Alabama

Foreign registration · no form number

North Dakota LLC Foreign Registration in Alabama

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

What North Dakota and Alabama each ask for

	North Dakota formed here	Alabama registering here
Document	North Dakota Certificate of Good Standing (not needed here)	Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$20	$184 at order (filing fee $150 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	North Dakota: online	Filed online with Alabama
Office	North Dakota Secretary of State	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division
Official page	firststop.sos.nd.gov	sos.alabama.gov
Name endings	the words limited liability company, or LLC or L.L.C.	limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $50, every year	Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	November 15
Agent	Your North Dakota registered agent	Our Alabama registered agent

From North Dakota to Alabama, step by step

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

Your North Dakota name and Alabama's rules

Alabama accepts your North Dakota name if it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC. North Dakota's list (the words limited liability company, or LLC or L.L.C.) is not the same, but an ending such as “limited liability company” works in both states. If another Alabama company uses the North Dakota name, an alternate name is allowed. Alabama can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Your Alabama agent and the North Dakota one

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

Staying in good standing in North Dakota and Alabama

North Dakota wants the Annual Report every year ($50); 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 Dakota to Alabama

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

The other way: Alabama into North Dakota

An LLC formed in Alabama that registers with North Dakota files North Dakota's registration (no form number) with $135 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($25). See that filing.

Common questions: North Dakota to Alabama

Does my North Dakota company need to register in Alabama?

Yes, once a North Dakota 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 Dakota.

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

No, Alabama takes the registration without it.

What are the yearly costs for North Dakota and Alabama?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), North Dakota's report ($50) and Alabama's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with Alabama?

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

Does Alabama require a registered agent?

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

Will Alabama accept my North Dakota name?

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

How do I withdraw from Alabama later?

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

Official sources

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