How to Register a Foreign LLC in Alabama (2026): 4 Steps and the 3 Best Services
AL Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Alabama Registered Agent.co ($199) are our 2026 picks, in that order, for registering a foreign LLC in Alabama. After the picks: 4 steps and a $150 state fee.
Company prices as published on November 12, 2026. The $150 state fee is extra in every row.
How to register in Alabama
Step1
Step 1: Check that registration applies
If your LLC was formed outside Alabama and does business there, it needs a foreign registration first. Without registration: An unregistered LLC cannot bring a suit there (Ala. Code 10A-1-7.21(a)). The company's contracts remain enforceable (Ala. Code 10A-1-7.21(b)).
Step 2: Get a registered agent with an Alabama address
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.
Step 3: Complete the Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) Application for Registration
This filing, the Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) Application for Registration, costs $150 at the Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division.
Registered foreign LLCs file the business privilege tax return, same date as the federal return.
Step-by-step costs
Cost item
Payee
Cost
Registering the LLC
The state
$150
Filing service (optional)
Your service
$199 up front
Three years of state fees
The state
$150
State amounts come from Alabama's official schedules (see References). The three-year state line adds the filing, the reports due in years two and three and any yearly minimum tax.
Why AL Registered Agent.org comes first
The grade turned on three-year cost (30%), where AL Registered Agent.org came out ahead of Mainstay Filing.
AL Registered Agent.org wins the cost grade: $397 for three years against $100 more with Mainstay Filing.
Questions students ask
What does it cost to register a foreign LLC in Alabama?
$150 for the filing. Services on this page charge $199 more.
Which form do I file to register?
You submit the Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) Application for Registration to the Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division.
What if the LLC does business there without registering?
An unregistered LLC cannot bring a suit there (Ala. Code 10A-1-7.21(a)). The company's contracts remain enforceable (Ala. Code 10A-1-7.21(b)).
What is due after registering?
Your next filing is the business privilege tax return.
Which services are in this lesson?
The picks are AL Registered Agent.org, Mainstay Filing and Alabama Registered Agent.co; prices are in the table above.
Which service should handle the registration?
We'd go with AL Registered Agent.org, because it files the Alabama registration for $199 with a year of agent service and renews at $99. Then Mainstay Filing and Alabama Registered Agent.co.