Alabama

Foreign registration · no form number

Maine LLC Foreign Registration in Alabama

An LLC formed in Maine that wants to do business in Alabama files an online registration (no form number), with $184 in state fees. Alabama asks nothing of Maine here, not even the Certificate of Existence. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Entities Division using your Maine records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Maine and Alabama each ask for

	Maine formed here	Alabama registering here
Document	Maine Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$30	$184 at order (filing fee $150 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Maine: online, downloaded from the company's information summary page	Filed online with Alabama
Office	Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division
Official page	apps3.web.maine.gov	sos.alabama.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $85, every year	Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	June 1
Agent	Your Maine registered agent	Our Alabama registered agent

From Maine to Alabama, step by step

We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your Alabama registered agent, with your Maine name and formation date. Nothing has to come from Maine first, so the Alabama filing can go in right away. After approval, your Maine LLC is registered with Alabama.

Your Maine name and Alabama's rules

Alabama accepts your Maine name if it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC. If the Maine name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. If another Alabama company uses the Maine name, an alternate name is allowed. Alabama can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Your Alabama agent and the Maine one

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

Staying in good standing in Maine and Alabama

Maine wants the Annual Report every year ($85); 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, Maine to Alabama

A corporation formed in Maine files its own registration with Alabama ($184 in state fees, the same). After that come Maine's Annual Report ($85) and Alabama's Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Alabama into Maine

An LLC formed in Alabama that registers with Maine files Form MLLC-12 with $250 in state fees and a $50 required expedite, plus the Certificate of Existence ($25) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Maine owners ask about Alabama

Does my Maine company need to register in Alabama?

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

How much does the Alabama registration cost?

$383 at checkout, with nothing to pay Maine.

Do I need Maine's certificate of good standing?

No, Alabama takes the registration without it.

What are the yearly costs for Maine and Alabama?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Maine's report ($85) and Alabama's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with Alabama?

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

Does Alabama require a registered agent?

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

Will Alabama accept my Maine name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Maine 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 Maine 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 Maine's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Alabama later?

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

Official sources

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