Alabama

Foreign registration · no form number

California LLC Foreign Registration in Alabama

An LLC formed in California that wants to do business in Alabama files an online registration (no form number), with $184 in state fees. Alabama needs nothing from California: no Certificate of Status. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Entities Division from your California records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

California and Alabama side by side

	California formed here	Alabama registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status (not needed here)	Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$5	$184 at order (filing fee $150 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	California: online as a PDF within minutes, or on paper by mail or drop-off in Sacramento	Filed online with Alabama
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	sos.alabama.gov
Name endings	limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC	limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC
Yearly filing	Statement of Information (Form LLC-12), $20, every two years	Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	Last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our Alabama registered agent

From California to Alabama, step by step

We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your Alabama registered agent, with your California name and formation date. No California paperwork holds up the Alabama filing. Once Alabama approves it, the California company can do business there.

Will your California name work for Alabama?

Alabama accepts your California name if it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC. California uses the same endings, so it already fits. If Alabama's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the California company. Alabama can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Your Alabama agent and the California one

Alabama calls it a registered agent; California says agent for service of process. Alabama papers come to us; California's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in California and Alabama

California wants the Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) every two years ($20); Alabama wants the Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report every year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, California to Alabama

A corporation formed in California files its own registration with Alabama ($184 in state fees, the same). After that come California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25) and Alabama's Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT). See the corporation filing.

Registering an Alabama company in California

An LLC formed in Alabama that registers with California files Form LLC-5 with $70 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($25) dated within 180 days. See that filing.

Common questions: California to Alabama

Does my California company need to register in Alabama?

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

How much does it cost to register a California LLC in Alabama?

$383 at checkout, with nothing to pay California.

Do I need California's certificate of good standing?

No, Alabama takes the registration without it.

What are the yearly costs for California and Alabama?

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

What if I don't register with Alabama?

A California company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does Alabama require a registered agent?

Yes: the California agent for service of process stays, and ours covers Alabama for year one, with a street address there.

Will Alabama accept my California name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its California name at home. Alabama names must include limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC, the same endings California uses.

Can I form a new Alabama LLC instead?

Yes, but California keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Alabama's Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report, and the original keeps California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12).

How do I withdraw from Alabama later?

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

Official sources

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