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Alabama
Answers · Alabama
3 Best Foreign Registration Services in Alabama (2026), Answered
Who should you hire in Alabama for foreign registration services in 2026: we say AL Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Alabama Registered Agent.co ($199), ranked best first. Alabama charges $150 to register, and service fees add $397 to $497 over three years.
By the LLC Answered editorial team
Answers updated November 13, 2026
Our funding: LLC Answered is reader-supported. We may earn money when you buy through links on this page, and the companies we rank are our partners. Prices come from each company's own pages and official state sources.
In brief
Short reply
Registration fee
$150
Attach a certificate?
No certificate
Once registered
No fee, business privilege tax return
Hire in this order
AL Registered Agent.org, Mainstay Filing then Alabama Registered Agent.co
Our Alabama picks, best first
Why this order? How we decide explains.
#1
First choice
1. AL Registered Agent.org: best for a low yearly agent fee
Year one $199, later years $99
AL Registered Agent.org is our answer because registering costs $199 over the state fee, agent covered in year one, then $99 a year.
Three years cost less here than at Mainstay Filing, and cost counts most.
What is bundled
State registration done A first year of agent service
Pluses
$99 a year from year two $199 to register Agent covered in year one
Downsides
Home state needs a separate agent
#2
Fifty states
2. Mainstay Filing: best for a second, third and fourth state
Year one $199, later years $149
Why Mainstay Filing second? Simply put, it asks $199 plus state fees and waives the registered agent charge for the first year.
AL Registered Agent.org is $100 less across three years, enough to rank higher.
The registered agent is free in year one, then $149 a year, in any state.
What is bundled
Registration filing Registered agent, free in year one Priced identically in any state
Pluses
No agent charge in year one Any state, one fee $199 over the state fee
Downsides
Higher agent renewal ($149)
#3
For Alabama
3. Alabama Registered Agent.co: best for a low agent renewal
Year one $199, later years $99
In third spot, Alabama Registered Agent.co, as registering costs $199 over the state fee, agent covered in year one, then $99 a year.
Its prices match AL Registered Agent.org exactly, so either works.
What is bundled
State registration done A first year of agent service
Pluses
Agent covered in year one $99 a year from year two $199 to register
Downsides
Home state needs a separate agent
Numbers at a glance
# Who Year 1 Renews at 3-year cost Price buys
1
AL Registered Agent.org $199 $99/yr $397 state registration done; A first year of agent service
See AL Registered Agent.org pricing
Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2
Mainstay Filing $199 $149/yr $497 registration filing; registered agent, free in year one; priced identically in any state
See Mainstay Filing pricing
Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3
Alabama Registered Agent.co $199 $99/yr $397 state registration done; A first year of agent service
See Alabama Registered Agent.co pricing
Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Prices as of November 13, 2026. The state's own fees are in the checklist below.
Straight replies
Does my out-of-state LLC need to register here?
An LLC from another state registers with the Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division ahead of transacting business in Alabama.
The cost of not registering includes its own lawsuits are blocked (Ala. Code 10A-1-7.21(a)).
see revenue.alabama.gov , as of October 2026, state page
What will registration set me back?
$150 for the state; hire a service and it adds $199.
Three years of state fees, registration included, come to $150. see sos.alabama.gov , as of October 2026, state page
What does staying registered cost?
A recurring business privilege tax return (no fee).
Filings come due same date as the federal return.
Why is number one first?
It comes down to three-year price, where AL Registered Agent.org does best.
The two heavy tests are three-year price (36%) and paperwork covered (29%); three lighter tests follow.
$397 for three years at AL Registered Agent.org is $100 below Mainstay Filing.
How we decide
Alabama requirements checklist
Question Reply Where it is from
Fee to register
$150 see sos.alabama.gov , as of October 2026, state page
Certificate from home state
No certificate see revenue.alabama.gov , as of October 2026, state page
Three-year state total
$150 Sum of the rows above
To get the three-year number we add the formation filing, two later reports and any minimum tax, and we do not count costs without a fixed price.
Terms used above, defined
Foreign LLC An LLC doing business in a state other than the one that formed it. The word means out of state, not out of the country.
A few more
Do both states require an agent?
Yes. The home state keeps its own agent rule, and Mainstay Filing can serve both states from one account.
What does each charge over three years?
Three-year costs are AL Registered Agent.org, $397; Mainstay Filing, $497; Alabama Registered Agent.co, $397 (services only).
What is behind the figures?
We link each state fee to its official page and take service prices from the company sites, dated.
Is a service mandatory?
You can file yourself if you meet the rules on this page, and the state charges what it charges either way.
Who submits the registration?
All of them do, at the identical state fee.
Which one do you pick in Alabama?
AL Registered Agent.org is first on three-year price, with Mainstay Filing and Alabama Registered Agent.co behind it.
Our evidence
Official page for Alabama formation fee: Filing fee (alison.legislature.state.al.us ), seen in October 2026
Official page for Alabama formation fee: Filing fee (sos.alabama.gov ), seen in October 2026
Official page for Alabama formation fee: Name reservation (sos.alabama.gov ), seen in October 2026
Official page for Alabama formation fee: Name reservation (alison.legislature.state.al.us ), seen in October 2026
Official page for Alabama registered agent statute (alisondb.legislature.state.al.us ), seen in October 2026
Official page for Alabama Secretary of State, LLC (sos.alabama.gov ), seen in October 2026
Official page for Foreign LLC Application for Registration (sos.alabama.gov ), seen in October 2026
Official page for Secretary of State Online Services (alabamainteractive.org ), seen in October 2026
Official page for Code of Alabama, section 10A-1-7.01 (alison.legislature.state.al.us ), seen in October 2026
Official page for Department of Revenue, business privilege (revenue.alabama.gov ), seen in October 2026
Official page for Code of Alabama, section 10A-1-7.21 (alison.legislature.state.al.us ), seen in November 2026
AL Registered Agent.org, pricing page, price check November 13, 2026
Mainstay Filing, Alabama service page, price check November 13, 2026
Alabama Registered Agent.co, pricing page, price check November 13, 2026