Formation and Registration Forms Requiring Registered Agent Designation in Iowa
Current Iowa business-entity forms and fees are published on the Business Entity Forms and Fees page. Accepted filing methods are online through Fast Track Filing, by mail to Business Services, First Floor, Lucas Building, 321 E. 12th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319, and in person at Business Services, First Floor, Lucas Building, 321 E. 12th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319. (515) 281-5204. business.services@sos.iowa.gov.
LLCs
| Form | Description | Filing Fee |
| Certificate of Organization | No Secretary of State-issued form was verified; the filing is submitted through Fast Track Filing and must state the initial registered office and the initial registered agent. | $50 |
| Limited Liability Company Foreign Registration Statement | This filing covers a foreign LLC and a foreign protected series, and it includes Iowa registered agent and registered-office fields. | $100.00 |
Corporations
| Form | Description | Filing Fee |
| Articles of Incorporation | No Secretary of State-issued standard form was verified; the filing is submitted through Fast Track Filing, and the filing process requires registered agent and registered-office information. | $50 |
| Foreign Registration Statement | This foreign for-profit corporation filing includes Iowa registered-agent and registered-office fields. | $100.00 |
Nonprofit Corporations
| Form | Description | Filing Fee |
| Articles of Incorporation | No Secretary of State-issued standard form was verified; the filing is submitted through Fast Track Filing, and the filing process requires registered agent and office information. | $20 |
| Application for Certificate of Authority (Nonprofit) | This foreign nonprofit filing includes Iowa registered-agent and registered-office fields. | $25.00 |
Limited Partnerships
| Form | Description | Filing Fee |
| Certificate of Limited Partnership | This domestic filing is submitted as a filer-prepared certificate under Iowa Code section 488.201 rather than on a standard Secretary of State-issued form. | $100 |
| Application for Certificate of Authority (Limited Partnership – Iowa Code chap 488) | This foreign filing includes Iowa registered-agent and registered-office fields and applies to both foreign limited partnerships and foreign limited liability limited partnerships. | $100.00 |
Limited Liability Partnerships
| Form | Description | Filing Fee |
| Statement of Qualification of Limited Liability Partnership | This domestic filing registers limited-liability status for a partnership and includes Iowa registered-agent and registered-office fields. | $50.00 |
| Statement of Foreign Qualification of Foreign Limited Liability Partnership | This foreign filing includes Iowa registered-agent and registered-office fields. | $100.00 |
Other Organization Types in Iowa
Iowa’s current official materials also verify a cooperative filing that contains registered-agent and registered-office fields.
| Form | Description | Filing Fee |
| Application for Certificate of Authority (Cooperative) | This foreign cooperative filing includes Iowa registered-agent and registered-office fields. | $100.00 |
Changing an Iowa Registered Agent or Registered Office (Filed by Entity)
Iowa uses one general change form for LLCs, for-profit corporations, nonprofit corporations, cooperative associations, and LLPs, and a separate change form for limited partnerships.
| Form | Description | Filing Fee |
| Statement of Change of Registered Office and/or Registered Agent | This filing changes the registered office, the registered agent, or both, and the new registered agent must sign or provide written consent if a new agent is being named. | No fee for LLCs, for-profit corporations, nonprofit corporations, and cooperative associations; $5.00 for LLPs |
| Statement of Change Registered Office and/or Registered Agent (Limited Partnership – Iowa Code Chap 488) | This filing changes the Iowa registered office, the Iowa registered agent, or both for a limited partnership. | $20.00 |
The official forms-and-fees page marks the general statement of change as available through Fast Track Filing. Filing methods are otherwise the same as described above.
Registered Agent Resignation and Rejection Forms in Iowa
Iowa publishes separate resignation filings for most entity chapters and for limited partnerships, and no separate rejection-of-appointment form was verified on current official sources.
| Form | Description | Filed By | Filing Fee |
| Statement of Resignation of Registered Agent | This resignation form applies to LLCs, for-profit corporations, and nonprofit corporations. | Registered agent | No fee |
| Statement of Resignation of Registered Agent (Limited Partnership – Iowa Code Chap 488) | This resignation form applies to limited partnerships. | Registered agent | $5.00 |
For LLCs, for-profit corporations, and nonprofit corporations, the filing includes a certificate of mailing and becomes effective at 12:01 a.m. on the thirty-first day after filing or on the earlier designation of a new registered agent. For limited partnerships, the filing becomes effective at 12:01 a.m. on the thirty-first day after filing or on the earlier designation of a new registered agent.
Reinstatement Forms Requiring Registered Agent Information in Iowa
Iowa uses one reinstatement form across several entity chapters, and the official instructions require additional accompanying filings when the administrative dissolution involved reporting failures, registered-agent failures, or expired duration.
| Form | Description | Filing Fee |
| Application for Reinstatement | This filing must be accompanied by a statement of change if the administrative dissolution resulted from failure to maintain a registered agent or registered office. | $5.00 |
If the administrative dissolution resulted from missed biennial reports, the application must be filed with at least the two most recent delinquent biennial reports and all delinquent fees. Filing methods are the same as described above.
FAQ
Where can I find all current Iowa Secretary of State business forms?
Current Iowa business-entity filing titles, direct form links, and published fees appear on the Business Entity Forms and Fees page.
That page functions as Iowa’s current business-entity fee schedule for the filings covered in this article. It also identifies which filings are available through Fast Track Filing and which filings require a drafted document instead of a state-issued form.
Is the registered agent consent form required to be filed with the Iowa Secretary of State?
A separate Iowa registered-agent consent form was not verified on current official sources. Iowa instead documents consent within the filing itself or by requiring the new agent’s signature or attached written consent on the change filing.
For example, the Statement of Change of Registered Office and/or Registered Agent requires the new registered agent to sign or requires written consent to be attached. For domestic online formations, Iowa’s filing guides require the filer to enter the registered-agent and registered-office information as part of the filing process.
If a named agent no longer wishes to serve, Iowa uses a resignation filing rather than a separate rejection form. The verified resignation forms are the same filings described above.
What form is used to change a registered agent in Iowa?
For LLCs, for-profit corporations, nonprofit corporations, cooperative associations, and LLPs, the verified filing is the Statement of Change of Registered Office and/or Registered Agent. The fee is no fee for LLCs, for-profit corporations, nonprofit corporations, and cooperative associations, and $5.00 for LLPs.
For limited partnerships, the verified filing is the Statement of Change Registered Office and/or Registered Agent (Limited Partnership – Iowa Code Chap 488). The fee is $20.00.
Filing methods are the same as described above. The official forms-and-fees page marks the general statement of change as available through Fast Track Filing.
What is the difference between the entity-filed change form and the agent-filed change form in Iowa?
A separate Iowa agent-filed change form was not verified on current official sources. Iowa uses the same change filing for the entity-level update, and the general form also contains a signature line for the registered agent when the agent changes the street address of its business office.
That means Iowa does not publish the kind of separate multi-entity registered-agent update form used in some other states. Instead, the applicable Iowa change form is filed for the affected entity record, and the registered agent signs where the form requires it.
The general Iowa form also states that when the registered agent changes the street address of its business office on the form, the registered agent must indicate that notice of the change has been given to the business entity. For limited partnerships, the verified change form is signed by a general partner rather than by a separate agent-update form.
Is there a fee to form a nonprofit corporation in Iowa?
Yes. The official Iowa forms-and-fees page lists Articles of Incorporation for a nonprofit corporation at $20.
The same official page lists domestic for-profit Articles of Incorporation at $50, so the nonprofit formation fee is lower than the for-profit corporation formation fee. The domestic nonprofit filing is submitted through Fast Track Filing with a filer-prepared document rather than a state-issued standard form.
Iowa also publishes a Preclearance and Expedited Services page, but the current expedited fee amounts and turnaround times could not be verified from retrievable official content during this review. Current expedited terms should therefore be confirmed directly with Business Services, First Floor, Lucas Building, 321 E. 12th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319, (515) 281-5204, or business.services@sos.iowa.gov.
What forms are used to register an out-of-state LLC in Iowa?
A foreign LLC uses the Limited Liability Company Foreign Registration Statement. The verified fee on the current form is $100.00.
That same form also covers a foreign protected series and requires the name and Iowa street address of the registered agent. If a foreign protected series is filing and the foreign series LLC has other protected series, the form requires additional series-related contact information as stated on the official form.
No quantified late-filing penalty for an unregistered foreign LLC was verified on current official Iowa sources reviewed for this article. No dollar penalty is stated here for that reason.
What forms are used to form or register a partnership in Iowa?
For limited partnerships, the official Iowa forms-and-fees page lists Certificate of Limited Partnership at $100, but no Secretary of State-issued domestic form was verified for that filing title. A foreign limited partnership or foreign limited liability limited partnership uses the Application for Certificate of Authority (Limited Partnership – Iowa Code chap 488), and the verified fee on that form is $100.00.
For LLPs, the domestic filing is the Statement of Qualification of Limited Liability Partnership, and the verified fee is $50.00. That filing registers limited-liability status for a partnership rather than creating a new general partnership. A foreign LLP uses the Statement of Foreign Qualification of Foreign Limited Liability Partnership, and the verified fee is $100.00.
Iowa’s official help materials also state that sole proprietorships and partnerships are not generally required to register with the Secretary of State. No separate general-partnership statement of authority form or separate domestic LLLP form was verified on the current official sources reviewed for this article.
Can I file Iowa SOS forms online?
Yes. Iowa’s online filing system is Fast Track Filing, and Iowa’s official help materials state that an account is required for Fast Track Filing submissions other than biennial reports.
The official help materials also show domestic LLC, for-profit corporation, nonprofit corporation, foreign-entity registration, registered-agent changes, reinstatements, and biennial reports being filed through that system. The official forms-and-fees page separately marks certain filings as available online.
Iowa publishes a Preclearance and Expedited Services page for business filings, but the current expedited fee amounts and timing could not be verified from retrievable official content during this review. Current expedited options should therefore be confirmed directly with business.services@sos.iowa.gov or (515) 281-5204.