Tennessee

Alabama

Foreign registration · no form number

Tennessee LLC Foreign Registration in Alabama

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

Tennessee vs Alabama: the paperwork

	Tennessee formed here	Alabama registering here
Document	Tennessee Certificate of Existence (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	Tennessee: online or by mail	Filed online with Alabama
Office	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division
Official page	sos.tn.gov	sos.alabama.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $300, every year	Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Agent	Your Tennessee registered agent	Our Alabama registered agent

From Tennessee to Alabama, step by step

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

Will your Tennessee name work for Alabama?

Alabama accepts your Tennessee name if it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC. If the Tennessee name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. If Alabama's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Tennessee company. Alabama can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Your Alabama agent and the Tennessee one

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

Staying in good standing in Tennessee and Alabama

Tennessee wants the Annual Report every year ($300); 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, Tennessee to Alabama

A corporation formed in Tennessee files its own registration with Alabama ($184 in state fees, the same). After that come Tennessee's Annual Report ($20) and Alabama's Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Alabama into Tennessee

An LLC formed in Alabama that registers with Tennessee files Form SS-4233 with $300 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($25) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Tennessee to Alabama

Does my Tennessee company need to register in Alabama?

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

How much does the Alabama registration cost?

$383 at checkout, with nothing to pay Tennessee.

Do I need Tennessee's certificate of good standing?

No, Alabama takes the registration without it.

What are the yearly costs for Tennessee and Alabama?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Tennessee's report ($300) and Alabama's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with Alabama?

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

Does Alabama require a registered agent?

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

Will Alabama accept my Tennessee name?

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

How do I withdraw from Alabama later?

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

Official sources

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