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LLC SchoolhousePlain LLC lessons, one state at a time.

Module 3 · Alabama

Foreign LLC Registration in Alabama (2026): a 4-Step Lesson and the 3 Best Services

Report card for registering an LLC from another state in Alabama in 2026: AL Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Alabama Registered Agent.co ($199), from first place to third. Alabama charges $150 to register, and this lesson takes you through it in 4 steps.

Taught by the LLC Schoolhouse editors

Quick facts

State registration fee$150Look it up at sos.alabama.gov; last checked October 2026
Yearly reportNoneBusiness privilege tax return
Three years of state fees$150Registration, reports and any minimum tax
Steps4In order

By the end you will know

  • When registration is required
  • The filing, its fee and its office
  • What it costs to stay registered
  • The services we recommend

The Alabama services we recommend

Three-year cost and the number of steps a price takes off your list weigh the most; the grading page lists all five criteria.
Highest mark

1. AL Registered Agent.org: best for an inexpensive Alabama filing

$199 plus the $150 state fee, then $99 a year

AL Registered Agent.org earns the highest mark because it files the Alabama registration for $199 and includes a year of agent service, then renews at $99.

A lower three-year cost than Mainstay Filing earns it first place; cost counts for 32% of the grade.

What the price covers

  • Your Alabama registration is prepared and filed
  • One year of agent service

Marks in its favor

  • A low $99 renewal
  • A free first agent year
  • $199 plus the state fee

Where it loses points

  • No help in other states
All fifty states

2. Mainstay Filing: best for one provider for both states

$199 plus the $150 state fee, then $149 a year

Mainstay Filing is a sound second choice because $199 beyond the state fee, with the registered agent free in year one and $149 a year afterward.

Over three years it costs $100 more than AL Registered Agent.org, and cost makes up 32% of the grade.

After year one, the agent costs $149 a year.

What the price covers

  • Registration prepared and submitted
  • The registered agent costs nothing in year one
  • All fifty states

Marks in its favor

  • One price anywhere
  • Year-one agent included
  • Service fee of $199

Where it loses points

  • AL Registered Agent.org's agent costs $50 less each renewal
Alabama specialist

3. Alabama Registered Agent.co: best for Alabama registrations

$199 plus the $150 state fee, then $99 a year

For number 3 we picked Alabama Registered Agent.co: it files the Alabama registration for $199 and includes a year of agent service, then renews at $99.

Its prices equal AL Registered Agent.org's, so either is a sound choice.

What the price covers

  • Your Alabama registration is prepared and filed
  • One year of agent service

Marks in its favor

  • A free first agent year
  • A low $99 renewal
  • $199 plus the state fee

Where it loses points

  • No help in other states

The 3 graded picks compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1AL Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit AL Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner 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.
Taken from each company's pricing on November 13, 2026. Add Alabama's $150 registration fee to each row.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Step
    1

    Check whether registration applies

    Doing business in Alabama through an LLC from another state calls for a foreign registration. Skipping it has a price: If the LLC might ever need to sue, registering first matters (Ala. Code 10A-1-7.21(a)). Signed contracts keep their force (Ala. Code 10A-1-7.21(b)).

    Where this comes from: Look it up at revenue.alabama.gov; last checked October 2026

  2. Step
    2

    Choose 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 in our list provide this.

    Where this comes from: Look it up at alisondb.legislature.state.al.us; last checked October 2026

  3. Step
    3

    Prepare and file the Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) Application for Registration

    Prepare the Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) Application for Registration, add $150, and send both to the Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division.

    Where this comes from: Look it up at sos.alabama.gov; last checked October 2026

  4. Step
    4

    Plan for the recurring filing

    What recurs is the business privilege tax return, same date as the federal return.

Alabama costs by step

LinePaid toPrice
The registration stepState$150
A service, if you use oneService company$199 up front
State total over three yearsState$150
Official Alabama fees, cited below. The three-year line adds the filing fee, the reports in years two and three and any minimum tax.

Behind the ranking

won on tuition over three years (32% of the grade), with right behind.

The cost grade belongs to AL Registered Agent.org: $397 across three years, against $100 more at Mainstay Filing.

Short answers

Which fees come with a foreign LLC registration in Alabama?

$150 at the state office. Add $199 if you hire a service.

Which form do I file to register?

The Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division accepts it for foreign registration.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

If the LLC might ever need to sue, registering first matters (Ala. Code 10A-1-7.21(a)). Signed contracts keep their force (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 lesson grades three services: AL Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Alabama Registered Agent.co ($199).

Which service should handle the registration?

AL Registered Agent.org first, then Mainstay Filing and Alabama Registered Agent.co; AL Registered Agent.org leads on tuition over three years.

Related lessons

Class references

  1. Want to see Alabama formation fee: Filing fee, official source for yourself? Open alison.legislature.state.al.us. We confirmed that page in October 2026 before writing the lesson.
  2. Want to see Alabama formation fee: Filing fee, official source for yourself? Open sos.alabama.gov. We confirmed that page in October 2026 before writing the lesson.
  3. Want to see Alabama formation fee: Name reservation, official source for yourself? Open sos.alabama.gov. We confirmed that page in October 2026 before writing the lesson.
  4. Want to see Alabama formation fee: Name reservation, official source for yourself? Open alison.legislature.state.al.us. We confirmed that page in October 2026 before writing the lesson.
  5. Want to see Alabama registered agent statute for yourself? Open alisondb.legislature.state.al.us. We confirmed that page in October 2026 before writing the lesson.
  6. Want to see Alabama Secretary of State, LLC filings for yourself? Open sos.alabama.gov. We confirmed that page in October 2026 before writing the lesson.
  7. Want to see Foreign LLC Application for Registration for yourself? Open sos.alabama.gov. We confirmed that page in October 2026 before writing the lesson.
  8. Want to see Secretary of State Online Services for yourself? Open alabamainteractive.org. We confirmed that page in October 2026 before writing the lesson.
  9. Want to see Code of Alabama, section 10A-1-7.01 for yourself? Open alison.legislature.state.al.us. We confirmed that page in October 2026 before writing the lesson.
  10. Want to see Department of Revenue, business privilege tax notice for yourself? Open revenue.alabama.gov. We confirmed that page in October 2026 before writing the lesson.
  11. Want to see Code of Alabama, section 10A-1-7.21 for yourself? Open alison.legislature.state.al.us. We confirmed that page in November 2026 before writing the lesson.
  12. November 13, 2026: the pricing page for AL Registered Agent.org
  13. November 13, 2026: the Alabama service page for Mainstay Filing
  14. November 13, 2026: the pricing page for Alabama Registered Agent.co