Washington Corporation Foreign Registration in Alabama

To do business in Alabama, a corporation formed in Washington registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $184 in state fees. Alabama may ask for Washington's Certificate of Existence ($20). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Entities Division using your Washington records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Washington vs Alabama: the paperwork

	Washington formed here	Alabama registering here
Document	Washington Certificate of Existence	Foreign Corporation Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$20	$184 at order (filing fee $150 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Washington: online as an instant Express download, also emailed	Filed online with Alabama
Office	Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division
Official page	ccfs.sos.wa.gov	sos.alabama.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $70, every year	Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT), fee set by the state, every year
Due	Last day of the entity's anniversary month
Agent	Your Washington registered agent	Our Alabama registered agent

How Washington companies register with Alabama

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

Your Washington name and Alabama's rules

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

Your Alabama agent and the Washington one

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

Staying in good standing in Washington and Alabama

Washington wants the Annual Report every year ($70); Alabama wants the Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT) every year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Washington to Alabama

An LLC formed in Washington files its own registration with Alabama ($184 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Washington's Annual Report ($70) and Alabama's Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report. See the LLC filing.

The other way: Alabama into Washington

A corporation formed in Alabama that registers with Washington files Washington's registration (no form number) with $200 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($25) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Questions Washington owners ask about Alabama

Does my Washington company need to register in Alabama?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

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

$383 at checkout; Alabama may also want Washington's Certificate of Existence, at extra cost.

What are the yearly costs for Washington and Alabama?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Washington's report ($70) and Alabama's report (fee set by the state).

Does Alabama require a registered agent?

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

Will Alabama accept my Washington name?

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

Can I form a new Alabama corporation instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Alabama later?

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

Official sources

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