Alabama

Texas

Foreign registration · Form 301

Alabama Corporation Foreign Registration in Texas

A corporation formed in Alabama that wants to do business in Texas files Form 301, with $767.13 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Texas may ask for Alabama's Certificate of Existence ($25). We file it with the Texas Secretary of State using your Alabama records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Alabama and Texas side by side

	Alabama formed here	Texas registering here
Document	Alabama Certificate of Existence	Form 301, Application for Registration of a Foreign For-Profit Corporation
State fee	$25	$767.13 at order (filing fee $750 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Alabama: online as an instant printable certificate with a seal and authentication number	Filed with Texas
Required expedite		$50 at order (Texas Express)
Faster options		next-day $500, same-day $750
Office	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division	Texas Secretary of State
Official page	sos.alabama.gov	sos.state.tx.us
Yearly filing	Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT), fee set by the state, every year	Franchise Tax Report + Public Information Report, no fee, every year
Due		May 15 each year
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Required expedite processing: typically 2 to 3 business days
Agent	Your Alabama registered agent	Our Texas registered agent

From Alabama to Texas, step by step

We prepare and file Form 301
It lists us as your Texas registered agent, next to your Alabama name and formation date. If Texas wants the Alabama certificate, it is ordered first. After approval, your Alabama corporation is registered with Texas.

Will your Alabama name work for Texas?

Texas accepts your Alabama name if it includes corporation, incorporated, company, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them. If Texas's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Alabama company. We search Texas's records for Alabama's name on file before anything is filed.

Your Texas agent and the Alabama one

Alabama and Texas both call it a registered agent. Texas papers come to us; Alabama's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: Texas and Alabama

Alabama wants the Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT) every year; Texas wants the Franchise Tax Report + Public Information Report every year (no fee). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Alabama to Texas

An LLC formed in Alabama files Form 304 with Texas ($767.13 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Alabama's Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report and Texas's Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report. See the LLC filing.

The other way: Texas into Alabama

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

Questions Alabama owners ask about Texas

Does my Alabama company need to register in Texas?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

Texas calls it registration for Alabama corporations; other states say certificate of authority.

How much does the Texas registration cost?

$1,016.13 at checkout, including the $50 required expedite; Texas may also want Alabama's Certificate of Existence, at extra cost.

How long does the Texas registration take?

Typically 2 to 3 business days with Texas's required expedite, plus time for Alabama's certificate if Texas asks for it. Faster state options: next-day $500, same-day $750.

What are the yearly costs for Alabama and Texas?

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

Does Texas require a registered agent?

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

Will Texas accept my Alabama name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Alabama name at home. Texas names must include corporation, incorporated, company, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them.

Can I form a new Texas corporation instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Texas later?

Alabama companies leave by filing Form 608; until then, Texas's report stays due alongside Alabama's filings.

Official sources

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