West Virginia Corporation Foreign Registration in Alabama

A corporation formed in West Virginia that wants to do business in Alabama files an online registration (no form number), with $184 in state fees. Alabama may ask for West Virginia's Certificate of Existence ($10). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Entities Division from your West Virginia records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

West Virginia and Alabama side by side

	West Virginia formed here	Alabama registering here
Document	West Virginia Certificate of Existence	Foreign Corporation Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$10	$184 at order (filing fee $150 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	West Virginia: in about 5 to 10 business days, with 24-hour, 2-hour and 1-hour expedite options	Filed online with Alabama
Office	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division
Official page	sos.wv.gov	sos.alabama.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $25, every two years	Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT), fee set by the state, every year
Due	July 1 each year
Agent	Your West Virginia agent for service of process	Our Alabama registered agent

How West Virginia companies register with Alabama

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

Your West Virginia name and Alabama's rules

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

Agents: Alabama and West Virginia

Alabama calls it a registered agent; West Virginia says agent for service of process. Alabama papers come to us; West Virginia's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: Alabama and West Virginia

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

LLC or corporation, West Virginia to Alabama

An LLC formed in West Virginia files its own registration with Alabama ($184 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come West Virginia's Annual Report ($26) and Alabama's Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report. See the LLC filing.

The other way: Alabama into West Virginia

A corporation formed in Alabama that registers with West Virginia files Form CF-1 with $101 in state fees. See that filing.

Questions West Virginia owners ask about Alabama

Does my West Virginia company need to register in Alabama?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

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

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

What are the yearly costs for West Virginia and Alabama?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), West Virginia's report ($25, every two years) and Alabama's report (fee set by the state).

Does Alabama require a registered agent?

Yes: the West Virginia agent for service of process stays, and ours covers Alabama for year one, with a street address there.

Will Alabama accept my West Virginia name?

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

Can I form a new Alabama corporation instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Alabama later?

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

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC