South Carolina

Alabama

Foreign registration · no form number

South Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in Alabama

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

South Carolina vs Alabama: the paperwork

	South Carolina formed here	Alabama registering here
Document	South 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	South Carolina: online	Filed online with Alabama
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	sos.alabama.gov
Yearly filing	No annual report	Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Agent	Your South Carolina agent for service of process	Our Alabama registered agent

How South Carolina companies register with Alabama

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

Will your South Carolina name work for Alabama?

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

Agents: Alabama and South Carolina

Alabama calls it a registered agent; South Carolina says agent for service of process. Your current agent for service of process stays for South Carolina; ours takes Alabama's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in South Carolina and Alabama

South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs; 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, South Carolina to Alabama

A corporation formed in South Carolina files its own registration with Alabama ($184 in state fees, the same). After that come South Carolina's Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) and Alabama's Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Alabama into South Carolina

An LLC formed in Alabama that registers with South Carolina files Form F0008 with $110 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($25) dated within 30 days. See that filing.

Questions South Carolina owners ask about Alabama

Does my South Carolina company need to register in Alabama?

Yes, once a South 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 South Carolina.

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

No, Alabama takes the registration without it.

What are the yearly costs for South Carolina and Alabama?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), no South Carolina yearly report and Alabama's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with Alabama?

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

Does Alabama require a registered agent?

Yes: the South Carolina agent for service of process stays, and ours covers Alabama for year one, with a street address there.

Will Alabama accept my South Carolina name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its South Carolina 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 South 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 South Carolina has no yearly report for the original.

How do I withdraw from Alabama later?

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

Official sources

People also search

LLC into Alabama, by home state (48)

South Carolina into other states (47)

The same move for a corporation