Alabama

Foreign registration · no form number

Alabama LLC Foreign Registration in Massachusetts

To do business in Massachusetts, an LLC formed in Alabama registers there on a paper registration (no form number), with $520 in state fees. Massachusetts also wants Alabama's Certificate of Existence ($25), dated within 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division from your Alabama records, then serve as your resident agent there for year one.

Alabama and Massachusetts side by side

	Alabama formed here	Massachusetts registering here
Document	Alabama Certificate of Existence	Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$25	$520 at order (filing fee $500 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Alabama: online as an instant printable certificate with a seal and authentication number	Filed on Massachusetts's paper form
Paid expedite		$20
Office	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division
Official page	sos.alabama.gov	sec.state.ma.us
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year	Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $500, every year
Due		On or before the anniversary date of registration to do business in Massachusetts
Agent	Your Alabama registered agent	Our Massachusetts resident agent

How Alabama companies register with Massachusetts

Order the Alabama certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($25) is ordered from Alabama separately; it is not part of our Massachusetts order. An instant Alabama certificate reaches Massachusetts only hours old, well inside the limit of 90 days.
We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your Massachusetts resident agent, with your Alabama name and formation date and the certificate attached. Alabama issues the certificate instantly, so the Massachusetts filing can go in the same day. After approval, your Alabama LLC is registered with Massachusetts.

Massachusetts costs for Alabama companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$520
Certificate of Existence, paid to Alabama	$25
Our service, with a year of Massachusetts resident agent service	$199
First-year total, Alabama certificate included	$744

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

Your Alabama name and Massachusetts's rules

Massachusetts can hold a name for $30 before you file.

Your Massachusetts agent and the Alabama one

Massachusetts calls it a resident agent; Alabama says registered agent. Massachusetts papers come to us; Alabama's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in Alabama and Massachusetts

Alabama wants the Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report every year; Massachusetts wants the Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year ($500). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

The other way: Massachusetts into Alabama

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

Questions Alabama owners ask about Massachusetts

Does my Alabama company need to register in Massachusetts?

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

How much does the Massachusetts registration cost?

$719 at checkout plus $25 to Alabama for the Certificate of Existence, $744 in all (checkout is $520 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Alabama's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Massachusetts wants Alabama's Certificate of Existence ($25), no more than 90 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Alabama and Massachusetts?

Our resident agent renewal ($149 a year), Alabama's report (fee set by the state) and Massachusetts's report ($500).

What if I don't register with Massachusetts?

An Alabama company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Massachusetts can add a civil penalty of up to $500.

Does Massachusetts require a registered agent?

Yes: the Alabama registered agent stays, and ours covers Massachusetts for year one.

Can I form a new Massachusetts LLC instead?

Yes, but Alabama keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520), and the original keeps Alabama's yearly report.

How do I withdraw from Massachusetts later?

Alabama companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal ($100); until then, Massachusetts's report stays due alongside Alabama's filings.

Official sources

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