Alabama Secretary of State office — contact & fees
Updated August 2026
Quick Answer
The 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.
Open Official Alabama Secretary of State Portal ↗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.
Domestic entity — Certificate of Formation (LLC, corporation, LP, nonprofit, etc.)
- SOS fee
- $200
Foreign entity — Registration
- SOS fee
- $150
Amendment to Certificate of Formation
- SOS fee
- $100
Certificate of Termination (dissolution/cancellation)
- SOS fee
- $100
Name reservation (mail)
- SOS fee
- $25
Name reservation (online — prints immediately)
- SOS fee
- $28
Certificate of Existence (good standing) — mail
- SOS fee
- $25
Certificate of Existence — online, prints immediately
- SOS fee
- $28
Document copy (per page, paper)
- SOS fee
- $2.00
Document copy (per page, online/immediate)
- SOS fee
- $3.50
Certified copy surcharge (per document)
- SOS fee
- $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.
UCC filing, notary, and apostille services
The Secretary of State handles UCC filings and apostilles, but not notary commissions:
- UCC search and filing — free online search through the SOS's UCC records system; fees apply only for certified copies.
- Apostilles and authentications — $5 per document through the SOS's Authentications Division.
- Notary public commissions — not handled here. Alabama notaries are commissioned by the county Judge of Probate, not the Secretary of State; the standard fee is $25, set by state law and payable to the county.
Source: Alabama Secretary of State UCC and Authentications pages (sos.alabama.gov); Alabama Notary Act.
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Alabama require an annual report for LLCs and corporations?
No — HB 230 eliminated the SOS Corporation Annual Report requirement effective October 1, 2024. Professional Associations still pay a separate $100 annual renewal fee directly to the SOS, but standard LLCs and business corporations have no recurring SOS filing.
Where do I register for Alabama sales tax or employer withholding?
Those go through the Alabama Department of Revenue (revenue.alabama.gov), not the Secretary of State — entity registration with the SOS only creates the legal business, it doesn't cover state tax or employer accounts.
How much does it cost to form an LLC or corporation in Alabama?
The Certificate of Formation fee is a flat $200, covering LLCs, corporations, nonprofits, and limited partnerships alike. Foreign entity registration costs $150.