Switching Your NC Registered Agent: Form BE-06 and a $5 Fee

Five dollars. That is the entire state charge to change registered agents in North Carolina. The filing is Form BE-06, the Statement of Change of Registered Office and/or Registered Agent, submitted to the Secretary of State's Business Registration Division under N.C.G.S. § 55D-31. Same form whether you run an LLC, a corporation, a nonprofit, or a partnership.

Why Businesses Switch

Privacy. A home address listed at formation is now searchable by anyone. A professional agent stops that on every filing going forward.

Reliability. An agent who sits on a lawsuit can turn a defensible case into a default judgment. Slow forwarding is not a small flaw.

Price. Paying $200+ a year for an agent when the same coverage exists at $99 is just a leak in the budget.

Life changes. The friend who served as agent moved away. The office closed. Someone has to be at a North Carolina address every business day, and right now nobody is.

Form BE-06 at a Glance

Item	Detail
Form name	Statement of Change of Registered Office and/or Registered Agent
Form number	BE-06
State fee	$5
Filed with	NC Secretary of State, Business Registration Division
Statute	N.C.G.S. § 55D-31
Used by	LLCs, corporations, nonprofits, partnerships

The form states it plainly: "Filing fee is $5.00. This document must be filed with the Secretary of State." Grab the current version from the Secretary of State's registered agent forms page.

The Process, Step by Step

1. Pick a qualifying agent. An individual who lives in North Carolina, or an entity authorized here whose business office matches the registered office. Your company is not eligible to name itself; the SOS instructions limit the pick to agents "other than your own entity."
2. Fill in Form BE-06. Entity name, new agent name, registered office street address. A PO box cannot serve as the office itself, though a separate mailing address can ride along.
3. Send it in with the $5 fee. That is the whole expense at the state level.
4. Watch the record flip. The old agent stays official until the filing posts. The moment it does, all court papers and state mail come to the new agent.

The Annual Report Will Not Do This for You

North Carolina's online annual report updates a registered office address, but it refuses a new agent name. Swapping agents takes BE-06 or a paper annual report. If April 15 is close, file the BE-06 first and keep the report routine.

What $99/year Gets You After the Switch

• Physical North Carolina address on your public filings
• Same-day scanning of all received documents, posted straight to your portal (service of process uncapped; first 3 routine government pieces/year free, then billed per piece — physical mailing of a paper original is also a separate per-piece option)
• Compliance reminders for annual reports (April 15, $200) and other deadlines
• Secure online document portal with 24/7 access
• Your personal address removed from future filings

Will My Old Address Disappear from Records?

Historical filings will still show your previous agent information. The NC Secretary of State does not retroactively edit past documents. However, your current record will reflect the new agent, and future searches will display our address. Over time, older filings become less visible as current records take priority.

Timing

Processing rides on the Secretary of State's queue, with online submissions posting ahead of mailed paper. Your previous agent remains on record until the change is entered. Once it is, we are your agent.

Ready to Switch?

Sign up with us, file Form BE-06 with the $5 fee, and the agent question is settled for the next 12 months. No more missed documents, public home addresses, or overpriced renewals.

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