Alabama Certificate of Formation — Step 3 of 8
This is the filing that legally creates your LLC. It costs $200, builds on the name you already reserved, and — filed online — typically clears within hours. Here's exactly what goes on the form and a readiness checklist so it goes through clean the first time.
File the Certificate of Formation with the Alabama Secretary of State and pay the $200 filing fee — but only after you've completed your mandatory name reservation. You'll need your reserved name, registered agent, organizer information, and management structure. Online filings typically process within hours to one business day.
- Filing fee
- $200
- Filed with
- Secretary of State
- Prerequisite
- Name reservation
- Processing
- Hours–1 day
- Members listed?
- Not required
- Refundable?
- No
- Next step
- Step 4 →
What the Certificate of Formation Does
The Certificate of Formation is the legal document that brings your Alabama LLC into existence. Once the Secretary of State approves it, your LLC officially exists — you can get an EIN, open a business bank account, and start operating. Alabama's form is straightforward, but it can only be filed after your name reservation is in hand.
Filing-Readiness Checklist
Check off each item as you go — the ring fills as you get closer to a clean, first-try filing:
How to File
- Complete your name reservation first — see Step 1 if you haven't already.
- File through the Alabama Secretary of State's online portal and enter your reserved name, registered agent, organizer, and management structure.
- Pay the $200 fee and submit. Online filings usually process within hours to one business day; mail filings take several weeks.
- Save your approved Certificate — you'll need it for your EIN application and bank account.
What's On the Form
- Your reserved LLC name, including the required designator.
- Registered agent name and Alabama street address.
- Principal office address — where the business is based, which can differ from the registered agent's address.
- Management structure — member-managed or manager-managed.
- Organizer's name and signature — the person filing, which can be you or a formation service.
- Not required: a full list of members with ownership percentages, though the state can request this information via your later tax filings.
What happens after approvalYour LLC exists the moment Alabama approves the filing. There's no separate annual report to worry about, since Alabama eliminated that requirement — but you do need to file an Initial Business Privilege Tax Return within 2.5 months. See Step 6 for the full timeline.
- ✓Forms your Alabama LLC for $39 + the $228 state fees
- ✓Handles the mandatory name reservation for you
- ✓Free Alabama registered agent the first year
- ✓No upsells · No data selling · Privacy by Default
Disclosure: Enjoys-life may earn a commission via this link, at no cost to you. See our advertising disclosure.
Alabama Certificate of Formation — FAQ
Enjoys-life Team is the founder and CEO of Enjoys-life. The filing details here — the $200 fee, the name-reservation prerequisite, processing times, and required fields — reflect current Alabama Secretary of State guidance. This is educational information, not legal advice.
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