Alabama

Foreign registration · Form DSCB:15-412

Alabama LLC Foreign Registration in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania registers an LLC from Alabama as a foreign LLC on Form DSCB:15-412, with $250 in state fees. Pennsylvania needs nothing from Alabama: no Certificate of Existence. We file it with the Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations using your Alabama records and act as your registered office there for the first year.

Alabama and Pennsylvania side by side

	Alabama formed here	Pennsylvania registering here
Document	Alabama Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Form DSCB:15-412, Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$25	$250 at order
How it is handled	Alabama: online as an instant printable certificate with a seal and authentication number	Filed with Pennsylvania
Paid expedite		same-day $100, 3-hour $300, 1-hour $1,000
Office	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations
Official page	sos.alabama.gov	pa.gov
Name endings	limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC	the term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state
Yearly filing	Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year	Annual Report, $7, every year
Due		September 30
Agent	Your Alabama registered agent	Our Pennsylvania registered office

How Alabama companies register with Pennsylvania

We prepare and file Form DSCB:15-412
It names us as your Pennsylvania registered office, with your Alabama name and formation date. No Alabama paperwork holds up the Pennsylvania filing. Once Pennsylvania approves it, the Alabama company can do business there.

Your Alabama name and Pennsylvania's rules

Pennsylvania accepts your Alabama name if it includes the term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state. Alabama's list (limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC) is not the same, but an ending such as “limited liability company” works in both states. We check your exact Alabama name against Pennsylvania's records before filing.

Agents: Pennsylvania and Alabama

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

Staying in good standing in Alabama and Pennsylvania

Alabama wants the Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report every year; Pennsylvania wants the Annual Report every year ($7). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Alabama to Pennsylvania

A corporation formed in Alabama files Form DSCB:15-412 with Pennsylvania ($250 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Alabama's Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT) and Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Pennsylvania into Alabama

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

Questions Alabama owners ask about Pennsylvania

Does my Alabama company need to register in Pennsylvania?

Yes, once an Alabama business operates there; Pennsylvania law lists 12 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the Pennsylvania registration cost?

$449 at checkout, with nothing to pay Alabama.

Do I need Alabama's certificate of good standing?

No, Pennsylvania takes Form DSCB:15-412 without it.

What are the yearly costs for Alabama and Pennsylvania?

Our registered office renewal ($149 a year), Alabama's report (fee set by the state) and Pennsylvania's report ($7).

What if I don't register with Pennsylvania?

An Alabama company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does Pennsylvania require a registered agent?

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

Will Pennsylvania accept my Alabama name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes the term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state; “limited liability company” works in both states.

Can I form a new Pennsylvania LLC instead?

Yes, but Alabama keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7), and the original keeps Alabama's yearly report.

How do I withdraw from Pennsylvania later?

Alabama companies leave by filing a Statement of Withdrawal of Foreign Registration; until then, Pennsylvania's report stays due alongside Alabama's filings.

Official sources

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