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The detail that sets Mississippi apart is the address match. The LLC Act, at § 79-29-113, says the agent's business office must be identical with the registered office. So you cannot list your own street address as the office and a different person elsewhere as the agent. Both have to point at the same place. The rest of the rules sit in the same section of the Mississippi LLC Act. See our Mississippi business guide for the search and fees overview.
Who qualifies as the agent?
An individual who lives in Mississippi, or a corporation, nonprofit corporation or LLC. The entity can be formed in Mississippi, or formed elsewhere and authorized to do business here. The LLC must keep the registered office and agent continuously.
The certificate of formation names the agent and gives street and mailing addresses for both the office and the agent (§ 79-29-201). Our Mississippi LLC page walks through that filing.
Can you serve as your own agent?
The rule asks for an individual resident, so a member who lives in Mississippi fits it, provided the address matches the registered office. Read be your own registered agent to weigh the trade-offs, such as papers arriving at a home address. If you live outside Mississippi, you need someone else or an authorized entity. Compare options in registered agent services.
How do you change the agent?
File a certificate with the Secretary of State that sets out:
- the LLC's name and the street address of its current registered office
- the new office address, if the office is changing
- the current agent's name
- the new agent's name and written consent, if the agent is changing
- a statement that the office and the agent's business office will be identical after the change
The state fee schedule lists form F0010 at $10. The Act's own fee section gives $25 for a change of agent, so treat the fee schedule as the newer figure and confirm on the filing screen. Changes go through the state's online filing portal.
When a registered agent moves its own office, it files form F0122, a certificate of change of address, listing every LLC it serves. The fee schedule shows $10 per company.
What happens when an agent resigns?
The agent files a certificate of resignation, form F0038, at $0. Three rules apply:
- The agent must send notice by certified or registered mail to each LLC's last known principal office at least 30 days before filing, and attach an affidavit saying so.
- The resignation takes effect 90 days after the state files it.
- After that, the LLC must name a new agent.
If no replacement is named, service of legal process goes to the Secretary of State. For background on how papers reach a company, see service of process.
What if the LLC has no agent at all?
Two things follow. Lawsuit papers can be served on the Secretary of State, which then handles delivery under the Rules of Civil Procedure. And the state can dissolve the LLC administratively if it has had no agent in Mississippi for 60 days or more, or fails to tell the state within 60 days that an agent changed or resigned.
A dissolved LLC can be reinstated. The fee schedule shows $50 for a Mississippi LLC. Prevent it by keeping the agent record current, since the state emails the company whenever a filing is made.
Where do you look up an agent?
Open the state's business search and find the company by name or Business ID. Our Mississippi guide explains the search tools. The state's FAQ also says a registered agent's address change lists every company that agent serves.