Alabama Secretary of State office — contact, fees, and licensing
Official Resource
Alabama Official SOS WebsiteThe Alabama Secretary of State's Business Services Division registers domestic entities, processes foreign registrations, and maintains public records for all entity types formed or registered in Alabama. Online filings and certificate orders are handled through the Alabama Interactive portal; documents can also be submitted by mail to the Division's office in Montgomery.
Updated August 2026
Office contact
- Street address
- RSA Plaza, Suite 580, 770 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36104
- Mailing address
- P.O. Box 5616, Montgomery, AL 36103-5616
- Business Services phone
- (334) 242-5324
- Online portal
- alabamainteractive.org/sos
- Business services homepage
- sos.alabama.gov — Business Services
No annual report requirement
HB 230 eliminated Alabama's Secretary of State Corporation Annual Report requirement effective October 1, 2024 — it previously rode along with the Business Privilege Tax return filed with the Department of Revenue, and neither the SOS nor ADOR collects it any longer. This is a meaningful difference from most other states. Professional Associations still pay a separate $100 annual renewal fee direct to the SOS, but standard LLCs, business corporations, and nonprofits have no recurring SOS report obligation.
Professional and industry-specific licenses
Professional and industry-specific licenses in Alabama are administered by individual boards and commissions. Contact the relevant board — contractors, healthcare professionals, real estate agents, and other licensed occupations each have a separate licensing body under state law.
Entity formation and filing fees
The fees below are from the Alabama Secretary of State's official fee schedule, most recently revised August 23, 2023 — the current published version as of August 2026. Verify all current amounts at sos.alabama.gov — Business Services before filing.
| Filing | SOS fee |
|---|---|
| Domestic entity — Certificate of Formation (LLC, corporation, LP, nonprofit, etc.) | $200 |
| Foreign entity — Registration | $150 |
| Amendment to Certificate of Formation | $100 |
| Certificate of Termination (dissolution/cancellation) | $100 |
| Name reservation (mail) | $25 |
| Name reservation (online — prints immediately) | $28 |
| Certificate of Existence (good standing) — mail | $25 |
| Certificate of Existence — online, prints immediately | $28 |
| Document copy (per page, paper) | $2.00 |
| Document copy (per page, online/immediate) | $3.50 |
| Certified copy surcharge (per document) | $10.00 |
Alabama's fee structure is flat: the same $200 formation fee applies to LLCs, business corporations, nonprofits, professional entities, and limited partnerships alike. Online fees include a portal convenience charge on top of the statutory fee, per Alabama's user-funded service model. Mail submissions do not carry the online surcharge. Alabama Interactive subscribers (an annual-fee account funded by ACH instead of credit card) pay a smaller surcharge than one-time non-subscriber orders — $27 instead of $28 for a name reservation or Certificate of Existence, $3.00 instead of $3.50 per page for document copies.
Key Alabama state licensing agencies
Registering an entity with the Secretary of State is step one. It does not cover business taxes, sales tax permits, employer registrations, or professional licenses. The following agencies handle the most common additional requirements:
Alabama Department of Revenue
- What it covers
- Business privilege tax, sales tax licenses, withholding tax, Certificate of Compliance for foreign entity withdrawals
- Website
- revenue.alabama.gov
Alabama Department of Labor
- What it covers
- Unemployment compensation employer account registration (Form SR-2), required once an employer has employees
- Website
- labor.alabama.gov
Alabama Secretary of State — Business Services
- What it covers
- Entity formation and registration, UCC filings, name reservations, certificates of existence
Alabama Department of Archives and History
- What it covers
- Corporation records from 1949 through 2010 (historical research)
- Website
- archives.alabama.gov
This guide is informational only and is not affiliated with the Alabama Secretary of State's office or any state agency listed above. Contact information verified against official Alabama Secretary of State sources, August 2026. The published fee schedule on the official site was last revised August 23, 2023 — confirm all current amounts at sos.alabama.gov/business-services before filing. Verify current fees at the official state website. Last verified: August 2026.