Alabama

Foreign registration · no form number

Iowa LLC Foreign Registration in Alabama

To do business in Alabama, an LLC formed in Iowa registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $184 in state fees. Alabama needs nothing from Iowa: no Certificate of Existence. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Entities Division from your Iowa records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Iowa vs Alabama: the paperwork

	Iowa formed here	Alabama registering here
Document	Iowa Certificate of Existence (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	Iowa: online as a printable PDF right after payment	Filed online with Alabama
Office	Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division
Official page	sos.iowa.gov	sos.alabama.gov
Yearly filing	Biennial Report, $30, every two years	Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	April 1 of odd-numbered years
Agent	Your Iowa registered agent	Our Alabama registered agent

How Iowa companies register with Alabama

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

Will your Iowa name work for Alabama?

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

Agents: Alabama and Iowa

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

Yearly filings: Alabama and Iowa

Iowa wants the Biennial Report every two years ($30); Alabama wants the Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report every year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Iowa to Alabama

A corporation formed in Iowa files its own registration with Alabama ($184 in state fees, the same). After that come Iowa's Biennial Report ($60) and Alabama's Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Alabama into Iowa

An LLC formed in Alabama that registers with Iowa files Form 635_0010 with $100 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($25) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Iowa to Alabama

Does my Iowa company need to register in Alabama?

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

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

$383 at checkout, with nothing to pay Iowa.

Do I need Iowa's certificate of good standing?

No, Alabama takes the registration without it.

What are the yearly costs for Iowa and Alabama?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Iowa's report ($30, every two years) and Alabama's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with Alabama?

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

Does Alabama require a registered agent?

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

Will Alabama accept my Iowa name?

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

Can I form a new Alabama LLC instead?

Yes, but Iowa 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 Iowa's Biennial Report.

How do I withdraw from Alabama later?

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

Official sources

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