Mainstay Filing takes the top spot because the fee is $199 plus the state's own, with a free first year as registered agent, and the price is identical in every state.
Year one as agent costs nothing; every year after it is $149, wherever the company registers.
Its three-year total is $100 above AL Registered Agent.org's, and what the price covers justifies that gap for us.
In the price
- The registration filing prepared and submitted
- Your registered agent for year one at no charge
- Legal papers served on the company scanned and uploaded the same business day at no charge
Good
- The same price in each of the fifty states
- $199 service fee, with the state's fee added
- Papers served on the company are scanned the same business day at no charge
- No charge for registered agent service in year one
Watch for
- The agent is $149 a year after year one, $50 above AL Registered Agent.org
AL Registered Agent.org makes the list at number two because the Alabama registration is $199 and includes year one as agent, with $99 a year after that.
The registered office is an in-state street address supplied by the plan, and any papers served on the company show up as scans in your online account.
In the price
- The registration filing
- One year of registered agent service to start
Good
- The agent is $99 a year from year two
- Year one as your registered agent is covered
- Registers the company for $199 and the state fee
Watch for
- Alabama only; your home state needs its own agent
- The EIN application is an extra charge ($99)
Alabama Registered Agent.co makes the list at number three because the Alabama registration is $199 and includes year one as agent, with $99 a year after that.
The registered office is an in-state street address supplied by the plan, and any papers served on the company show up as scans in your online account.
The published prices and features of AL Registered Agent.org and Alabama Registered Agent.co are identical, so the order between them is a coin flip between solid options.
In the price
- The registration filing
- A first year as your registered agent
Good
- $99 yearly for the agent after year one
- Registers the company for $199 and the state fee
- Covers your first year of registered agent service
Watch for
- Alabama only; your home state needs its own agent
- The EIN application is an extra charge ($99)
The 3 picks side by side
Filing Shortlist sets each score out of 10 itself, using the criteria on How we rank; no customer ratings feed in.
Alabama foreign registration service pricing in 2026: first year, renewals, three-year total
Every price comes from the company's own pages as of November 12, 2026. The $150 Alabama registration fee comes on top of each row and is left out of the totals.
What decided the order
On Filing Shortlist's shortlist, three-year price and what the price covers carry 28% each and renewal terms, fit for the state and price clarity share the other 44%. In Alabama, what the price covers made the difference.
Registering in a second state touches two states, and one provider with one price in both scored highest on coverage, ahead of AL Registered Agent.org.
Every criterion and weight is set out on How we rank.
Registering a foreign LLC in Alabama: fee, form and office
Registration goes to the Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division on the Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) Application for Registration. The state fee is $150.
Each year after that, the company files the business privilege tax return, due same date as the federal return.
What to have ready before you file
- The company's exact legal name and its formation date in the home state.
- A registered agent at a street address in the state. Every company on this shortlist can be that agent.
- Payment of the $150 state fee with the filing.
- A reminder in your own calendar for the business privilege tax return.
The cost of skipping Alabama registration
An unregistered out-of-state LLC cannot sue in Alabama courts (Ala. Code 10A-1-7.21(a)). Its contracts remain valid (Ala. Code 10A-1-7.21(b)).
Common questions about Alabama foreign registration services
Must an LLC from another state register in Alabama?
It must, once it does business in the state. An unregistered company cannot sue in the state's courts until it does.
What is the full price of a foreign LLC registration in Alabama?
The state fee is $150, and service fees run $199.
Does a registered foreign LLC still need a registered agent?
Yes. The company keeps a registered agent in the state, at a street address there, for as long as it stays registered.
Which foreign registration services made this shortlist?
Mainstay Filing ($199), AL Registered Agent.org ($199) and Alabama Registered Agent.co ($199), listed from the top pick down.
What does a foreign LLC file each year?
The business privilege tax return, once a year.
Which service leads the Alabama foreign registration shortlist?
Mainstay Filing, because it charges $199 on top of the state fee, serves as registered agent free for year one and prices every state the same.
Where the figures come from
- Alabama formation fee: Filing fee, official source (checked again October 2026)
- Alabama formation fee: Filing fee, official source (checked again October 2026)
- Alabama formation fee: Name reservation, official source (checked again October 2026)
- Alabama formation fee: Name reservation, official source (checked again October 2026)
- Alabama registered agent statute (checked again October 2026)
- Alabama Secretary of State, LLC filings (checked again October 2026)
- Foreign LLC Application for Registration (checked again October 2026)
- Secretary of State Online Services (checked again October 2026)
- Code of Alabama, section 10A-1-7.01 (checked again October 2026)
- Department of Revenue, business privilege tax notice (checked again October 2026)
- Code of Alabama, section 10A-1-7.21 (checked again November 2026)
- Pulled from Mainstay Filing: Alabama service page, November 12, 2026
- Pulled from AL Registered Agent.org: pricing and service pages, November 12, 2026
- Pulled from Alabama Registered Agent.co: pricing and service pages, November 12, 2026