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The Alabama Secretary of State's Business Entities Division in Montgomery keeps the state's records for corporations, nonprofits, LLCs, limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships. The search lives in the Government Records Inquiry System under Business Entity Records. It has four ways in: entity name, entity number, officer or agent or incorporator, and reservation or registration ID.
Using the four Alabama business search windows
Each of the four options opens in its own browser window, so keep the main page open to switch between them. For a name search, the office's own advice on its name reservation form is simple: type the name you want without endings such as Inc. or LLC and without punctuation, and leave the other boxes blank. The system then lists every entity using that name and, in many cases, similar names.
Searching by person is useful here. The Officer | Agent | Incorporator option finds companies linked to a named individual, which is a good start if you are trying to trace who runs a business. Our business owner lookup guide has more ways to do that.
Entity numbers changed format. The state switched from a 6 digit to a 9 digit entity ID, so an old number now shows three leading zeros. Some older corporation records are not in this system at all. The office sends you to the Alabama Department of Archives and History for those.
Reading the Business Entity Details page
Click the entity ID next to a result to open the Business Entity Details page. It shows the name, address, type of entity and the people named in the filing, such as the owner or incorporator. The Secretary of State asks you to check this page before ordering any certificate, because orders are processed by the number you give and there is no refund for picking the wrong entity. The office also suggests you print it: you will need the details for later requests and for business privilege tax returns.
The search results also show a "filings completed through" date. Use it to see how far the office has worked through paper filings before you assume yours is lost.
Name rules and the required reservation
Alabama is unusual: you must get a Certificate of Name Reservation before you file formation papers for an LLC or a corporation, and you attach it to the filing. Under 10A-1-5.06, an LLC name must contain "Limited Liability Company" or the abbreviation L.L.C. or LLC. A business corporation needs "Corporation" or "Incorporated", or Inc. or Corp. A nonprofit corporation does not need either word.
Names must be distinguishable on the index from existing names, ignoring entity designations, under 10A-1-5.03. Some words need outside approval first. A name with engineer, insurance, bank or trust needs a letter from the governing agency, and a name with architect needs an Alabama architect license. Reserve online through the state's online services portal for $28 and print the certificate at once, or mail the domestic name reservation form with $25. See our name reservation guide for how holds work in other states.
Fees, taxes and proof of standing
A domestic Certificate of Formation costs $200 for any entity type, and a foreign entity registration costs $150, per the Business Entities Division fee schedule. Online fees include a portal fee for the vendor that runs the site.
The business entities page says corporations are no longer required by law to file an annual report with the Secretary of State. What companies do file is a business privilege tax return with the Department of Revenue. For limited liability entities it is due two and a half months after the start of the tax year, which is March 15 for a calendar year. C corporations with a calendar year file three and a half months in. The privilege tax rate runs from $0.25 to $1.75 for each $1,000 of net worth in Alabama, based on taxable income. The Department of Revenue's page says taxpayers who would owe the $100 minimum pay $50 instead.
Proof that a company exists is a Certificate of Existence. It costs $25 by mail or $28 online, where it prints at once with a seal and an authentication number. Copies of filed documents are $2.00 per page, or $3.50 per page online. Compare other states in our LLC fees by state table.
Bulk data
The Secretary of State does not list a bulk download of business entity records. Its business downloads page offers forms and a Registered Agent List PDF, which the office says it does not endorse.
Starting a company here? Read our guide on how to start an LLC in Alabama and the Alabama registered agent rules.
Also see our guides to the Alabama DBA and Alabama business license.