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Register Your Georgia LLC in Alabama
Step-by-step foreign qualification requirements, fees, and filing instructions for Georgia LLCs expanding into Alabama.
Cost Summary
- Alabama filing fee
- $150
- Georgia Certificate of Existence
- $10
- Annual obligation in Alabama
- No annual report required
- Estimated year 1 total
- $160
Note: Year 1 total includes the $150 filing fee in Alabama, the $10 Certificate of Existence fee from Georgia. Registered agent fees (typically $100-$200/year) are not included.
Georgia data last reviewed Aug 1, 2026 · ecorp.sos.ga.gov
Alabama data last reviewed Aug 1, 2026 · sos.alabama.gov
How to register your Georgia LLC in Alabama
1
Check name availability in Alabama
Before filing, verify that your LLC name (or a distinguishable variation) is available in Alabama. 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 Alabama Secretary of State website before you file.
2
Get a Certificate of Existence from Georgia
Alabama requires a Certificate of Existence from Georgia to prove your LLC is in good standing. The fee is $10. Available to order online. No expiration printed; foreign-state applications typically require dating within 30-90 days.
Order from Georgia ↗
3
File the Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration in Alabama
Submit your application along with the Certificate of Existence and the $150 filing fee. Processing time is 5-10 business days. Expedited processing available for $100. Online filing is available.
Alabama filing portal ↗
4
Appoint a registered agent in Alabama
You must designate a registered agent with a physical address in Alabama to accept legal documents on behalf of your LLC. This is required as part of the foreign qualification application.
Ongoing compliance in Alabama
- Annual report
- No annual report required
- Report due
- Varies
- Processing time
- 5-10 business days
- Expedite
- $100
Note: Alabama requires a Certificate of Name Reservation before the foreign registration can be filed. The reservation costs $25 by mail or $28 online and is a separate filing, so budget roughly $175 by mail or $184 online for the two together rather than the $150 registration fee alone. Online filing adds a $6 card surcharge. Expedited processing costs $250 in total.
Important to know about Alabama
- Alabama LLCs file no annual report. The Department of Revenue separated the report from the Business Privilege Tax return in 2024 and now accepts it only from corporations, so a filing that most guides still list does not exist.
- A Certificate of Name Reservation is required before the foreign registration can be filed, $28 online or $25 by mail. It sits outside the headline filing fee.
If your LLC did business in Alabama before filing, check the Alabama foreign LLC penalty guide first. Back fees can run from the date you started, not the date you file.
Activities that do NOT require registration in Alabama
- Maintaining or defending a lawsuit, administrative proceeding, or arbitration
- Holding meetings of members or managers, or carrying on internal company affairs
- Maintaining bank accounts
- Maintaining offices or agencies for the transfer, exchange, or registration of the LLC's own securities
- Selling through independent contractors
- Soliciting or obtaining orders if orders require acceptance outside the state before becoming contracts
- Creating or acquiring indebtedness, mortgages, or security interests in real or personal property
- Securing or collecting debts, or enforcing mortgages or security interests
- Owning real or personal property
- Conducting an isolated transaction completed within 30 days that is not part of repeated similar transactions
- Transacting business in interstate commerce
Alabama did not adopt the RMBCA list of activities not constituting transacting business. The general foreign-entity provision in Section 10A-1-7.02 governs registration requirements, and Alabama courts (e.g., Marcus v. J.R. Watkins Co., 188 So.2d 543) have interpreted what activities require qualification. The list below reflects activities Alabama courts and federal interstate-commerce doctrine generally treat as not constituting transacting business.
Need a registered agent in Alabama?
A registered agent is required for foreign qualification. These services operate in all 50 states.
Get Northwest Registered Agent ↗
Recommended · $125/year · Privacy included
Registered Agents Inc
$200/year · Report filing included, state fees extra
Harbor Compliance
$99 first year, then $149/year · Full-service compliance option
Not sure which service fits? Our full Northwest Registered Agent review and Harbor Compliance review cover pricing, renewal terms, and where each one fits.
Need a business address in Alabama?
A virtual mailbox gives your LLC a professional address in Alabama for mail forwarding, public filings, and banking, without leasing office space.
Independent mailbox providers
This page provides general information based on publicly available state requirements. It is not legal advice. Verify all fees and requirements with the Alabama Secretary of State before filing.