Step-by-step foreign qualification requirements, fees, and filing instructions for Alabama LLCs expanding into Michigan.
Before filing, verify that your LLC name (or a distinguishable variation) is available in Michigan. If your exact name is already taken, you may need to register under a fictitious or assumed name.
Search the business name register on the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs website before you file.
Michigan requires a Certificate of Existence from Alabama to prove your LLC is in good standing. The fee is $25. Available to order online. When Michigan is the destination for a foreign qualification, the home-state certificate cannot be dated earlier than 30 days before it is received in Lansing. The window runs from receipt, not from mailing.
Order from Alabama ↗Submit your application along with the Certificate of Existence and the $50 filing fee. See the processing time under Ongoing compliance below. Expedited processing is available, priced under Ongoing compliance below. Online filing is available.
Michigan filing portal ↗You must designate a registered agent with a physical address in Michigan to accept legal documents on behalf of your LLC. This is required as part of the foreign qualification application.
Northwest files the foreign registration and serves as your registered agent in Michigan, which the filing requires. Only need an agent? Northwest's registered agent service alone is $125/year.
Have Northwest register your LLC in Michigan ↗Not sure which service fits? Our full Northwest Registered Agent review and Harbor Compliance review cover pricing, renewal terms, and where each one fits.
Paper annual statements no longer exist; all annual reports and statements must be filed online.
Above that, $100 same day for a formation or qualification and $200 same day for an existing entity, both to a 1pm cut-off; $500 for two hours to a 3pm cut-off; $1,000 for one hour to a 4pm cut-off.
Already operating in Michigan without registering? Our guide to what Michigan charges unregistered LLCs covers fines, back fees, and court access.
Michigan carves 11 activities out by statute. On their own, none of them requires a foreign LLC to register.
Under MCL 450.5008. Michigan tracks the MBCA list exactly, 11 items, with a 30-day isolated-transaction cap. Note MCL 450.5009 separately permits FHA and VA loan activity without authority to transact business.
A virtual mailbox gives your LLC a separate address in Michigan for business mail. Confirm whether the state accepts it for the specific filing field. For banking, ask your bank before buying; it may require your actual operating address.
Independent mailbox providers
Use our free tool to check if you need to register in additional states.
This page provides general information based on publicly available state requirements. It is not legal advice. Verify all fees and requirements with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs before filing.