01 · jurisdiction profile

Alabama business filings, made easier to navigate.

This is the practical starting point for researching entities administered by Alabama Secretary of State, Business Services, Business Entities Division. Find the public search tool, understand the state’s filing rhythm, and plan the evidence and maintenance steps that follow.

Open official entity search ↗

Domestic LLC

$200.00 Alabama Secretary of State filing fee. The official page does not publish a separate paper-versus-online base fee; online formation is available and the same statutory filing fee applies, with card or online-service charges, if any, shown at checkout. A name reservation is required before the Certificate of Formation.

Domestic corporation

$200.00 for a domestic business corporation Certificate of Formation. Alabama requires the legal name to contain Corporation, Incorporated, Corp., or Inc., and the filing must include the name-reservation certificate. The official page does not identify a stock-authorized-share surcharge for the standard filing.

Standard turnaround

No fixed statewide service-level time is stated on the reviewed SOS pages. Online submissions can generate or print formation documents through the business-services workflow; paper filings are processed after receipt and may take longer. The entity is not legally formed until the Secretary of State accepts the filing and assigns an Entity ID/status.

Executive overview

What this state profile helps you decide

A state registry profile has two jobs. First, it tells you where the official record lives and how to search it. Second, it gives you enough compliance context to understand what the record means after you find it.

For Alabama, the filing office is Alabama Secretary of State, Business Services, Business Entities Division. The current public-facing portal is powered or identified as Alabama Government Records Inquiry System (state-hosted legacy CGI portal). The agency page and search engine should be treated as the final source for live forms, accepted payment methods, processing queues, and entity-specific notices.

Use this page when you need a high-level answer. Use the linked modules when you are preparing an actual filing, trying to cure a delinquency, ordering documentary evidence, or changing the statutory agent.

State filing snapshot

The numbers and obligations to surface first

Decision point	What the current profile says
Domestic formation	LLC: $200.00 Alabama Secretary of State filing fee. The official page does not publish a separate paper-versus-online base fee; online formation is available and the same statutory filing fee applies, with card or online-service charges, if any, shown at checkout. A name reservation is required before the Certificate of Formation. Corporation: $200.00 for a domestic business corporation Certificate of Formation. Alabama requires the legal name to contain Corporation, Incorporated, Corp., or Inc., and the filing must include the name-reservation certificate. The official page does not identify a stock-authorized-share surcharge for the standard filing.
Foreign qualification	LLC: $150.00 for a Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration, filed with two original copies and a qualifying name reservation certificate. The foreign LLC name must end in Limited Liability Company, L.L.C., or LLC. The application may be filed online for the same $150.00 filing fee or by mail to Business Entities Division. Corporation: $150.00 for a Foreign Corporation registration/application for certificate of authority. The applicant should first reserve the name; the paper name reservation is $25.00 and the online reservation is $28.00. Alabama requires the application in duplicate and a name-reservation certificate dated within the permitted period.
Recurring maintenance	LLC: Alabama does not require corporations or ordinary LLCs to file an annual report with the Secretary of State. Instead, applicable LLCs file the Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report with the Department of Revenue. For a calendar-year limited-liability entity, the privilege-tax return is generally due April 15, and the initial return is due within two and one-half months after organization, qualification, registration, or beginning business. For tax years beginning after December 31, 2023, taxpayers whose calculated privilege tax is $100 or less are exempt from the tax and generally need not file the return. The recurring amount is therefore tax-based rather than a uniform SOS annual-report fee. Corporation: There is no separate Alabama Secretary of State corporate annual report fee for ordinary corporations after the 2024 filing changes. Applicable corporations file Form CPT or Form PPT with the Alabama Department of Revenue as part of the Business Privilege Tax system. The due date follows the entity's federal return structure; for a calendar-year C corporation, the business-privilege-tax return is generally due April 15, while S corporations and pass-through entities generally follow the applicable March/April federal schedule. Tax due is not postponed by a filing extension. The tax exemption for liabilities of $100 or less may eliminate the filing obligation for qualifying post-2023 periods.
Registered agent	An Alabama registered agent must be eligible under Title 10A and maintain a registered office in Alabama where process can be served. The agent may be an individual resident of Alabama or an eligible domestic or foreign entity authorized to transact business in Alabama, subject to statutory exclusions and the entity-type rules. The registered office is a physical street address, not merely a post-office box, and agent name/address information is public in the SOS record. The agent must reliably receive service and official notices; using an unreliable nominee creates litigation and status risk.

Choose your next guide

01↗

Business lookup

A focused Alabama operating guide for business lookup.

02↗

Annual reports

A focused Alabama operating guide for annual reports.

03↗

Good standing

A focused Alabama operating guide for good standing.

04↗

Registered agent

A focused Alabama operating guide for registered agent.

Formation is the beginning, not the compliance plan

The cheapest formation route is not always the simplest operating route. Before filing, confirm the name standard, statutory agent requirements, authorized-share or member information, local licensing, tax registrations, and any professional-entity restrictions that apply to the planned activity.

After formation, calendar the first report or statement immediately. A newly created entity may have a first-year exception, an anniversary-month due date, a quarterly filing window, or a separate tax obligation. Treat the agency record, revenue department account, and local license file as related—but separate—workstreams.

How to use the official record responsibly

Save the entity ID, legal name, status, registered agent and office, formation or qualification date, and the most recent filed document. When a third party asks for “proof,” ask whether it needs a current certificate, certified charter, tax clearance, apostille, or a plain search result. Those are different documents with different evidentiary value.