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LLC 101 Guide

Unit 3 · Alabama

Foreign LLC Registration in Alabama (2026): 4 Tasks and the 3 Best Services

Short answer for 2026: if you want help registering an out-of-state LLC in Alabama, go with Mainstay Filing ($199), AL Registered Agent.org ($199) and Alabama Registered Agent.co ($199), ranked best first. Plan on 4 tasks and a $150 filing fee.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Key facts for this unit

Cost to register
$150
Taken from sos.alabama.gov in October 2026
Yearly filing
None
Business privilege tax return
Three-year state cost
$150
State charges only
Task count
4
In order

You will leave able to

  • When the rule kicks in
  • The form and the fee
  • The recurring filing
  • The services at the top of the class

If you want someone else to file

Five published criteria decide the order; read them on how we grade.

Top of the class

1. Mainstay Filing: best for several registrations

Best overall$199 and the $150 state fee, then $149 yearly

Mainstay Filing earns the top grade in Alabama: $199 beyond the state fee in any state, with year one of the agent included.

Against AL Registered Agent.org the three-year premium is $100, outweighed by the 31% weight on assignments completed.

After the free first year, the agent costs $149 a year in any state.

What the price covers

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • The registered agent costs nothing in year one
  • A service for all fifty states

What works

  • Any state, one fee
  • First year of the agent is included
  • $199 to register

What to weigh

  • A pricier agent renewal ($149)
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. AL Registered Agent.org: best for a budget registration

Alabama specialist$199 and the $150 state fee, then $99 yearly

AL Registered Agent.org takes second place: $199 over the state fee to register, then $99 yearly.

What the price covers

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • Agent covered in year one
  • $199 and the state fee
  • A small $99 renewal

What to weigh

  • No help in other states
Visit AL Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. Alabama Registered Agent.co: best for registering only in Alabama

Alabama specialist$199 and the $150 state fee, then $99 yearly

Alabama Registered Agent.co takes third place: $199 over the state fee to register, then $99 yearly.

It charges exactly what AL Registered Agent.org charges.

What the price covers

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • $199 and the state fee
  • A small $99 renewal
  • Agent covered in year one

What to weigh

  • No help in other states
Visit Alabama Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services, side by side

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2AL Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit AL Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Alabama Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Alabama Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Each company's posted price on November 13, 2026. The $150 state fee is left out of the figures.

Registering with Alabama, task by task

  1. Task 1

    Does the rule apply to you?

    Vocabulary: a foreign LLC is one formed in a different state. It registers before it does business in Alabama. What happens when an LLC operates unregistered: Until it registers, the LLC cannot bring a lawsuit in Alabama courts (Ala. Code 10A-1-7.21(a)). Contracts it has already signed still hold (Ala. Code 10A-1-7.21(b)).

    Source: Taken from revenue.alabama.gov in October 2026

  2. Task 2

    Arrange an Alabama registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a street address in Alabama where papers can be handed to the agent. P.O. boxes are not accepted, and an agent cannot work only through a virtual office or a mail-forwarding service.

    The picks above supply one.

    Source: Taken from alisondb.legislature.state.al.us in October 2026

  3. Task 3

    Work through the Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) Application for Registration

    the Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division receives the form and the $150 fee together.

    Source: Taken from sos.alabama.gov in October 2026

  4. Task 4

    Handle Alabama's recurring filing

    You keep the registration going by filing the business privilege tax return, same date as the federal return.

What each task costs in Alabama

TaskPayeeSum
Filing to registerState agency$150
Service fees (optional)Service$199 at the start
State fees for the first three yearsState agency$150
State fees were read from the official pages named in the sources. Three years means the filing, two years of reports and the minimum tax where there is one.

Why the list runs this way

Assignments the price completes settled first place in Alabama. It is worth 31% of the grade, and the other 69% comes from course fee across three years, second-year fee, match with the state syllabus and plain pricing.

Your LLC was formed in one state and works in another, so a provider that serves both scored highest.

Check your Alabama answers

What is Alabama's fee for a foreign LLC?

$150 to the state. Our recommended services add $199.

Which form do I file to register?

One form does the job, and the Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division is where it goes.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

Until it registers, the LLC cannot bring a lawsuit in Alabama courts (Ala. Code 10A-1-7.21(a)). Contracts it has already signed still hold (Ala. Code 10A-1-7.21(b)).

What is due after registering?

Next comes the business privilege tax return.

Which services are in this lesson?

3 services are graded: Mainstay Filing at $199, AL Registered Agent.org at $199 and Alabama Registered Agent.co at $199.

Which service should handle the registration?

Mainstay Filing, AL Registered Agent.org and Alabama Registered Agent.co, from highest grade to lowest.

Reading list and sources

  1. Everything about Alabama formation fee: Filing fee, official source above traces to alison.legislature.state.al.us, a page we reread in October 2026.
  2. Everything about Alabama formation fee: Filing fee, official source above traces to sos.alabama.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  3. Everything about Alabama formation fee: Name reservation, official source above traces to sos.alabama.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  4. Everything about Alabama formation fee: Name reservation, official source above traces to alison.legislature.state.al.us, a page we reread in October 2026.
  5. Everything about Alabama registered agent statute above traces to alisondb.legislature.state.al.us, a page we reread in October 2026.
  6. Everything about Alabama Secretary of State, LLC filings above traces to sos.alabama.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  7. Everything about Foreign LLC Application for Registration above traces to sos.alabama.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  8. Everything about Secretary of State Online Services above traces to alabamainteractive.org, a page we reread in October 2026.
  9. Everything about Code of Alabama, section 10A-1-7.01 above traces to alison.legislature.state.al.us, a page we reread in October 2026.
  10. Everything about Department of Revenue, business privilege tax notice above traces to revenue.alabama.gov, a page we reread in October 2026.
  11. Everything about Code of Alabama, section 10A-1-7.21 above traces to alison.legislature.state.al.us, a page we reread in November 2026.
  12. We opened the Alabama service page at Mainstay Filing on November 13, 2026
  13. We opened the pricing page at AL Registered Agent.org on November 13, 2026
  14. We opened the pricing page at Alabama Registered Agent.co on November 13, 2026