Massachusetts Corporation Foreign Registration in Alabama

Alabama registers a corporation from Massachusetts as a foreign corporation on an online registration (no form number), with $184 in state fees. Alabama may ask for Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($12). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Entities Division from your Massachusetts records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Massachusetts vs Alabama: the paperwork

	Massachusetts formed here	Alabama registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Foreign Corporation Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$12	$184 at order (filing fee $150 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed online with Alabama
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	sos.alabama.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $125, every year	Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT), fee set by the state, every year
Due	Within 2.5 months after the close of the corporation's fiscal year
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our Alabama registered agent

From Massachusetts to Alabama, step by step

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

Will your Massachusetts name work for Alabama?

If Alabama's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Massachusetts company. Alabama can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Your Alabama agent and the Massachusetts one

Alabama calls it a registered agent; Massachusetts says resident agent. Your current resident agent stays for Massachusetts; ours takes Alabama's papers and notices.

Yearly filings: Alabama and Massachusetts

Massachusetts wants the Annual Report every year ($125); Alabama wants the Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT) every year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to Alabama

An LLC formed in Massachusetts files its own registration with Alabama ($184 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and Alabama's Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report. See the LLC filing.

Common questions: Massachusetts to Alabama

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in Alabama?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does it cost to register a Massachusetts corporation in Alabama?

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

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and Alabama?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Massachusetts's report ($125) and Alabama's report (fee set by the state).

Does Alabama require a registered agent?

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

Will Alabama accept my Massachusetts name?

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

Can I form a new Alabama corporation instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Alabama later?

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

Official sources

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