Alabama

Foreign registration · no form number

Alabama LLC Foreign Registration in South Dakota

To do business in South Dakota, an LLC formed in Alabama registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South Dakota also wants Alabama's Certificate of Existence ($25). We file it with the Secretary of State from your Alabama records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Alabama and South Dakota side by side

	Alabama formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	Alabama Certificate of Existence	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign LLC) (no form number)
State fee	$25	$750 at order
How it is handled	Alabama: online as an instant printable certificate with a seal and authentication number	Filed online with South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	sos.alabama.gov	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Name endings	limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC	'limited liability company', 'limited company', or one of the abbreviations L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC (limited may be written Ltd. and company Co.)
Yearly filing	Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year	Annual Report, $55, every year
Due		During the entity's anniversary month each year
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Online processing: immediately
Agent	Your Alabama registered agent	Our South Dakota registered agent

How Alabama companies register with South Dakota

Order the Alabama certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($25) is ordered from Alabama separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. South Dakota wants the Alabama certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your South Dakota registered agent, next to your Alabama name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Alabama issues the certificate instantly, so the South Dakota filing can go in the same day. Once South Dakota approves it, the Alabama company can do business there.

First-year cost, Alabama to South Dakota

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Certificate of Existence, paid to Alabama	$25
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Alabama certificate included	$974

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

Will your Alabama name work for South Dakota?

South Dakota accepts your Alabama name if it includes 'limited liability company', 'limited company', or one of the abbreviations L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC (limited may be written Ltd. and company Co.). 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. If another South Dakota company uses the Alabama name, an alternate name is allowed. South Dakota can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Agents: South Dakota and Alabama

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

Yearly filings: South Dakota and Alabama

Alabama wants the Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report every year; South Dakota wants the Annual Report every year ($55). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Alabama to South Dakota

A corporation formed in Alabama files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($25)). After that come Alabama's Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT) and South Dakota's Annual Report. See the corporation filing.

Registering a South Dakota company in Alabama

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

Questions Alabama owners ask about South Dakota

Does my Alabama company need to register in South Dakota?

Yes, once an Alabama business operates there; South Dakota law lists 10 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the South Dakota registration cost?

$949 at checkout plus $25 to Alabama for the Certificate of Existence, $974 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Alabama's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Dakota wants Alabama's Certificate of Existence ($25), current at filing.

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

South Dakota approves online filings immediately; Alabama's certificate is an instant download, so there is no wait before filing. Paid expedite: $50.

What are the yearly costs for Alabama and South Dakota?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Alabama's report (fee set by the state) and South Dakota's report ($55).

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will South Dakota accept my Alabama name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Alabama name at home. South Dakota names must include 'limited liability company', 'limited company', or one of the abbreviations L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC (limited may be written Ltd. and company Co.); “limited liability company” works in both states.

Can I form a new South Dakota LLC instead?

Yes, but Alabama keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files South Dakota's Annual Report ($55), and the original keeps Alabama's yearly report.

How do I withdraw from South Dakota later?

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

Official sources

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