Alabama

Foreign registration · no form number

Alabama LLC Foreign Registration in Delaware

An LLC formed in Alabama that wants to do business in Delaware files a registration (no form number), with $200 in state fees. Delaware also wants Alabama's Certificate of Existence ($25), dated within 180 days. We file it with the Department of State, Division of Corporations using your Alabama records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Alabama and Delaware side by side

	Alabama formed here	Delaware registering here
Document	Alabama Certificate of Existence	Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (no form number)
State fee	$25	$200 at order
How it is handled	Alabama: online as an instant printable certificate with a seal and authentication number	Filed with Delaware
Paid expedite		24-hour $50, same-day $100, 2-hour $500, 1-hour $1,000
Office	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division	Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations
Official page	sos.alabama.gov	corp.delaware.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Yearly filing	Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year	Annual LLC Tax, $300, every year
Agent	Your Alabama registered agent	Our Delaware registered agent

From Alabama to Delaware, step by step

Order the Alabama certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($25) is ordered from Alabama separately; it is not part of our Delaware order. Ordered from Alabama on filing day, it easily meets Delaware's limit of 180 days.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Delaware registered agent, next to your Alabama name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Alabama issues the certificate instantly, so the Delaware filing can go in the same day. Once Delaware approves it, the Alabama company can do business there.

First-year cost, Alabama to Delaware

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$200
Certificate of Existence, paid to Alabama	$25
Our service, with a year of Delaware registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Alabama certificate included	$424

Delaware's paid expedite is optional and not in the total.

Your Alabama name and Delaware's rules

Delaware can hold a name for 120 days for $75 before you file.

Your Delaware agent and the Alabama one

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

Staying in good standing in Alabama and Delaware

Alabama wants the Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report every year; Delaware wants the Annual LLC Tax every year ($300). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Alabama to Delaware

A corporation formed in Alabama files its own registration with Delaware ($245 in state fees). After that come Alabama's Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT) and Delaware's Foreign Corporation Annual Report ($125). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Delaware company in Alabama

An LLC formed in Delaware that registers with Alabama files Alabama's registration (no form number) with $184 in state fees; no Delaware certificate is needed. See that filing.

Questions Alabama owners ask about Delaware

Does my Alabama company need to register in Delaware?

Yes, once an Alabama business operates there; Delaware registers it as a foreign LLC.

How much does the Delaware registration cost?

$399 at checkout plus $25 to Alabama for the Certificate of Existence, $424 in all (checkout is $200 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Alabama's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Delaware wants Alabama's Certificate of Existence ($25), no more than 180 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Alabama and Delaware?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Alabama's report (fee set by the state) and Delaware's report ($300).

What if I don't register with Delaware?

An Alabama company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Delaware can add up to $200 for each year or part of a year.

Does Delaware require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Delaware LLC instead?

Yes, but Alabama keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Delaware's Annual LLC Tax ($400), and the original keeps Alabama's yearly report.

How do I withdraw from Delaware later?

Alabama companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company; until then, Delaware's report stays due alongside Alabama's filings.

Official sources

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