Rhode Island Resident Agent Service
Yes. Every incorporated entity registered in Rhode Island must keep an agent and an office address on file. Rhode Island’s LLC statute calls it a resident agent and resident office, while the corporation statute calls the same role a registered agent and registered office. Either way the agent must be a Rhode Island resident or an entity qualified here, at a Rhode Island street address — never a PO box.
Verified against the Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division · Reviewed September 2026
- Appointed the same day
- Real Rhode Island street address
- Every US filing jurisdiction, one login
- Required?
- Yes, always
- Address rule
- Street address in RI, no PO box or mail drop
- Form to switch agents
- Form 642 — Statement of Change of Resident Agent
- Key deadline
- May 1 (annual report window closes)See all deadlines
Your Rhode Island year
Every recurring Rhode Island filing on a single line, with a two-week heads-up before each due date.
- January
- February
- March
- April
- May: Annual report due, May 1
- June
- July
- August
- September
- October
- November
- December
One filing a year: Annual report, due May 1.
- Form
- Limited Liability Company Annual Report (Form 632)
- If late
- A late filing penalty applies from June 1; continued failure leads to revocation
Deadline rules from the Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division · reviewed September 2026. We confirm every date when you file.
What does Rhode Island require of your resident agent?
Rhode Island’s LLC forms say resident agent while the Secretary of State’s maintenance pages say registered agent — we match the form in front of you. Why Rhode Island says resident agent
The rule
Governing statute: R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-16-11 (limited liability companies — resident agent) and §§ 7-1.2-502 and 7-1.2-1409 (corporations — registered agent)
The agent must be a Rhode Island resident or an entity qualified to do business in the state, and the resident or registered office must be a Rhode Island street address, not a PO box. Shipping and postal company addresses do not meet the standard either.
The agent must be available at that Rhode Island address during normal business hours to accept service of process. All other important correspondence from the state is sent to the same address.
If you have no agent
Failure to file an annual report or to maintain a registered agent and office results in revocation proceedings. The courtesy reminder mailed each January goes to the agent — and if that letter comes back undeliverable, revocation proceedings begin for failure to maintain a registered office.
New to the role? What a resident agent 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 Rhode Island the law says resident agent. Which term each state uses.
Operating beyond Rhode Island? Compare agent requirements state by state — the term, the address rule and the recurring filing all change at the state line.
What does Rhode Island ask you to file, and when?
| Obligation | Form | Due | Late penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| LLC formation (Articles of Organization) | Articles of Organization (Form 400) | At formation | N/A |
| Annual report — limited liability company | Limited Liability Company Annual Report (Form 632) | Between February 1 and May 1 each year, starting the calendar year after you register | A late filing penalty applies from June 1; continued failure leads to revocation |
| Annual report — business corporation and LP/LLP | Business Corporation Annual Report (Form 630); LP and LLP use Form 634 | Between February 1 and May 1 each year | A late filing penalty applies from June 1; continued failure leads to revocation |
| Change of resident agent or registered agent | Statement of Change of Resident Agent (Form 642) for LLCs; Statement of Change of Registered Agent (Form 640) for business corporations; Form 643 for LPs | When the agent changes | N/A |
| Change of resident office or registered office address only | Form 642A (LLC), Form 640A (corporation), Form 643A (LP) | When the office address changes | N/A |
State fees change; we confirm current amounts with you before anything is filed.
Missed a filing? What happens to a Rhode Island LLC, and how to put it right — Rhode Island’s own status term, the filing that brings it back and the time limit.
What we file for you in Rhode Island
- 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 Rhode Island 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 resident agent in Rhode Island?
Procedure scope: Domestic and foreign limited liability companies registered in Rhode Island, including L3Cs.
5 steps
to switch your resident agent in Rhode Island.
Step 1: Look up the LLC in the Department's Corporate Database and copy its entity ID, exact name, current resident office and current resident agent.
Agent consent
Step 2: Choose a Rhode Island resident or an entity qualified to do business in Rhode Island; confirm a Rhode Island street address where the agent can receive service during normal business hours, not a PO box or shipping-company address.
The form
Step 3: Complete Form 642 with the old and new information. Select the effective-date option; if requesting a later date, resolve the conflicting date limits in the published form with the Division before submitting.
Rhode Island formForm 642 — Statement of Change of Resident Agent (domestic or foreign LLC)Agent consent
Step 4: Have an authorized person of the LLC sign and date the statement and complete the filer contact information. Mail or deliver the signed form to the Business Services Division using the current form's instructions.
Step 5: Check the Corporate Database, open All Filings and View Filing, and save the filed PDF. The instructions say successful filings do not produce a mailed confirmation.
Change fee · Set by the stateAny state fee for this change is confirmed with you before anything is filed.
We handle the whole swapForm 642 expressly covers domestic and foreign LLCs. Business, professional service and professional service benefit corporations use Form 640 and the term registered agent. Limited partnerships use Form 643; LLPs submit a partnership letter. An office-address-only LLC change uses Form 642A rather than the replacement-agent form.
Switching providers? How to change your resident agent in Rhode Island — the filing route, consent and entity-specific instructions, with official sources.
Can you be your own resident agent in Rhode Island?
Yes, if you are a Rhode Island resident with a Rhode Island street address — the agent must be a resident of the state or an entity qualified to do business here. Your address becomes the public record of the entity and the state’s only mailing channel. The annual report reminder goes out each January to the agent, and Rhode Island treats a returned, undeliverable reminder as grounds to start revocation proceedings for failure to maintain a registered office — so moving without filing the change is enough to put the entity at risk. The full guide: Can you be your own resident agent?
Should you be your own resident agent?
Three honest questions about Rhode Island. 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 resident agent, the street address you list is the one that appears on Rhode Island's public record.
Should you even hire a resident agent?
If you live in Rhode Island, 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 Rhode Island | Be your own agent | LLCity |
|---|---|---|
| Street address in RI, no PO box or mail drop | Your home or office, on public record | Our Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island choose LLCity?
Your Rhode Island resident agent
Same-day appointment, mail scanned on arrival, and compliance reminders before every deadline.
- Real Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island’s deadlines in your calendar
Set your formation date and download reminders for every recurring Rhode Island filing — or have us email them.
Annual report
Next due: May 1, 2027 · repeats yearly · Filable from February 1 through May 1; your first report is due the calendar year after you register, and a late penalty applies from June 1
Dates sourced from the Rhode Island filing office and carrying the month we last checked them. Schedules change — we confirm everything before anything is filed.
Is that letter really from Rhode Island?
Private companies mail official-looking offers to file your recurring report or sell you a certificate. Here is what Rhode Island has said about them, and where to file directly.
Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division2026-02-20
“Sometimes, these mailings are intended to deceive the recipient into thinking they are from the RI Department of State.”
Also published
- RI Department of State Business Services Protections Bill Passed by General Assembly(Rhode Island Department of State)
- Secretary Gorbea Warns RI Businesses of Misleading Mailing Charging Excessive Fees(Rhode Island Secretary of State (Nellie M. Gorbea))
- Following enforcement action, Attorney General Neronha halts deceptive Certificate of Good Standing scheme targeting RI businesses and secures full restitution(Rhode Island Attorney General)
File or order directly from Rhode Island:
How to tell a lookalike from a real state notice, and what to do with one
Questions about resident agent service in Rhode Island
Do I need a resident agent in Rhode Island?
Yes. Every incorporated entity registered with the Rhode Island Department of State must keep both an agent and an office address on file. For an LLC the statute calls it a resident agent under R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-16-11; for a corporation it is a registered agent under § 7-1.2-502. The agent must be a Rhode Island resident or an entity qualified here.
Can I be my own resident agent in Rhode Island?
Yes, if you are a Rhode Island resident with a Rhode Island street address and you are available there during normal business hours. A PO box or a shipping-company address will not do. The address is public, and it is the only channel the state uses — an undeliverable reminder letter can trigger revocation proceedings.
When is the Rhode Island annual report due?
Between February 1 and May 1 each year, for LLCs, business corporations, limited partnerships and LLPs alike. Your first report is due the calendar year after you register the business. A late filing penalty applies from June 1, and continued failure to file — or to maintain an agent and office — leads to revocation proceedings.
How do I change my resident agent in Rhode Island?
Domestic and foreign limited liability companies registered in Rhode Island, including L3Cs. A Rhode Island LLC changes its resident agent with Form 642. The filing identifies the existing resident agent and office, the replacement agent and Rhode Island street address, and the LLC's authorized signer. Form 642 expressly covers domestic and foreign LLCs. Business, professional service and professional service benefit corporations use Form 640 and the term registered agent. Limited partnerships use Form 643; LLPs submit a partnership letter. An office-address-only LLC change uses Form 642A rather than the replacement-agent form.
How much does a Rhode Island resident 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.
Figures verified against the Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division (www.sos.ri.gov/divisions/business-services/ri-business/maintain-a-registered-agent) · Last updated September 2026
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