Alabama

Minnesota

Foreign registration · no form number

Alabama Corporation Foreign Registration in Minnesota

To do business in Minnesota, a corporation formed in Alabama registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $220 in state fees. Minnesota may ask for Alabama's Certificate of Existence ($25). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Services using your Alabama records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Alabama and Minnesota each ask for

	Alabama formed here	Minnesota registering here
Document	Alabama Certificate of Existence	Foreign Corporation or Cooperative Certificate of Authority to Transact Business in Minnesota (no form number)
State fee	$25	$220 at order (filing fee $200 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Alabama: online as an instant printable certificate with a seal and authentication number	Filed online with Minnesota
Office	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division	Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	sos.alabama.gov	sos.mn.gov
Yearly filing	Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT), fee set by the state, every year	Annual Renewal, $115, every year
Due		December 31
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Online processing: 2 to 5 business days
Agent	Your Alabama registered agent	Our Minnesota registered agent

How Alabama companies register with Minnesota

We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Minnesota registered agent, next to your Alabama name and formation date. If Minnesota wants the Alabama certificate, it is ordered first. After approval, your Alabama corporation is registered with Minnesota.

Your Alabama name and Minnesota's rules

We check your exact Alabama name against Minnesota's records before filing.

Agents: Minnesota and Alabama

Alabama and Minnesota both call it a registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for Alabama; ours takes Minnesota's papers and notices.

Yearly filings: Minnesota and Alabama

Alabama wants the Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT) every year; Minnesota wants the Annual Renewal every year ($115). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Alabama to Minnesota

An LLC formed in Alabama files its own registration with Minnesota ($205 in state fees; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Alabama's Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report and Minnesota's Annual Renewal (no fee). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Minnesota company in Alabama

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

Common questions: Alabama to Minnesota

Does my Alabama company need to register in Minnesota?

Yes, once an Alabama business operates there; Minnesota law lists 8 activities that do not count on their own.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: Minnesota issues one to Alabama corporations once the filing is approved.

How much does the Minnesota registration cost?

$419 at checkout; Minnesota may also want Alabama's Certificate of Existence, at extra cost.

How long does the Minnesota registration take?

Minnesota's online processing takes 2 to 5 business days, plus time for Alabama's certificate if Minnesota asks for it.

What are the yearly costs for Alabama and Minnesota?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Alabama's report (fee set by the state) and Minnesota's report ($115).

What if I don't register with Minnesota?

An Alabama company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Minnesota can add a penalty of $100 for each month and a civil penalty of up to $1,000.

Does Minnesota require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Minnesota corporation instead?

Yes, but Alabama keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Minnesota's Annual Renewal (no fee), and the original keeps Alabama's Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT).

How do I withdraw from Minnesota later?

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

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC