Alabama

Foreign registration · no form number

Alabama LLC Foreign Registration in Montana

To do business in Montana, an LLC formed in Alabama registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $70 in state fees. Montana needs nothing from Alabama: no Certificate of Existence. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Services using your Alabama records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Alabama and Montana each ask for

	Alabama formed here	Montana registering here
Document	Alabama Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Certificate of Authority (no form number)
State fee	$25	$70 at order
How it is handled	Alabama: online as an instant printable certificate with a seal and authentication number	Filed online with Montana
Office	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division	Montana Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	sos.alabama.gov	help.sosmt.gov
Yearly filing	Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year	Annual Report, $20, every year
Due		April 15
Agent	Your Alabama registered agent	Our Montana registered agent

From Alabama to Montana, step by step

We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Montana registered agent, next to your Alabama name and formation date. Nothing has to come from Alabama first, so the Montana filing can go in right away. Once Montana approves it, the Alabama company can do business there.

Your Alabama name and Montana's rules

We search Montana's records for Alabama's name on file before anything is filed.

Agents: Montana and Alabama

Alabama and Montana both call it a registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for Alabama; ours takes Montana's papers and notices.

Yearly filings: Montana and Alabama

Alabama wants the Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report every year; Montana wants the Annual Report every year ($20). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Alabama to Montana

A corporation formed in Alabama files its own registration with Montana ($70 in state fees, the same). After that come Alabama's Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT) and Montana's Annual Report (no fee). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Montana into Alabama

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

Common questions: Alabama to Montana

Does my Alabama company need to register in Montana?

Yes, once an Alabama business operates there; Montana does not count a one-off deal finished within 30 days.

How much does it cost to register an Alabama LLC in Montana?

$269 at checkout, with nothing to pay Alabama.

Do I need Alabama's certificate of good standing?

No, Montana takes the registration without it.

What are the yearly costs for Alabama and Montana?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Alabama's report (fee set by the state) and Montana's report ($20).

What if I don't register with Montana?

An Alabama company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Montana can add a penalty of $5 a day, up to $1,000 a year.

Does Montana require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Montana LLC instead?

Yes, but Alabama keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Montana's Annual Report ($20), and the original keeps Alabama's yearly report.

How do I withdraw from Montana later?

Alabama companies leave by filing an Application for Certificate of Withdrawal (foreign limited liability company); until then, Montana's report stays due alongside Alabama's filings.

Official sources

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