North Carolina

Alabama

Foreign registration · no form number

North Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in Alabama

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

North Carolina and Alabama side by side

	North Carolina formed here	Alabama registering here
Document	North Carolina Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$10	$184 at order (filing fee $150 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	North Carolina: online as a downloadable electronic certified document, or on paper	Filed online with Alabama
Office	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division
Official page	sosnc.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, $203, every year	Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	April 15
Agent	Your North Carolina registered agent	Our Alabama registered agent

From North Carolina to Alabama, step by step

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

Will your North Carolina name work for Alabama?

Alabama accepts your North Carolina name if it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC. North Carolina uses the same endings, so it already fits. If another Alabama company uses the North Carolina name, an alternate name is allowed. Alabama can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Your Alabama agent and the North Carolina one

North Carolina and Alabama both call it a registered agent. Alabama papers come to us; North Carolina's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: Alabama and North Carolina

North Carolina wants the Annual Report every year ($203); 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, North Carolina to Alabama

A corporation formed in North Carolina files its own registration with Alabama ($184 in state fees, the same). After that come North Carolina's Annual Report ($25) and Alabama's Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT). See the corporation filing.

Registering an Alabama company in North Carolina

An LLC formed in Alabama that registers with North Carolina files Form L-09 with $253 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($25) dated within 180 days. See that filing.

Questions North Carolina owners ask about Alabama

Does my North Carolina company need to register in Alabama?

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

How much does the Alabama registration cost?

$383 at checkout, with nothing to pay North Carolina.

Do I need North Carolina's certificate of good standing?

No, Alabama takes the registration without it.

What are the yearly costs for North Carolina and Alabama?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), North Carolina's report ($203) and Alabama's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with Alabama?

A North Carolina company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does Alabama require a registered agent?

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

Will Alabama accept my North Carolina name?

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

Can I form a new Alabama LLC instead?

Yes, but North Carolina 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 North Carolina's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Alabama later?

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

Official sources

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