Alabama

Foreign registration · no form number

Florida LLC Foreign Registration in Alabama

Alabama registers an LLC from Florida as a foreign LLC on an online registration (no form number), with $184 in state fees. Alabama asks nothing of Florida here, not even the Certificate of Status. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Entities Division using your Florida records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Florida and Alabama side by side

	Florida formed here	Alabama registering here
Document	Florida 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	Florida: online, emailed as a PDF once payment goes through	Filed online with Alabama
Office	Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), Registration Section	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division
Official page	dos.fl.gov	sos.alabama.gov
Name endings	Limited Liability Company, L.L.C. or LLC	limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $138.75, every year	Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	May 1
Agent	Your Florida registered agent	Our Alabama registered agent

From Florida to Alabama, step by step

We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Alabama registered agent, next to your Florida name and formation date. No Florida paperwork holds up the Alabama filing. After approval, your Florida LLC is registered with Alabama.

Your Florida name and Alabama's rules

Alabama accepts your Florida name if it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC. Florida'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 Alabama's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Florida company. Alabama can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Agents: Alabama and Florida

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

Staying in good standing in Florida and Alabama

Florida wants the Annual Report every year ($138.75); 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, Florida to Alabama

A corporation formed in Florida files its own registration with Alabama ($184 in state fees, the same). After that come Florida's Annual Report ($150) and Alabama's Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT). See the corporation filing.

Registering an Alabama company in Florida

An LLC formed in Alabama that registers with Florida files Form CR2E027 with $125 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($25) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Florida owners ask about Alabama

Does my Florida company need to register in Alabama?

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

How much does the Alabama registration cost?

$383 at checkout, with nothing to pay Florida.

Do I need Florida's certificate of good standing?

No, Alabama takes the registration without it.

What are the yearly costs for Florida and Alabama?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Florida's report ($138.75) and Alabama's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with Alabama?

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

Does Alabama require a registered agent?

Yes: the Florida registered agent stays, and ours covers Alabama for year one, with a street address there.

Will Alabama accept my Florida name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Florida name at home. Alabama names must include limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC; “limited liability company” works in both states.

Can I form a new Alabama LLC instead?

Yes, but Florida 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 Florida's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Alabama later?

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

Official sources

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