State forms · Alabama · Certificate of Formation (10/2022 layout, posted March 2026)
Alabama Certificate of Formation for an LLC
The Certificate of Formation is the document that creates an Alabama limited liability company under the Alabama Limited Liability Company Law, Chapter 5A of Title 10A of the Code of Alabama. It is filed with the Secretary of State's Business Services Division, online through the Secretary of State's filing system or on the division's paper form, whose current layout dates from October 2022 and was re-posted in March 2026. Alabama calls the document a certificate of formation; it does the job that articles of organization do elsewhere.
Alabama's filing has one step most states do not: the company's name has to be reserved before the certificate is filed, and the reservation certificate or its number goes on the certificate. The form itself is short. No members or managers are listed, the registered agent does not sign, and the organizer's typed name and title plus the preparer's name and address are the only people on it. The Secretary of State's form says the certificate can be filed online in the time it takes to type the request.
Updated November 1, 2026. Facts checked October 2026.
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Form Your Alabama LLCCertificate of Formation at a Glance
- Form
- Certificate of Formation (10/2022 layout, posted March 2026)
- Filing portal
- Alabama Secretary of State's online filing system
- Filed with
- Alabama Secretary of State, Business Services Division
- State fee
- $200 (+$28)
- Typical state processing
- The state reports that most online filings are processed shortly after filing.
- State expedite tiers
- None for online filings
- Facts checked
- October 2026
The state fee is Alabama's own charge and is the same whether you file the Certificate of Formation yourself or we file it for you. Processing figures are what the Alabama Secretary of State publishes and are not a promise of when a filing is approved; the state's expedite tiers are listed by name, with their amounts in the facts box on the Alabama LLC page.
Below: every field in the order the form asks it, who the filing puts on the public record, whether the registered agent signs, the reasons Alabama returns it, and what the state expects after it is filed.
What Certificate of Formation Asks For
- 1.Name reservation certificate or numberAlabama requires the name to be reserved first, through the Secretary of State's Name Reservation Menu online or on the paper reservation form. The reservation certificate is attached to a paper filing; online, the reservation number is entered. A certificate of formation filed without one is not accepted.
- 2.Name of the limited liability companyExactly as reserved, and ending in Limited Liability Company, L.L.C. or LLC. A series LLC, a professional LLC or a nonprofit LLC checks the matching box on the form.
- 3.Registered agentOne agent, an individual or a business, with a street address in Alabama; a PO box is not accepted. The form also asks for the agent's county, because the Secretary of State remits part of the filing fee to that county, and for a separate Alabama mailing address if mail does not reach the street address. The agent does not sign.
- 4.Statement that the company has at least one memberA required statement on the certificate. The member is not named.
- 5.Effective date and time (optional)The certificate takes effect when filed unless a later date is given, up to 90 days after signing. If a time is specified it cannot be noon or midnight.
- 6.PreparerThe name and full address of the person who prepared the form, under the heading This form was prepared by. A filing service lists itself here.
- 7.Organizer or attorney-in-fact signatureSigned, as section 10A-5A-2.04 requires, by an organizer or an attorney-in-fact, with the name and title typed. The organizer does not have to be a member, so a filing service's employee can sign.
- 8.Small, minority and women-owned business survey (voluntary)A set of questions under Act 2021-223 that the filer may answer or skip. It has no effect on the filing.
Who Is on the Alabama Record
Who appears on the form
No members or managers. Only the organizer or attorney-in-fact (signature, typed name, title) and the preparer's name and full address.
Does the registered agent sign the Certificate of Formation?
No registered agent signature field on the Certificate of Formation.
From our audit of Alabama's official form and statutes, checked October 2026. Everything entered on a filing becomes public record once the state files it.
Why Alabama Rejects It
- No name reservation certificate or reservation number with the certificate.
- A company name that differs from the reserved name, or that lacks Limited Liability Company, L.L.C. or LLC.
- A registered agent with a PO box or an address outside Alabama.
- The statement that the company has at least one member left off, or the organizer's signature filed without a typed name and title.
- An effective time set to noon or midnight, or an effective date more than 90 days after signing.
- A card payment that does not clear; Alabama's online system adds a card convenience charge that does not appear on the stamped certificate.
A rejection costs days, sometimes a second fee, and in a few states the name you wanted. Our name check and field review happen before the form goes to the Alabama Secretary of State's online filing system, which is most of what you pay us for.
After the State Files It
- The Secretary of State stamps and returns the certificate. The division's form says an online filing takes about as long as typing the request, and there is no expedite option for online filings.
- Alabama LLCs file no annual report with the Secretary of State. Since January 1, 2024 the Secretary of State processes annual reports only for corporations, so the company's yearly obligations are with the Department of Revenue instead.
- Within two and a half months of formation the company owes the Department of Revenue a Business Privilege Tax initial return (Form BPT-IN), unless its computed tax is $100 or less, which is exempt for tax years beginning after December 31, 2023 under Act 2022-252. Most new small LLCs fall under the exemption. The annual Business Privilege Tax return (Form PPT) follows each year, again only when the tax exceeds $100.
- A business license from the county probate judge or license commissioner is required before doing business, with the cost set by the county and the type of business. Alabama has no newspaper publication requirement for a new LLC.
More on filing in Alabama: Alabama LLC filing through Alabama Secretary of State.
Certificate of Formation Questions
Why does Alabama need a name reservation first?+
Because the Secretary of State checks and locks the name in a separate step before formation. The reservation is filed online through the Name Reservation Menu or on paper, the Secretary of State issues a reservation certificate, and the certificate of formation then carries that certificate or its number. A backup name only helps if it is reserved too. We file the reservation as part of preparing your certificate.
Does an Alabama LLC file an annual report?+
No. The Alabama Secretary of State does not take an annual report from LLCs; since January 1, 2024 it processes annual reports only for for-profit and professional corporations. An Alabama LLC's recurring obligations are the Business Privilege Tax return with the Department of Revenue, when its tax exceeds $100, and its county and city business licenses.
What is the Business Privilege Tax initial return?+
Form BPT-IN, filed with the Alabama Department of Revenue within two and a half months of formation. It reports the company's initial privilege tax, which is based on the company's net worth in Alabama. Under Act 2022-252, companies whose computed tax is $100 or less are exempt for tax years beginning after December 31, 2023 and do not file; most new small LLCs qualify. Companies above that threshold file and pay by the same date.
Does the registered agent sign the Alabama certificate?+
No. The certificate names the agent and gives the Alabama street address, the county and any mailing address, but there is no signature or acceptance line for the agent. The registered office has to be in Alabama, so a member with an Alabama street address can serve; the agent's agreement to serve belongs in the company's own records.
Can I file the Alabama certificate online?+
Yes. The Secretary of State's online services take the certificate of formation once the name reservation is in place, paid by card with the state's convenience charge added, and the state's fee is the same whether you file there or we file for you. The paper certificate, in its October 2022 layout, is posted on sos.alabama.gov and can be mailed to the Business Services Division in Montgomery with a copy of the name reservation certificate.
Why does the Alabama form ask for the registered agent's county?+
Because the Secretary of State shares part of the certificate of formation fee with the county where the registered agent's office is located, and needs the county to send the money to the right place. The paper form marks the county as requested rather than required; give it either way, with the agent's street address, so the division has what it needs to split the fee without coming back to you.
Can an Alabama certificate of formation have a delayed effective date?+
Yes. The certificate takes effect when the Secretary of State files it unless a later date, up to 90 days after the certificate is signed, is entered, and an effective time can be given as well, so long as it is not noon or midnight. A delayed date is optional; most filings simply take effect on filing.
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