Texas · secretary of state
Texas wants an agent, an office, and business hours
The SOS page is not subtle. A registered agent and a registered office. The office is not “solely a mailbox service” unless that mailbox enterprise is the agent. We are not stretching that into a 50-state rule; it is Texas Business Organizations Code §5.201.
Partner links on this page are affiliate links. FTC disclosure. Not legal advice. Prices retrieved 30 August 2026.
What the SOS page says
| Item | Published rule |
|---|---|
| Must have | A registered agent and a registered office. |
| Office hours | Business hours. (Texas publishes this; we do not copy it onto California.) |
| Mailbox | Cannot be solely a mailbox service unless that enterprise is the registered agent (BOC §5.201). |
| Change filing | Form 401 · $15 |
What this page does not do
It does not quote the entire code section, does not price Texas formation or franchise tax, and does not tell you who to appoint. Vendor 3-year fees are state-agnostic on this desk and live on the cost note. Change process in brief: change of agent.
Questions
Can a Texas LLC use a virtual mailbox as its registered office?
The Texas Secretary of State’s registered-agent page, citing Business Organizations Code §5.201, says the registered office cannot be solely a mailbox service unless that enterprise is the registered agent. The office is held to business hours. A scan-and-forward mailbox that is not itself the agent does not meet that description.
How much is a Texas change of registered agent?
Form 401 is $15.
Sources
Official vendor, secretary of state, or statute pages. Third-party “best of” lists were not used. Retrieval dates are on each row.
- Texas SOS — registered agents (BOC §5.201) Retrieved 2026-08-30.
- Traveling Mailbox help center (08.07.2026): virtual mailbox cannot serve as RA address Retrieved 2026-08-07.
- Anytime Mailbox — PO boxes and most virtual addresses do not qualify Retrieved 2026-08-30.