Alabama

Maryland

Foreign registration · no form number

Alabama Corporation Foreign Registration in Maryland

Maryland registers a corporation from Alabama as a foreign corporation on a paper registration (no form number), with $104.50 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maryland may ask for Alabama's Certificate of Existence ($25). We file it with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division using your Alabama records and act as your resident agent there for the first year.

Alabama vs Maryland: the paperwork

	Alabama formed here	Maryland registering here
Document	Alabama Certificate of Existence	Foreign Corporation Qualification (no form number)
State fee	$25	$104.50 at order (filing fee $100 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Alabama: online as an instant printable certificate with a seal and authentication number	Filed on Maryland's paper form
Required expedite		$50 at order (7 business days)
Office	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division	Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division
Official page	sos.alabama.gov	egov.maryland.gov
Yearly filing	Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT), fee set by the state, every year	Form 1 — Business Entity Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return, $300, every year
Due		April 15
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Required expedite processing: 7 business days
Agent	Your Alabama registered agent	Our Maryland resident agent

From Alabama to Maryland, step by step

We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Maryland resident agent, next to your Alabama name and formation date. If Maryland wants the Alabama certificate, it is ordered first. Once Maryland approves it, the Alabama company can do business there.

Your Alabama name and Maryland's rules

Maryland can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Your Maryland agent and the Alabama one

Maryland calls it a resident agent; Alabama says registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for Alabama; ours takes Maryland's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in Alabama and Maryland

Alabama wants the Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT) every year; Maryland wants the Form 1 — Business Entity Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return every year ($300). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Alabama to Maryland

An LLC formed in Alabama files its own registration with Maryland ($104.50 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($25)). After that come Alabama's Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report and Maryland's Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1) ($300). See the LLC filing.

The other way: Maryland into Alabama

A corporation formed in Maryland that registers with Alabama files Alabama's registration (no form number) with $184 in state fees. See that filing.

Questions Alabama owners ask about Maryland

Does my Alabama company need to register in Maryland?

Yes, once an Alabama business operates there; Maryland registers it as a foreign corporation.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Maryland calls it qualification for Alabama corporations; other states say certificate of authority.

How much does it cost to register an Alabama corporation in Maryland?

$353.50 at checkout, including the $50 required expedite; Maryland may also want Alabama's Certificate of Existence, at extra cost.

How long does the Maryland registration take?

7 business days with Maryland's required expedite, plus time for Alabama's certificate if Maryland asks for it.

What are the yearly costs for Alabama and Maryland?

Our resident agent renewal ($149 a year), Alabama's report (fee set by the state) and Maryland's report ($300).

Does Maryland require a registered agent?

Yes: the Alabama registered agent stays, and ours covers Maryland for year one.

Can I form a new Maryland corporation instead?

Yes, but Alabama keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Maryland's periodic report ($300), and the original keeps Alabama's Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT).

How do I withdraw from Maryland later?

Alabama companies leave by filing an Application for Termination for a Foreign Corporation; until then, Maryland's report stays due alongside Alabama's filings.

Official sources

People also search

Corporation into Maryland, by home state (48)

Alabama into other states (41)

The same move for an LLC