How to Fill Out and Submit Form 402: Resignation of Registered Agent

California Form RA-100 is the one-page filing you submit to the Secretary of State to resign as an agent for service of process for a corporation, LLC, or limited partnership. There is no filing fee, you can submit it online through bizfile or by mail to Sacramento, and your authority to accept legal documents for that entity ends the moment the Secretary of State files it.¹

What to Gather Before You Start

The form asks for only a few pieces of information, but each one has to match the Secretary of State’s records exactly or the filing will be rejected.

Entity name. The exact legal name of the corporation, LLC, or limited partnership as it appears in the Secretary of State’s records. A minor misspelling will cause a rejection. The business search tool on the Secretary of State’s website will confirm the spelling for free.
Entity file number. The ID the Secretary of State assigned when the entity registered. Corporations have a seven-digit number beginning with C. LLCs and limited partnerships historically have a twelve-digit number with no letter prefix. Newly registered entities now receive a twelve-character ID beginning with B. If you don’t have it, the online business search will pull it up by entity name.²³
Your name as agent. Your full legal name exactly as it was listed in the entity’s most recent Statement of Information or formation documents. If a corporation served as the agent, use the corporate name.

Filling Out the Four Fields

The form has four numbered fields and a signature block.

Field 1, Entity Name. The exact registered name of the business you are resigning from, character for character.
Field 2, Entity Number. The file number you gathered above.
Field 3, Name of Resigning Agent. Your name, or the corporate agent’s name, as it appears on the entity’s records.¹
Field 4, Statement of Resignation. A pre-printed declaration reading: “The undersigned hereby resigns as agent upon whom process may be served in California for the above-named entity.” Do not alter this language.

Sign and date below the fields. An individual agent signs personally. If a corporation is the agent, the person signing must have authority to act on that corporation’s behalf, typically an officer or authorized manager.

If You Were Never Properly Appointed

If someone listed you as agent without your knowledge, Section 1503(b) of the Corporations Code lets you use the same RA-100 to disclaim the appointment rather than resign from it. The fields look identical. The difference is your intent: you are stating that the appointment itself was invalid, not that you are stepping down from a valid role.⁴

How to Submit the Form

You have two options, and online submissions get priority.

Online Through bizfile

The fastest route is bizfileOnline.sos.ca.gov.¹ Go to the resignation filing section, enter the required information in the digital fields, and submit. You’ll get an email confirmation once the filing is processed, along with a free uncertified copy of the filed document.⁵

By Mail

Print and complete the RA-100 PDF, then mail it to:

Secretary of State
Business Entities
P.O. Box 944260
Sacramento, CA 94244-2600⁶

Mail submissions are reviewed after online filings. Current processing times are posted on the Secretary of State’s website.¹

Fees

There is no filing fee.¹ Filing online gets you a free uncertified copy automatically. Filing by mail, if you want copies, the Secretary of State charges $1.00 for the first page and $0.50 for each additional page, with a separate fee for certification.⁵

When the Resignation Takes Effect

Your authority as agent ends the moment the Secretary of State files the resignation. There is no waiting period, and the entity’s knowledge of the filing is irrelevant. Corporations Code Section 1503 provides that the agent’s authority ceases upon filing for corporations.⁴ Section 17701.15 uses identical language for LLCs.⁷

From that point forward, you are not a valid recipient for lawsuits, subpoenas, or other legal notices directed at the entity. Any attempt to serve you on the entity’s behalf after the filing date is legally ineffective.

Who Notifies the Business

You don’t have to tell the entity yourself. For corporations, Section 1503 directs the Secretary of State to promptly provide written notice of the resignation to the corporation at its principal office.⁴ For LLCs, Section 17701.15 requires the Secretary of State to mail or deliver a copy of the filed resignation to the LLC’s designated office, or to the principal office for foreign LLCs.⁷

If you still have a working relationship with the business, a courtesy heads-up before you file is sensible. The entity needs to designate a replacement, and the sooner they know, the less likely they are to miss service of a lawsuit while they scramble.

What Happens on the Entity’s Side

After you resign, the entity has to designate a new agent. For LLCs, Section 17701.15(d) requires the company to promptly file an initial or amended Statement of Information naming a replacement.⁷ Corporations face the same obligation under the Statement of Information filing rules. If they don’t act, the Secretary of State sends a delinquency notice, and continued inaction can lead to Franchise Tax Board penalties and eventual suspension of the entity’s powers.⁸

None of that lands on you. Once your RA-100 is filed, your liability for future service is extinguished.

1
California Secretary of State. Resignation of Agent for Service of Process (Form RA-100)
2
California Secretary of State. Business Search – Frequently Asked Questions
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California Secretary of State. bizfile California
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California Legislative Information. California Corporations Code CORP 1503
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Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 2 Section 21903.5 – Copy Fees
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California Secretary of State. Contact Information – Business Entities
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California Legislative Information. California Corporations Code 17701.15
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California Secretary of State. Business Entities Frequently Asked Questions