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What foreign registration costs by state / Alabama

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in Alabama (2026): What You Pay

Your best-value options among Alabama foreign registration services for 2026 are Mainstay Filing ($199), Alabama Registered Agent.co ($199) and AL Registered Agent.org ($199), ranked from first to third. Count on $150 for Alabama, plus $397 to $497 in service fees over three years.
Written by the Price Your LLC editorial team

↓ Ranked for you by: Best value for you comes first, using our five-part ranking

Budget snapshot

Government charge to register $150 sos.alabama.gov (we looked on October 2026, so you can too)
Year-one range $199 The state fee is extra
Total after 3 years $397 to $497 Renewals included
State fees by year three $150 Does not depend on the service
Break-even No crossover Ranking steady to year 10

Alabama ranking

Ranked by how we rank. The $150 state fee is not folded into any option.

1
Ranks first

1. Mainstay Filing: best for LLCs still growing

Starts at $199; later years $149
You pay in year 1 $199
You pay after year 1 $149/yr
You pay over 3 years $497

Mainstay Filing comes first because $199 on top of the state fee, a free first registered agent year, then $149 yearly.

The $100 extra over Alabama Registered Agent.co at year three pays for coverage, and coverage decides this ranking.

You pay no agent charge in year one; $149 a year follows.

Your price covers

  • The foreign registration filing
  • Registered agent costs you nothing in year one
  • Good in all fifty states

What you get

  • First-year agent service included
  • $199 above the state fee
  • Helpful if another state follows

What to watch

  • $50 above Alabama Registered Agent.co at renewal
2
In-state company

2. Alabama Registered Agent.co: best for the smallest agent bill

Starts at $199; later years $99
You pay in year 1 $199
You pay after year 1 $99/yr
You pay over 3 years $397

Alabama Registered Agent.co ranks second. Three years of service fees come to $397.

Your price covers

  • Registration handled for you
  • Agent service for your first year

What you get

  • Starts at $199
  • No agent charge in year one
  • $99 yearly from year two

What to watch

  • Limited to one state
3
In-state company

3. AL Registered Agent.org: best for a nearby provider

Starts at $199; later years $99
You pay in year 1 $199
You pay after year 1 $99/yr
You pay over 3 years $397

AL Registered Agent.org ranks third. Three years of service fees come to $397.

You would pay the same at Alabama Registered Agent.co.

Your price covers

  • Registration handled for you
  • Agent service for your first year

What you get

  • No agent charge in year one
  • $99 yearly from year two
  • Starts at $199

What to watch

  • Limited to one state

Year-by-year totals

Pick Service You pay in year 1 You pay by year 2 You pay by year 3 You pay by year 5
1 Mainstay Filing $199 $348 $497 $795 Price out Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Alabama Registered Agent.co $199 $298 $397 $595 Price out Alabama Registered Agent.co Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 AL Registered Agent.org $199 $298 $397 $595 Price out AL Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Company prices from November 13, 2026, added up for you year by year. The order of totals stays put for ten years.

Cost calculator

Change the years and see what you would pay.

You would pay Mainstay Filing $497, Alabama Registered Agent.co $397, AL Registered Agent.org $397 over 3 years. The best total here is Alabama Registered Agent.co.

State fees with sources

What you pay for Amount Source
Registration charge $150 sos.alabama.gov (we looked on October 2026, so you can too)
State side, 3 years $150 Filing, reports and any tax

Your three-year bill from the state is made of the filing fee, the reports due in years two and three, and a yearly minimum tax in states that levy one. Anything the state does not put a fixed price on, a newspaper notice for example, is described but never added.

Why this order for Alabama

For Alabama, the deciding factor was upkeep the price covers (31% of the ranking), where Mainstay Filing came out ahead.

You are dealing with at least two states when you register here, and one provider for both beat Alabama Registered Agent.co.

What Alabama charges you to register a foreign LLC and what it requires

Working in Alabama with an LLC from another state means registering with the Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division, using the Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) Application for Registration and $150.

An unregistered LLC can face Alabama courts dismissing your own claims (Ala. Code 10A-1-7.21(a)).

As written: revenue.alabama.gov (we looked on October 2026, so you can too)

If you skip the service

If you file everything yourself, all you pay is the state: $150 over three years. A service piles $397 to $497 on top for the paperwork.

Alabama money questions

How much will it cost me to register my LLC in Alabama?

$150 to the state, before any service fee of $199.

What will these services cost me over three years?

Anywhere from $397 to $497 for three years of service.

Which form do I file to register?

You file Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) Application for Registration with the Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division.

What do I file after I register?

You file the business privilege tax return next, and it costs nothing.

When does one service end up costing more than another?

Over ten years the totals never swap places.

Which foreign registration service is the best value for me in Alabama?

Your options, best value first: Mainstay Filing, Alabama Registered Agent.co and AL Registered Agent.org.

Related pages

What foreign registration costs by state for all 50 states Best foreign registration services for anyone How we rank your options

Where we looked

  1. Our source for Alabama formation fee: Filing fee is alison.legislature.state.al.us, from October 2026.
  2. Our source for Alabama formation fee: Filing fee is sos.alabama.gov, from October 2026.
  3. Our source for Alabama formation fee: Name reservation is sos.alabama.gov, from October 2026.
  4. Our source for Alabama formation fee: Name reservation is alison.legislature.state.al.us, from October 2026.
  5. Our source for Alabama registered agent statute is alisondb.legislature.state.al.us, from October 2026.
  6. Our source for Alabama Secretary of State, LLC is sos.alabama.gov, from October 2026.
  7. Our source for Foreign LLC Application for Registration is sos.alabama.gov, from October 2026.
  8. Our source for Secretary of State Online Services is alabamainteractive.org, from October 2026.
  9. Our source for Code of Alabama, section 10A-1-7.01 is alison.legislature.state.al.us, from October 2026.
  10. Our source for Department of Revenue, business privilege is revenue.alabama.gov, from October 2026.
  11. Our source for Code of Alabama, section 10A-1-7.21 is alison.legislature.state.al.us, from November 2026.
  12. We read Mainstay Filing's Alabama service page on November 13, 2026
  13. We read Alabama Registered Agent.co's pricing page on November 13, 2026
  14. We read AL Registered Agent.org's pricing page on November 13, 2026