How long does it take to change a registered agent in Rhode Island?

The Rhode Island Department of State says in its LLC filing guide that it processes all filings within two business days. Rhode Island law says the change takes effect when the Secretary of State accepts the statement for filing, so until then your current agent stays on the record. If your agent resigns instead, the resignation takes effect 30 days after it is filed unless it names a later time.

What does it cost to change a registered agent in Rhode Island?

Changing your resident agent in Rhode Island costs $20, the fee Rhode Island law sets for a statement of change of resident agent and the fee printed on Form 642. A registered agent service charges its own annual fee on top of that, which varies by provider.

Can I be my own registered agent in Rhode Island?

Yes, if you live in Rhode Island and can be at a Rhode Island street address (not a P.O. box or a shipping or postal company address) during normal business hours to accept legal papers. Your address then appears on the public record. To name yourself, file Form 642 (Statement of Change of Agent) with the Rhode Island Secretary of State and pay the $20 fee.

Will changing my registered agent affect my LLC's good standing?

No. Changing your agent properly does not affect your LLC's standing. Being without one does: Rhode Island may revoke an LLC that goes 30 days without a resident agent or does not file a statement after changing its agent, after at least 60 days' notice in which you can cure by filing the statement. File the change before your current agent stops serving.

Can I file the registered agent change online or must I mail it?

Form 642 says electronic filing may be available, and the Secretary of State's document library links the form to its online filing system, but we could not find a statement that this particular change can be filed online. Check the Secretary of State's online filing system, or file the paper Form 642 with the $20 fee at the address printed on the form.

Change Your Rhode Island Registered Agent in 5 Simple Steps

Keep your LLC compliant by updating your registered agent with the Rhode Island Secretary of State quickly and correctly.

By Edmond Hui · Last updated: October 2026

Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Get registered agent service from NorthwestRegistered agent service is $125/yr. The included first year applies only when you form a new LLC with them ($39 plus your state's filing fee), so it does not apply to an LLC you already have. Registered agent customers are enrolled by default in annual report filing at $100 plus state fees, charged automatically to your saved payment method and cancellable any time.

Not sure which service is right? Compare formation services →

Step diagram for changing an LLC's registered agent in Rhode Island, showing the 5 filing steps required by the Rhode Island Secretary of State. — The 5 steps to change your registered agent in Rhode Island. Source: Rhode Island Secretary of State.

How to File

1
Choose Your New Registered Agent
Choose an individual who lives in Rhode Island, or a corporation, limited partnership or LLC that is a Rhode Island entity or authorized to do business there. The Secretary of State requires a Rhode Island street address where the agent is available during normal business hours; P.O. boxes and shipping or postal company addresses are not allowed.
2
Complete Form 642
File Form 642 (Statement of Change of Agent) with the Rhode Island Secretary of State, with your LLC's name and the new agent's name and Rhode Island address.
3
Sign and confirm the new agent agrees
An authorized person of the LLC signs Form 642. The form has no signature line for the new agent, so confirm separately that the agent has agreed to serve.
4
Pay the Filing Fee
Include the $20 filing fee printed on Form 642.
5
Submit Your Filing
Send the form to the Rhode Island Secretary of State at the address printed on it, or check the Secretary of State's online filing system. The change takes effect when the Secretary of State accepts it for filing.

Need the Rhode Island Secretary of State?

Go directly to the Rhode Island Secretary of State website.

File with the Rhode Island Secretary of State →

When Should You Change Your Registered Agent?

Your current registered agent is moving out of state or closing their business
You're switching from yourself as registered agent to a professional service
Your registered agent is no longer responsive or reliable with important documents
You no longer want your home address listed as the registered agent address, or want added business services

Hiring a service is optional. You can name yourself or another individual with a street address in Rhode Island, and the FAQ below gives Rhode Island's own rule.

Registered agent services for Rhode Island LLCs, by renewal price

Affiliate disclosure: Northwest Registered Agent, Bizee, ZenBusiness and LegalZoom pay us a commission if you sign up through our link, at no extra cost to you. We list only the registered agent services we have an affiliate relationship with, so this is not a survey of the whole market.

This table is not scored. The four are listed cheapest annual renewal first, and the rows below it say which one fits which situation. The scored ranking, and the formula behind it, is on the formation services review, which orders them on three-year cost, BBB rating and Trustpilot score.

Service	With formation, year 1	Annual renewal	BBB	Trustpilot	Privacy
Northwest Registered Agent	Included with $39 formation	$125/yr	A	4.1/5 (297)	Says it does not sell your information; runs its own servers
Bizee	Free year one (some visitors are being shown shorter free periods, so confirm at checkout)	$149/yr	C (unaccredited)	4.8/5 (26,100+)	No data-sharing commitment
ZenBusiness	$99, not included in any plan	$199/yr	A	4.8/5 (32,500+)	Partial
LegalZoom	Not included, $249 extra	$249/yr	A+	4.6/5 (32,900+)	Partial

Note: Bizee holds a C rating from the BBB and is not accredited. BBB's profile carries a live alert describing a pattern of complaints about unexpected charges, difficulty canceling and filing delays, and Bizee has posted a response to it. We flag this so you can make an informed choice.

Prices are each provider's standard published rates; year-one pricing applies when you form your LLC through the same service. BBB and Trustpilot figures as recorded September 15, 2026, not re-checked since, and both sources update continuously. These are the dates the figures were last written to our dataset, which is the most we can show: they are not verification dates. See how we evaluate these companies in our full formation services review →

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 missing a deadline can cost the company its good standing or, in many states, its existence.

Read this guide for another state:

Frequently Asked Questions

: The Rhode Island Department of State says in its LLC filing guide that it processes all filings within two business days. Rhode Island law says the change takes effect when the Secretary of State accepts the statement for filing, so until then your current agent stays on the record. If your agent resigns instead, the resignation takes effect 30 days after it is filed unless it names a later time.
: Changing your resident agent in Rhode Island costs $20, the fee Rhode Island law sets for a statement of change of resident agent and the fee printed on Form 642. A registered agent service charges its own annual fee on top of that, which varies by provider.
: Yes, if you live in Rhode Island and can be at a Rhode Island street address (not a P.O. box or a shipping or postal company address) during normal business hours to accept legal papers. Your address then appears on the public record. To name yourself, file Form 642 (Statement of Change of Agent) with the Rhode Island Secretary of State and pay the $20 fee.
: No. Changing your agent properly does not affect your LLC's standing. Being without one does: Rhode Island may revoke an LLC that goes 30 days without a resident agent or does not file a statement after changing its agent, after at least 60 days' notice in which you can cure by filing the statement. File the change before your current agent stops serving.
: Form 642 says electronic filing may be available, and the Secretary of State's document library links the form to its online filing system, but we could not find a statement that this particular change can be filed online. Check the Secretary of State's online filing system, or file the paper Form 642 with the $20 fee at the address printed on the form.

Sources

11 documents

Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Rhode Island 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.

webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE7/7-16/7-16-11.htmR.I. Gen. Laws 7-16-11, resident agent; change and resignation
webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE7/7-16/7-16-41.htmR.I. Gen. Laws 7-16-41, revocation of certificate of organization
webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE7/7-16/7-16-65.htmR.I. Gen. Laws 7-16-65, filing fees ($20 change of resident agent)
sos.ri.gov/divisions/business-services/ri-business/maintain-a-registered-agentRhode Island Department of State, Maintain a Registered Agent
docs.sos.ri.gov/documents/BusinessServices/642-change-of-registered-agent-limited-liability-company.pdfRhode Island Department of State, Form 642, Statement of Change of Agent (LLC)
docs.sos.ri.gov/documents/BusinessServices/LLCArticlesOfOrganizationFilingGuide.pdfRhode Island Department of State, LLC Articles of Organization filing guide (filings processed within two business days)
sos.ri.gov/divisions/business-servicesRhode Island Secretary of State: business entity filings
webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE7/7-16/7-16-66.HTMRhode Island statute: Annual Report
sos.ri.gov/divisions/business-services/ri-business/file-your-annual-reportRhode Island Secretary of State: file the Annual Report
webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE7/7-16/7-16-67.HTMRhode Island statute: Annual charge
tax.ri.gov/tax-sections/corporate-tax/tax-filing-requirementsRhode Island Division of Taxation: file the Annual charge

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Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC

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.

How we check facts

How to File

Choose Your New Registered Agent

Complete Form 642

Sign and confirm the new agent agrees

Pay the Filing Fee

Submit Your Filing