The rule
Montana law sets who can be a registered agent and requires an in-state street address[2]. Serving personally is open to any owner who lives in Montana and has a qualifying address. Replacing the agent is a $0 filing[3].
Mainstay Filing charges $149 a year to act as the registered agent in Montana, and files the $0 change when you switch[1].
- Legal term
- Registered agent
- Registered Agent required
- Yes
- Change fee
- $0
- Change form
- Statement of Change
- Mainstay Filing
- $149 a year
Updated October 29, 2026. Rules from the statute and state forms; fees from official sources; prices from providers' own pages.
Who can serve as a Montana registered agent
Montana's rule is in Mont. Code Ann. § 35-7-105[2].
A commercial registered agent listed with the Secretary of State, or a noncommercial agent: an individual, including an owner, or an entity in Montana.
Serving personally is open to any owner who lives in Montana and has a qualifying address. Owners who live outside Montana, and so cannot serve themselves, usually hire a service.
What a registered agent costs
Naming yourself or a colleague costs nothing beyond the state's filing fees. Mainstay Filing charges $149 a year, and the same at renewal[1]; that covers its Montana address on the public record, same-day scans of papers served, compliance reminders and the first three government mailings a year.
5 other providers published Montana prices on October 20, 2026. Year one cost $99 to $249 and renewal $125 to $249. One of the 5 charges more from the second year on.
How to switch agents
Montana charges $0 for this change[3]. The document is the Statement of Change[4].
- Pick a new registered agent who qualifies in Montana and confirm they accept.
- Submit the Statement of Change to the Montana Secretary of State, Business Services Division.
- There is no state fee for this filing in Montana.
- Check the Montana Secretary of State business search to confirm the change shows on the record.
The 50-state median for this filing is $15. For Montana's $0, no state charges less (9 others match it).
Switching to Mainstay Filing includes the Montana change filing; it submits the form to the Montana Secretary of State, Business Services Division[1].
The address rule
The statute and the state's forms set this out. The address has to be an actual street address or rural route box number in Montana. A P.O. box alone is not enough.[2]
The agent's name and address is part of the public record for the company, so whatever is listed appears in the Montana Secretary of State's records.
How long Montana businesses last
A registered agent has to stay on record for as long as the company exists. By the Bureau of Labor Statistics' count, 53% of business locations that opened in Montana between April 2019 and March 2020 were still operating in March 2025.
Questions
Can I be my own registered agent in Montana?
Serving personally is open to any owner who lives in Montana and has a qualifying address.
Can a Montana registered agent use a P.O. box?
The address has to be an actual street address or rural route box number in Montana. A P.O. box alone is not enough.[2]
Who offers registered agent service in Montana?
Mainstay Filing offers it for $149 a year, with no increase at renewal[1]. Other services' published Montana prices ran $99 to $249 for the first year on October 20, 2026.
How much does it cost to change the registered agent in Montana?
$0, paid to the Montana Secretary of State, Business Services Division[3].
Sources
- Mainstay Filing pricing, registered agent and FAQ pages. Updated October 29, 2026.
- Mont. Code Ann. Title 35, ch. 7 (Model Registered Agents Act), §§ 35-7-101 to 35-7-117; appointment at § 35-7-105, definitions at § 35-7-102, address rule at § 35-7-104. mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0350/chapter_0070/part_0010/sections_index.html. Updated October 29, 2026.
- Montana Secretary of State, Business Services Division: Statement of Change fee. sosmt.gov/business/fees/. Updated October 29, 2026.
- Statement of Change. biz.sosmt.gov/. Updated October 29, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics, Establishment Age and Survival, Table 7 (data through March 2025). www.bls.gov/bdm/bdmage.htm. Updated October 29, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics (state annual and monthly series). www.census.gov/econ/bfs/index.html. Updated October 29, 2026.