Alabama Corporation Foreign Registration in North Dakota

A corporation formed in Alabama that wants to do business in North Dakota files an online registration (no form number), with $145 in state fees. North Dakota may ask for Alabama's Certificate of Existence ($25). We file it with the Secretary of State using your Alabama records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Alabama vs North Dakota: the paperwork

	Alabama formed here	North Dakota registering here
Document	Alabama Certificate of Existence	Foreign Business Corporation Certificate of Authority Application (no form number)
State fee	$25	$145 at order
How it is handled	Alabama: online as an instant printable certificate with a seal and authentication number	Filed online with North Dakota
Office	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division	North Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	sos.alabama.gov	sos.nd.gov
Yearly filing	Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT), fee set by the state, every year	Annual Report, $25, every year
Due		May 15
Agent	Your Alabama registered agent	Our North Dakota registered agent

From Alabama to North Dakota, step by step

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

Your Alabama name and North Dakota's rules

North Dakota accepts your Alabama name if it includes company, corporation, incorporated, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them. We check your exact Alabama name against North Dakota's records before filing.

Your North Dakota agent and the Alabama one

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

Yearly filings: North Dakota and Alabama

Alabama wants the Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT) every year; North Dakota wants the Annual Report every year ($25). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Alabama to North Dakota

An LLC formed in Alabama files its own registration with North Dakota ($135 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($25)). After that come Alabama's Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report and North Dakota's Annual Report ($50). See the LLC filing.

Registering a North Dakota company in Alabama

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

Questions Alabama owners ask about North Dakota

Does my Alabama company need to register in North Dakota?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

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

$344 at checkout; North Dakota may also want Alabama's Certificate of Existence, at extra cost.

What are the yearly costs for Alabama and North Dakota?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Alabama's report (fee set by the state) and North Dakota's report ($25).

What if I don't register with North Dakota?

An Alabama company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does North Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will North Dakota accept my Alabama name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes company, corporation, incorporated, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them.

Can I form a new North Dakota corporation instead?

Yes, but Alabama keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Dakota's Annual Report ($25), and the original keeps Alabama's Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT).

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC