather than waiting for the next regular filing window.
Change fee · Set by the stateAny state fee for this change is confirmed with you before anything is filed.
We handle the whole swapDomestic and qualified out-of-state LLCs use the LLC Statement of Information. Stock and out-of-state corporations use their corporation statement, while nonprofit corporations use the nonprofit statement. Limited partnerships and LLPs have different change documents; the LLC route is not universal.
Switching providers? How to change your agent for service of process in California — the filing route, consent and entity-specific instructions, with official sources.
Can you be your own agent for service of process in California?
You personally can, if you reside in California. Your company cannot — an entity may act as agent only if it is a corporation that has filed a section 1505 certificate. Naming yourself puts your complete business or residence street address into a public, searchable database, and California requires you to file a whole new Statement of Information every time that address changes. If a process server cannot reach you, a court can authorize substituted service through the Secretary of State. The full guide: Can you be your own agent for service of process?
Should you be your own agent for service of process?
Three honest questions about California. If you don’t need us, we’ll say so.
- Address privacyNow
- Reaching you with legal papers
- Other states
Is it fine if your home or office address goes on the public record?
As your own agent for service of process, the street address you list is the one that appears on California's public record.
Should you even hire an agent for service of process?
If you live in California, keep regular hours at a fixed address, and run one entity, you may not need us, and we will tell you so. A service earns its keep when you value privacy, travel, run more than one entity, or operate across state lines.
| What the job involves in California | Be your own agent | LLCity |
|---|---|---|
| Street address in CA for an individual agent | Your home or office, on public record | Our California address, your privacy kept |
| You must be reliably reachable to accept and forward service of process | On you, every business day | Always staffed, scanned the day it arrives |
| Multi-state coverage | One state only | All 50 plus DC and Puerto Rico, one login |
| Deadline tracking | On you | Reminders before every deadline |
| Served in front of clients | Possible | Never, it comes to us |
Why do businesses in California choose LLCity?
Your California agent for service of process
Same-day appointment, mail scanned on arrival, and compliance reminders before every deadline.
- Real California street address (no PO box)
- Every notice scanned the day it arrives
- One dashboard for every state you operate in
One login
Every entity and every state in a single dashboard.
Every deadline tracked
Yours fall when your states say they fall. We watch all of them.
Every entity
Add states and entities without adding vendors.
Managing agents for more than three entities?
One agent, one login, and every state deadline tracked for every entity you own.
Put California’s deadlines in your calendar
Set your formation date and download reminders for every recurring California filing — or have us email them.
Statement of Information — corporations
Next due: January 31, 2027 · Due every year by the last day of your registration-anniversary month; the filing window opens five months earlier
Statement of Information — LLCs
Next due: January 31, 2028 · Due every two years by the last day of your registration-anniversary month; the filing window opens five months earlier
LLC annual tax (FTB 3522)
Next due: April 15, 2027 · repeats yearly · Due the 15th day of the 4th month of your taxable year — April 15 for a calendar-year LLC
Estimated LLC fee (FTB 3536) — only above the statutory income threshold
Next due: June 15, 2027 · repeats yearly · LLCs whose California total income passes the statutory threshold estimate and pay this by the 15th day of the 6th month of the taxable year
California does not ask the same thing of every entity, so each line above says which entity it belongs to. Not sure which is yours? Call 212-202-5750 and we will confirm it before anything is filed.
Dates sourced from the California filing office and carrying the month we last checked them. Schedules change — we confirm everything before anything is filed.
Is that letter really from California?
Private companies mail official-looking offers to file your recurring report or sell you a certificate. Here is what California has said about them, and where to file directly.
California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division
Misleading Statement of Information Solicitations
“No business is required to go through another company in order to file its documents with the California Secretary of State's office.”
Also published
California law on these mailers:
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §17533.6
File or order directly from California:
How to tell a lookalike from a real state notice, and what to do with one
Questions about agent for service of process service in California
Do I need a registered agent in California?
Yes. California calls it an agent for service of process, not a registered agent. Corporations, LLCs, LPs and LLPs must all designate one under Cal. Corp. Code § 17701.13 and § 1502. The agent must be an individual residing in California, whose complete street address is published, or a corporation that has filed a section 1505 certificate with the Secretary of State.
Can I be my own registered agent in California?
You personally can, if you reside in California. Your own LLC or corporation cannot — an entity may act as agent only if it is a corporation that has filed a section 1505 certificate. The catch is publication: your business or residence street address becomes a public record, and every address change means filing a fresh Statement of Information.
What happens if my California LLC has no registered agent?
Service does not simply stop. After reasonably diligent attempts at direct service, a court can order substituted service through the Secretary of State in Sacramento, and that binds you whether or not the papers reach you. Separately, an out-of-date Statement of Information draws Franchise Tax Board penalties and suspension or forfeiture of your entity’s powers.
How do I change my registered agent in California?
Agent for service of process changes for California domestic LLCs and qualified out-of-state LLCs through their Statement of Information. California changes an LLC's agent for service of process through a Statement of Information, not a standalone registered agent change notice. Establish User Access in bizfile Online before attempting the filing. Domestic and qualified out-of-state LLCs use the LLC Statement of Information. Stock and out-of-state corporations use their corporation statement, while nonprofit corporations use the nonprofit statement. Limited partnerships and LLPs have different change documents; the LLC route is not universal.
How much does a California registered agent cost?
Pricing is custom to your portfolio of entities and states, and most quotes are same-day. Call 212-202-5750 or start a filing and we’ll price exactly what you need. State filing fees are set by the state and confirmed with you before anything is filed, so nothing is submitted until you have seen the full cost.
Figures verified against the California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division (www.sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entities/statements) · Last updated September 2026
Appoint LLCity as your California agent for service of process
Appoint LLCity as your California agent for service of process in minutes. Same-day appointment.