Alabama

Foreign registration · no form number

Pennsylvania LLC Foreign Registration in Alabama

An LLC formed in Pennsylvania that wants to do business in Alabama files an online registration (no form number), with $184 in state fees. Alabama needs nothing from Pennsylvania: no Subsistence Certificate. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Entities Division using your Pennsylvania records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Pennsylvania vs Alabama: the paperwork

	Pennsylvania formed here	Alabama registering here
Document	Pennsylvania Subsistence Certificate (not needed here)	Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$40	$184 at order (filing fee $150 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Pennsylvania: online through Business Filing Services, or by mail on the copy and certificate request form	Filed online with Alabama
Office	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division
Official page	file.dos.pa.gov	sos.alabama.gov
Name endings	the term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state	limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $7, every year	Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	September 30
Agent	Your Pennsylvania registered office	Our Alabama registered agent

How Pennsylvania companies register with Alabama

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

Will your Pennsylvania name work for Alabama?

Alabama accepts your Pennsylvania name if it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC. Pennsylvania's list (the term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state) 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 Pennsylvania company. Alabama can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Your Alabama agent and the Pennsylvania one

Alabama calls it a registered agent; Pennsylvania says registered office. Your current registered office stays for Pennsylvania; ours takes Alabama's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in Pennsylvania and Alabama

Pennsylvania wants the Annual Report every year ($7); 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, Pennsylvania to Alabama

A corporation formed in Pennsylvania files its own registration with Alabama ($184 in state fees, the same). After that come Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7) and Alabama's Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT). See the corporation filing.

Registering an Alabama company in Pennsylvania

An LLC formed in Alabama that registers with Pennsylvania files Form DSCB:15-412 with $250 in state fees; no Alabama certificate is needed. See that filing.

Questions Pennsylvania owners ask about Alabama

Does my Pennsylvania company need to register in Alabama?

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

How much does the Alabama registration cost?

$383 at checkout, with nothing to pay Pennsylvania.

Do I need Pennsylvania's certificate of good standing?

No, Alabama takes the registration without it.

What are the yearly costs for Pennsylvania and Alabama?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Pennsylvania's report ($7) and Alabama's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with Alabama?

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

Does Alabama require a registered agent?

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

Will Alabama accept my Pennsylvania name?

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

How do I withdraw from Alabama later?

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

Official sources

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