To do a Sunbiz registered agent lookup, go to sunbiz.org, open the Division of Corporations search page, and search by the business name, its document number, or the agent’s name. The entity record that comes up will show the registered agent’s current name and street address, along with the entity’s status and formation date.1Florida Department of State Division of Corporations. Search Records – Division of Corporations
The Three Ways to Search Sunbiz
The main search portal at search.sunbiz.org lets you find a registered agent through three different entry points, and which one you pick depends on what you already know.2Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations. Florida Department of State – Division of Corporations Search
- Entity name. Type the business’s name to pull up its filing. This is the most common path when you know the company but nothing else about it.
- Document number. Every Florida entity gets a unique document number when it files. If you have that number, this is the cleanest way to land on the exact record without wading through name matches.
- Officer or registered agent name. Search by a person’s name to see every entity that lists them as an officer or agent. Useful when you want to know what companies a particular individual is tied to.
Once you open an entity record, the registered agent’s name appears with a physical street address. You’ll also see the entity’s current status (active, inactive, administratively dissolved), its formation date, and its principal address. All of this is free and public.
Why the Address on the Record Matters
The address listed for the registered agent is where lawsuits, subpoenas, and government notices get delivered. If you’re looking up your own business and the address is wrong or the person listed no longer works there, mail sent to that address still counts as legally served. A default judgment can land against a business whose owner never saw the complaint because it went to a stale registered agent address.
If you’re looking up someone else’s business, that address is where you or your process server delivers legal papers.
What a Valid Registered Agent Entry Looks Like
Florida law limits who can appear in that slot. For corporations, the agent must be either a Florida resident individual whose business address is the registered office, or a business entity authorized to operate in Florida with a business address at that same office.3Florida Senate. Florida Code 607.0501 – Registered Office and Registered Agent LLCs under Chapter 605 work the same way.
The registered office has to be a physical Florida street address, not a P.O. box, because the agent needs to be reachable in person during business hours. The agent also has to formally consent to the role and agree to forward any legal papers to the business promptly.4Florida Senate. Florida Code 617.0503 – Registered Agent Duties Confidentiality of Investigation Records If a Sunbiz record shows a P.O. box, an out-of-state address, or someone you know hasn’t consented, the record isn’t compliant.
Updating or Changing the Agent on Your Record
A common reason to run a Sunbiz lookup on your own business is to check whether the information is still accurate. If it isn’t, Florida gives you two ways to fix it.
For corporations, file a statement of change with the Department of State listing the corporation’s name, the current agent’s name and address, and the new agent’s name and address. The new agent has to provide written acceptance. The change takes effect once the department processes the filing.5Florida Legislature. Florida Code 607.0502 – Change of Registered Office or Registered Agent
For LLCs, the same update runs through the Division of Corporations’ online e-filing system.6Florida Department of State. Manage/Change Existing Business You can also make the change through your annual report, and the new agent has to sign the report electronically to confirm they accept the role.7Florida Department of State. Annual Report Filing Instructions
When the Existing Agent Resigns
A registered agent can resign at any time, even after the business has been dissolved. The agent files a signed statement of resignation with the Department of State and mails a copy to the business at the address on file.8Florida Legislature. Florida Code 605.0115 – Resignation of Registered Agent
The resignation takes effect on the 31st day after the department processes it, unless you name a replacement sooner. If you look up your business on Sunbiz and see that the agent has resigned, that 31-day window is the runway you have to appoint someone else before the record goes blank.
What a Missing or Outdated Agent Costs You
Florida law lists the failure to appoint and maintain a registered agent as a ground for administrative dissolution of an LLC. The same statute covers failing to update the department within 30 days when the agent’s name or address changes.9Florida Legislature. Florida Code 605.0714 – Administrative Dissolution For corporations, administrative dissolution for a missed annual report takes effect on the fourth Friday of September each year.10Florida Senate. Florida Code 607.1421 – Procedure for and Effect of Administrative Dissolution
A dissolved business loses its authority to operate, can’t enforce contracts in court, and can lose its name to another entity that registers it in the meantime. That’s the real reason to keep running the occasional Sunbiz check on your own record: five minutes of lookup work heads off problems that cost hundreds of dollars and months of paperwork to unwind.