How to Change Your Agent for Service of Process in West Virginia

Changing your agent for service of process in West Virginia is straightforward. The main reason most businesses make the switch? Privacy. Here's what you need to know.

Why Businesses Change Agents

Privacy Protection This is the big one. If you currently serve as your own agent, your home or business address is on public records with the West Virginia Secretary of State. Anyone can look it up. Switching to West Virginia Registered Agent puts our address on public filings instead. Your personal information stays private.

Unwanted Visitors When your address is public, process servers can show up at your door during business hours. If you work from home, this means strangers arriving to deliver legal documents. Switching to a professional service eliminates this problem.

Better Service If your current agent has been slow to forward documents or unreliable, switching to a professional service means same-day scanning and forwarding. Documents arrive, we scan them, you get them the same day.

Lower Cost Many registered agent services charge $125 to $436 per year. If you're paying premium prices, switching to West Virginia Registered Agent at $99 annually saves money while improving privacy protection.

Business Changes Moving out of West Virginia, closing a West Virginia office, or going remote often means you need to change agents. Professional services provide address stability regardless of where you operate.

Steps to Change Your Agent in West Virginia

Choose a New Agent Who Meets West Virginia Requirements Your new agent must meet West Virginia Secretary of State standards. Individuals must be West Virginia residents. Business entities must be authorized in the state. The agent needs a physical location in West Virginia, though West Virginia allows a PO box as long as a physical location is also provided.

File the Change Form with the West Virginia Secretary of State Complete and submit the change of agent form to the West Virginia Secretary of State. The form identifies your business entity, lists current agent information, and designates your new agent along with the registered office address.

Pay the $15 Filing Fee West Virginia charges a $15 fee to process agent changes. This fee goes to the West Virginia Secretary of State and is separate from any service fees charged by your new agent.

Confirm the Change in State Records After the West Virginia Secretary of State processes your filing, verify that the change appears correctly in state records. You can check business entity information through the West Virginia Secretary of State's online business search.

Why Switch to West Virginia Registered Agent

West Virginia Registered Agent provides professional agent for service of process service throughout West Virginia for $99 per year. Our focus is privacy.

Our West Virginia registered office meets all state requirements. We maintain presence during normal business hours to receive service of process, legal documents, and official correspondence. When documents arrive, we scan and forward them the same day via email, and they're available in your secure online portal.

Our compliance tracking monitors West Virginia filing deadlines, including annual report requirements. West Virginia annual reports are due between January 1 and June 30 each year, with a $25 filing fee plus a $1 convenience fee for online filing. File after July 1 and you face a $75 penalty. We send reminders before deadlines so you can file on time and avoid penalties.

By using our address as your registered office, your personal information stays off public records. This is the main reason businesses switch to professional services.

Making the Switch

When you sign up with West Virginia Registered Agent, we provide everything you need to file your agent change. You'll receive our registered office address and business entity information to include on the change form filed with the West Virginia Secretary of State.

Once you file the change and pay the $15 filing fee, we begin monitoring your registered office. The transition is seamless — we start receiving and forwarding documents as soon as the state processes your change.

Most agent changes process within days with the West Virginia Secretary of State. If you're currently serving as your own agent or using another individual, the switch typically takes effect quickly once filed.

Get Started — $99/year

Questions about changing your agent in West Virginia? Reach out at support@wvregisteredagent.org or , Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm ET.