Alabama

Foreign registration · no form number

Louisiana Corporation Foreign Registration in Alabama

Alabama registers a corporation from Louisiana as a foreign corporation on an online registration (no form number), with $184 in state fees. Alabama may ask for Louisiana's Certificate of Good Standing ($25). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Entities Division from your Louisiana records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Louisiana vs Alabama: the paperwork

	Louisiana formed here	Alabama registering here
Document	Louisiana Certificate of Good Standing	Foreign Corporation Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$25	$184 at order (filing fee $150 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Louisiana: online or by mail	Filed online with Alabama
Office	Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division
Official page	sos.la.gov	sos.alabama.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $30, every year	Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT), fee set by the state, every year
Due	On or before the anniversary of the date of incorporation
Agent	Your Louisiana registered agent	Our Alabama registered agent

From Louisiana to Alabama, step by step

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

Your Louisiana name and Alabama's rules

If another Alabama company uses the Louisiana name, an alternate name is allowed. Alabama can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Agents: Alabama and Louisiana

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

Yearly filings: Alabama and Louisiana

Louisiana wants the Annual Report every year ($30); Alabama wants the Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT) every year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Louisiana to Alabama

An LLC formed in Louisiana files its own registration with Alabama ($184 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Louisiana's Annual Report ($40) and Alabama's Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report. See the LLC filing.

Registering an Alabama company in Louisiana

A corporation formed in Alabama that registers with Louisiana files Form 326 with $160 in state fees. See that filing.

Questions Louisiana owners ask about Alabama

Does my Louisiana company need to register in Alabama?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does the Alabama registration cost?

$383 at checkout; Alabama may also want Louisiana's Certificate of Good Standing, at extra cost.

What are the yearly costs for Louisiana and Alabama?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Louisiana's report ($30) and Alabama's report (fee set by the state).

Does Alabama require a registered agent?

Yes: the Louisiana registered agent stays, and ours covers Alabama for year one, with a street address there.

Will Alabama accept my Louisiana name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Louisiana name at home.

Can I form a new Alabama corporation instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Alabama later?

Louisiana companies leave by filing a Foreign Corporation Certificate of Withdrawal; until then, Alabama's report stays due alongside Louisiana's filings.

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC