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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 3 · Alabama

Foreign LLC Registration Walkthrough, Alabama (2026): 4 Stages and the 3 Best Services

For bringing an LLC into a second state in Alabama in 2026, our mentors would send you to Mainstay Filing ($199), Alabama Registered Agent.co ($199) and AL Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. You will pass through 4 stages, pay $150 to the state and plan for what comes afterward.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Read this first

State filing fee
$150
sos.alabama.gov, last viewed October 2026
Recurring report
None
Business privilege tax return
State cost, years 1 to 3
$150
Service fees not counted
How many stages
4
One at a time

Walkthrough goals

  • When the rule applies
  • The form and the fee
  • Staying in good standing
  • Which services we recommend and why

If you would rather hand it off

The mentors' five criteria are on how we score, and they decide the order.

Our call

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a string of registrations

Start with this one$199 plus fees; renewal $149 annually

Mainstay Filing takes first place, and the reason is that the Alabama registration is $199 plus the state's own charge, and the first year of the registered agent is already covered.

You will pay $100 more than at Alabama Registered Agent.co over three years, but this service does more of the legwork, and we count that.

The agent charge starts in year two at $149 a year, the same in any state.

What you get

  • Registration prepared and sent
  • Your first year of registered agent is free
  • One fee wherever you register

What works

  • Registered agent is free in year one
  • All fifty states covered
  • $199 to register

What to watch

  • Renewal $50 above Alabama Registered Agent.co's
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. Alabama Registered Agent.co: best for one extra state

One-state plan$199 plus fees; renewal $99 annually

Alabama Registered Agent.co comes in second: a service fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $99 a year.

What you get

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • Agent service for one year comes with the price

What works

  • $199 to register
  • Agent service costs nothing extra in the first year
  • Then $99 per year

What to watch

  • A single-state service
Visit Alabama Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. AL Registered Agent.org: best for Alabama-only registrations

One-state plan$199 plus fees; renewal $99 annually

AL Registered Agent.org comes in third: a service fee of $199 and an agent renewal of $99 a year.

Its prices are identical to Alabama Registered Agent.co's, so either is fine on cost.

What you get

  • Registration paperwork handled
  • Agent service for one year comes with the price

What works

  • $199 to register
  • Then $99 per year
  • Agent service costs nothing extra in the first year

What to watch

  • A single-state service
Visit AL Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services, compared

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

The walkthrough, stage by stage

  1. Stage 1

    When registration is a must

    Quick definition: a foreign LLC is one formed in a different state. Alabama wants it registered before it operates here. An LLC that operates unregistered risks: if you need to sue, you have to register first (Ala. Code 10A-1-7.21(a)) agreements it already made are not wiped out (Ala. Code 10A-1-7.21(b))

    Check it yourself: revenue.alabama.gov, last viewed October 2026

  2. Stage 2

    Line up the 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 services above provide one.

    Check it yourself: alisondb.legislature.state.al.us, last viewed October 2026

  3. Stage 3

    The paper to file is the Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) Application for Registration

    To register, send the Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) Application for Registration to the Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division along with $150.

    Check it yourself: sos.alabama.gov, last viewed October 2026

  4. Stage 4

    What comes next

    Send the business privilege tax return, same date as the federal return to keep the registration going.

Alabama costs by stage

StageWho gets paidAmount
Filing to registerPaid to the state$150
Service fees (optional)The service$199 for year one
State total across three yearsPaid to the state$150
Add the filing fee, two later reports and any minimum tax and you have the state's three-year total. The pages listed below show where each figure came from.

How the scores came out

Work taken off your desk settled first place in Alabama. It is 32% of the score, and the rest comes from three-year bill, year-two price, fit for where you operate and honest pricing.

With the LLC working in two states, reach settled the order.

Alabama questions

How much does Alabama charge my LLC to register?

$150 as the official fee. Service fees: $199.

Which form do I file to register?

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

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

if you need to sue, you have to register first (Ala. Code 10A-1-7.21(a)) agreements it already made are not wiped out (Ala. Code 10A-1-7.21(b))

What is due after registering?

The business privilege tax return is what keeps the registration alive.

Which services are in this lesson?

Mainstay Filing, Alabama Registered Agent.co and AL Registered Agent.org; prices are in the table above.

Which service should handle the registration?

Mainstay Filing ranks first and Alabama Registered Agent.co and AL Registered Agent.org follow; Mainstay Filing wins on work taken off your desk.

Where we got the facts

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