Alabama Business License

Alabama Business License

Once you are an AL resident and decide to set up a firm, it may be very exciting. For this purpose, you need nothing but a successfully passed licensure process to conduct it legally. You do not need much research for going through the process. Just stay on this page and hunt for all the answers to your questions about the Alabama business license.

How do I register my company in AL?

Every businessman knows the whole difficulties when setting up a company. But as a beginner in this field, you also need to imagine everything in advance. There are many issues, which need to be solved step by step in this rewarding field.

Before starting registration, you are to take into deep consideration several points.

First, you should decide what firm you would like to start. For this purpose, you should do deep research on the market, decide on your financing, plan for operations, and finally make a working plan.

Once you made a good work plan, it is time to decide on its structure. Below you may find out some entity structures. That is to say, you are to choose to register as a:

  • Corporation
  • LLC- Limited Liability Company
  • GP- General Partnership
  • LP- Limited Partnership
  • LLP- Limited Liability Partnership
  • LLLP- Limited Liability Limited Partnership
  • Sole Proprietorship

According to these, you should file different forms of certificates (Incorporate, formation, etc. ) with the Secretary of State’s office.

Then, it is time to select a registered agent to process official mail on your firm’s behalf. In addition, every entity must have a registered agent.

Determine your entity type

Once you register your firm, you are to decide if it is domestic or foreign. A domestic one is recorded in AL, whereas a foreign one is formed outside of the state.

According to your choice, you will file various forms with the Secretary of State. Those forms are available at the Alabama Secretary of State website.

Required fees

The filing fees are different. You are to pay:

  • $150 filing fee- foreign corporation
  • $200 filing fee- domestic corporation

Additionally, you should also pay different taxes (e.g sales, use, employment, corporate, etc.) After all, you are to gain a FEIN ( federal employer identification number). All sorts of affairs must get this number. It serves banking and tax purposes. You may apply for your FEIN by mail, fax, and online.

Register a company name

Once you have successfully passed through the above-mentioned steps, it is time to choose a unique organization name. It must be distinguishable from any other startup name in the state. For sure, you may check it with the help of a business entity search tool.

Note: if you have late documentation problems, you may reserve a startup name by paying $25.

Alabama business license requirements

You cannot set up a firm without having legal authorization. The procedure differs depending on several factors:

  • Your startup position
  • The industry
  • Services and goods offered by your company

There is not a general license to fit all the legal entities of the state. Furthermore, there are some that are only designed for specific activities. So, you need to be very diligent and do deep research to see which one is specific to your county or city.

Steps for getting an AL business license

These steps will walk you through the process:

  1. First, obtain a permit to do your business. It can be valid for a year, particularly from October 1st to September 30th.
  2. Secondly, you need to what other requirements there are. For example, if your company is going to sell goods, then you must get a store license.
  3. Your third step is to obtain applicable, federal certificates for your AL firm. There is a set of federal government regulatory agencies, which issue permits according to your activity.
  4. Lastly, you should check the process details with the local authorities.

Once you comply with the points mentioned above, you will be issued a code compliance certificate.

Nowadays every business owner has to provide legal documentation for one's activity. So, before you open up any company, make sure you have learned everything about limited liability companies (LLCs). We have also prepared a guide for Alabama Secretary of State, you will get to know how to register your business’s name and fill and transfer it.

Associated costs

It may cost you from $150 to several hundred dollars. It is based on your local county requirements, activity type, etc.

Evelina V

Evelina V

Evelina is a junior content writer with high tech skills. She has been working as a computer operator, secretary and English language teacher for a long period of time. However, she never gets enough of studying and enhancing her skills. Now, she writes SEO-friendly and original content for different websites and blogs.