The 6 steps to change your registered agent in New Jersey. Source: New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services.
How to File
1
Choose Your New Registered Agent
Select an individual who is a New Jersey resident or a business entity authorized to do business in New Jersey. The agent must have a physical address in New Jersey (no P.O. boxes).
2
Obtain Written Consent
Get written consent from your new registered agent confirming they agree to serve in this role for your LLC.
3
Complete the Change Form
Fill out the Statement of Change of Registered Agent form. You can obtain this form from the New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services.
4
Submit the Filing
File the completed form with the New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services at https://www.njportal.com/DOR/BusinessFormation along with the required filing fee.
5
Pay the Filing Fee
Submit the $25 filing fee for changing your registered agent. Payment can be made online, by check, or money order.
6
Update Your Records
Once approved, update your internal LLC records and notify your old registered agent that their services are no longer needed.
Ready to file your annual report?
Go directly to the New Jersey Secretary of State portal.
Your current registered agent is moving out of New Jersey or closing their business
You want to switch from being your own registered agent to a professional service for privacy
Your registered agent has been unresponsive or failed to forward important documents
You're relocating your business and need a registered agent in a different New Jersey location
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each state publishes about filing deadlines, fees, and the consequences of missing them, with the sources this page cites. It cannot tell you what your own company owes: the date turns on when and where you formed, states change these rules between our reviews, and in several states an entity-level tax falls due in a year when no report does. Confirm your own dates with the filing office named on this page before you rely on one here, because the penalty for missing a deadline can be administrative dissolution of the company.
Frequently Asked Questions
Processing your registered agent change in New Jersey typically takes 5 to 10 business days for online filings submitted through the New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services (formerly the Division of Revenue). Paper filings take 10 to 15 business days. You'll file Form B-5 (Application for Amendment) with a $50 filing fee. The Division processes amendments in the order received, though delays can occur during peak filing periods. This timeline means your new agent won't officially represent your LLC until the Division confirms the amendment. Your old agent technically remains liable until then. During the waiting period, notify your new registered agent of the expected approval date so they can prepare to receive official documents. Check your amendment status by calling the Division at 609-292-9292 or visiting nj.gov/nj/njsbiz to confirm the effective date before your changeover.
The New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services charges a flat $25 filing fee to change your registered agent. You'll submit Form B-4 (Certificate of Amendment) along with this fee, and no additional state charges apply. This modest cost covers processing your amendment request at the state level. However, budget additional expenses if you're hiring a registered agent service, third-party providers typically charge $100 to $300 annually for their services, though this is separate from the state fee. The practical benefit is that updating your registered agent takes only one transaction with predictable costs. To proceed, complete Form B-4 with your LLC's current information and the new registered agent details, then mail it with your $25 check to the NJDRE at P.O. Box 308, Trenton, NJ 08625. Processing typically takes 5 to 7 business days.
Yes, you can serve as your own registered agent in New Jersey if you're a state resident or maintain a physical business address within New Jersey. However, this responsibility requires you to be personally available during all business hours to receive legal documents, including lawsuits and government notices, at your registered office address.
The practical implication is significant: any missed service of process could result in a default judgment against your LLC without your knowledge. You'll need to file Form LLC-2 (Certificate of Amendment) with the New Jersey Division of Business Services and pay a $125 filing fee to make this change.
Consider that registered agents must respond within strict timeframes, typically 24 to 72 hours depending on document type. If you travel frequently or operate your business remotely, missing critical legal documents could jeopardize your company's liability protection.
To proceed, download Form LLC-2 from the NJ Division of Business Services website, complete it with your personal information as the new registered agent, and submit it along with the filing fee.
No, changing your registered agent won't affect your LLC's good standing in New Jersey as long as you file the required documentation with the New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services. You must submit Form NJ-12A (Certificate of Amendment) with the $125 filing fee before your current agent's service ends. The critical requirement is maintaining uninterrupted registered agent coverage, any gap in service could jeopardize your good standing status and expose you to legal liability. File the amendment at least 10 business days before your transition date to ensure processing completion. This means you can smoothly replace your agent without risking compliance issues, tax penalty exposure, or loss of liability protection. Contact the Division at (609) 292-9292 to confirm receipt of your amendment, then notify your new registered agent of the effective date.
You can file your registered agent change through either method in New Jersey, but online filing offers significant advantages. The New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services accepts Form NJSA 14A:2-1 submissions via the NJ Business Portal at nj. Mailing the same form to the Division's Trenton office typically takes 7 to 10 business days, plus postal delays. Filing online costs $125 and provides immediate confirmation, while paper filings incur the same fee but lack instant verification. For LLC owners, online filing eliminates uncertainty about whether your documents arrived and prevents gaps in registered agent coverage that could jeopardize your liability protection. To proceed immediately, create your NJ Business Portal account, upload Form NJSA 14A:2-1 with your new agent's written consent, and submit payment before your current agent's resignation takes effect. The New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services publishes no standard processing time for this filing.
Sources
Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified New Jersey sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so.
nj.gov/treasury/revenue/New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services: business entity filings
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Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.
