Alabama

Foreign registration · no form number

Alabama Corporation Foreign Registration in Montana

A corporation formed in Alabama that wants to do business in Montana files an online registration (no form number), with $70 in state fees. Montana 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 Montana each ask for

	Alabama formed here	Montana registering here
Document	Alabama Certificate of Existence	Certificate of Authority (no form number)
State fee	$25	$70 at order
How it is handled	Alabama: online as an instant printable certificate with a seal and authentication number	Filed online with Montana
Office	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division	Montana Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	sos.alabama.gov	help.sosmt.gov
Yearly filing	Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT), fee set by the state, every year	Annual Report, no fee, every year
Due		April 15
Agent	Your Alabama registered agent	Our Montana registered agent

From Alabama to Montana, step by step

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

Will your Alabama name work for Montana?

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

Agents: Montana and Alabama

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

Yearly filings: Montana and Alabama

Alabama wants the Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT) every year; Montana wants the Annual Report every year (no fee). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Alabama to Montana

An LLC formed in Alabama files its own registration with Montana ($70 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Alabama's Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report and Montana's Annual Report ($20). See the LLC filing.

The other way: Montana into Alabama

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

Questions Alabama owners ask about Montana

Does my Alabama company need to register in Montana?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does the Montana registration cost?

$269 at checkout; Montana may also want Alabama's Certificate of Existence, at extra cost.

What are the yearly costs for Alabama and Montana?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Alabama's report (fee set by the state) and Montana's report (no fee).

Does Montana require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Montana corporation instead?

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

What does a Montana company file to register in Alabama?

It files Alabama's registration with $184 in state fees.

How do I get an Alabama certificate of good standing?

Alabama issues the Certificate of Existence online as an instant printable certificate with a seal and authentication number ($25).

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC