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

The SCC does not publish a standard processing time for a statement of change of registered agent. Until it is filed, your current agent stays on the record. If your agent resigns instead, the resignation takes effect at the earlier of 12:01 a.m. on the 31st day after it is filed or the day you file a statement of change naming a new agent, and Virginia law requires you to file a statement of change promptly when your agent dies, resigns or stops qualifying.

What does it cost to change a registered agent in Virginia?

Changing your registered agent in Virginia is free. The SCC lists no fee for a Statement of Change of Registered Office and/or Registered Agent (form LLC1016), and Virginia's LLC fee statute does not list one. A registered agent service charges its own annual fee, which varies by provider.

Can I be my own registered agent in Virginia?

Possibly. Virginia limits who can be an individual registered agent. You qualify if you are a Virginia resident and a member or manager of your LLC (or of an entity that is its member or manager), an officer of the LLC, or a member of the Virginia State Bar, and your business office is the registered office. Your address then appears on the public record. To name yourself, file a Statement of Change of Registered Office and/or Registered Agent (form LLC1016) with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC); there is no fee.

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

No. Changing your agent properly does not affect your LLC's standing. The risk comes when an agent resigns and you do nothing: if you do not file a statement of change within 31 days after the resignation is filed, the SCC mails a notice, and your LLC's existence is automatically canceled if you have not filed by the last day of the second month after that notice. Filing the change before your current agent leaves avoids that.

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

You can file online. The SCC's forms page lists the Statement of Change of Registered Office and/or Registered Agent (LLC1016) as a no-fee filing that you can file online through the Clerk's Information System, or you can request a paper form from the SCC.

How to Change Your Registered Agent in Virginia

Complete guide to updating your LLC's registered agent with the Virginia State Corporation Commission, including required forms and filing procedures.

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.

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Step diagram for changing an LLC's registered agent in Virginia, showing the 6 filing steps required by the Virginia State Corporation Commission. — The 6 steps to change your registered agent in Virginia. Source: Virginia State Corporation Commission.

How to File

1
Obtain form LLC1016
Use the SCC's Statement of Change of Registered Office and/or Registered Agent (form LLC1016). You can file it online through the Clerk's Information System at scc.virginia.gov or request a paper form.
2
Complete the statement
Give your LLC's name and SCC entity ID number and the new agent's name and registered office address in Virginia. The new agent must be an individual Virginia resident who is a member or manager of the LLC (or of an entity that is its member or manager), an officer of the LLC, or a member of the Virginia State Bar, whose business office is the registered office; or a corporation, LLC or registered LLP authorized to do business in Virginia whose business office is the registered office.
3
Confirm your new agent agrees
Make sure your new registered agent has agreed to serve before you file, and that its business office is the registered office you list.
4
No filing fee
The SCC charges no fee for a statement of change of registered agent.
5
Submit the Form to the Virginia SCC
File online through the SCC's Clerk's Information System, or file the paper form with the SCC Clerk's Office at the address printed on it.
6
Update Your LLC Operating Agreement and Records
Once approved, update your internal LLC documents and notify relevant parties like banks, vendors, and business partners of the registered agent change to ensure important documents reach the correct address.

Need the Virginia State Corporation Commission?

Go directly to the Virginia State Corporation Commission website.

File with the Virginia State Corporation Commission →

When Should You Change Your Registered Agent?

Your current registered agent is no longer available or has moved out of Virginia
You want to switch from being your own registered agent to a professional service
Your business address has changed and you need a more convenient registered office location
You're unsatisfied with your current registered agent's service or responsiveness

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

Registered agent services for Virginia 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 SCC does not publish a standard processing time for a statement of change of registered agent. Until it is filed, your current agent stays on the record. If your agent resigns instead, the resignation takes effect at the earlier of 12:01 a.m. on the 31st day after it is filed or the day you file a statement of change naming a new agent, and Virginia law requires you to file a statement of change promptly when your agent dies, resigns or stops qualifying.
: Changing your registered agent in Virginia is free. The SCC lists no fee for a Statement of Change of Registered Office and/or Registered Agent (form LLC1016), and Virginia's LLC fee statute does not list one. A registered agent service charges its own annual fee, which varies by provider.
: Possibly. Virginia limits who can be an individual registered agent. You qualify if you are a Virginia resident and a member or manager of your LLC (or of an entity that is its member or manager), an officer of the LLC, or a member of the Virginia State Bar, and your business office is the registered office. Your address then appears on the public record. To name yourself, file a Statement of Change of Registered Office and/or Registered Agent (form LLC1016) with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC); there is no fee.
: No. Changing your agent properly does not affect your LLC's standing. The risk comes when an agent resigns and you do nothing: if you do not file a statement of change within 31 days after the resignation is filed, the SCC mails a notice, and your LLC's existence is automatically canceled if you have not filed by the last day of the second month after that notice. Filing the change before your current agent leaves avoids that.
: You can file online. The SCC's forms page lists the Statement of Change of Registered Office and/or Registered Agent (LLC1016) as a no-fee filing that you can file online through the Clerk's Information System, or you can request a paper form from the SCC.

Sources

9 documents

Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Virginia 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.

law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title13.1/chapter12/section13.1-1015/Va. Code 13.1-1015, registered office and registered agent
law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title13.1/chapter12/section13.1-1016/Va. Code 13.1-1016, change of registered office or registered agent
law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title13.1/chapter12/section13.1-1017/Va. Code 13.1-1017, resignation of registered agent
law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title13.1/chapter12/section13.1-1018/Va. Code 13.1-1018, service on the LLC (clerk of the Commission as agent)
law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title13.1/chapter12/section13.1-1050.2/Va. Code 13.1-1050.2, automatic cancellation of LLC existence
scc.virginia.gov/businesses/forms-and-fees/virginia-limited-liability-companies/Virginia SCC, Virginia limited liability company forms and fees (LLC1016, no fee)
scc.virginia.gov/businesses/Virginia State Corporation Commission: business entity filings
law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title13.1/chapter12/section13.1-1062/Virginia statute: Annual Registration Fee
scc.virginia.gov/media/sccvirginiagov-home/business-home/business-faqs/annual-registration-fees/how-to-guide-pay-annual-reg-fees-online.pdfVirginia agency guidance: Annual Registration Fee

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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

Obtain form LLC1016

Complete the statement

Confirm your new agent agrees

No filing fee

Submit the Form to the Virginia SCC

Update Your LLC Operating Agreement and Records