Alabama Registered Agent

At a minimum, Alabama registered agents:

• Have a physical address in Alabama.
• Be open during business hours.
• Accept documents on your behalf and get them to you.

However, the right registered agent service can do much more. At Northwest, we go above and beyond the minimum to ensure top speed, security, privacy and support.

• A registered agent in Alabama has to be a state resident or a company that provides registered agent services.
• The agent must maintain a registered office address that is a physical address located within the State of Alabama.
• The registered agent must accept legal documents for your company.

All owners of Alabama businesses are able to be their own registered agents. This means you can designate yourself to accept official notices and service of process for your business, and there are only a few requirements you must meet in order to be the registered agent.

Your Alabama registered agent must reside in Alabama or be an Alabama business. The registered agent must also maintain a business office at the same address, which is officially referred to as the registered office. It is very important that the registered office be a street address where process may be personally served on the registered agent. The registered office address can’t be a mailbox or P.O. Box.

How do I become my own registered agent?

It is easy to designate yourself as registered agent when you form your corporation or LLC. Just list your own name and address on the Certificate of Formation that you will file with the Alabama Secretary of State.

You can download the Certificate of Formation for a corporation or LLC from the Alabama Secretary of State’s website. Write in your own name as the name of the registered agent. Then write in your street address as the registered office (if it is different from your principal office address). Finally, write in your mailing address if you have one that is different from your street address.  Once your Certificate of Formation is filed by the state, you are your business’s registered agent.

Although being your own registered agent will cost you $0, keep in mind that once you are the registered agent for your business, your name and address will be public. Anyone who searches your business on the Secretary of State’s website will see your name and address listed.

What if I already have a registered agent?

If you have an existing Alabama business and you would like to change your Alabama registered agent to yourself, all you have to do is file a change of agent form. You can download the Change of Registered Agent or Registered Office by Entity form from the Secretary of State’s website. You will need to fill in the old registered agent information and list yourself as the new registered agent. Make sure to list your street address as the registered office. You may list your mailing address if you have one that is different from your street address. Make sure you sign as the new registered agent accepting the appointment on behalf of your business entity.

Once you file the change of agent with the Secretary of State, your registered office address will be public information. It will also be the address when any service of process and official mail for your Alabama LLC, Alabama corporation or Alabama nonprofit will be sent. It is very important that you comply with the requirements for a registered agent and registered office.

What if I no longer want to be my own registered agent? 

Alabama has its process for resigning as a registered agent in the state. We can walk you through Alabama registered agent resignation process if you’d like.

There are two ways to change your registered agent in Alabama.

1. Hire us and we’ll complete the change of agent form for you for free.
2. Do it yourself and file a change of agent form with the Alabama Secretary of State. The form costs $25 to file.

At Northwest, we do business the right way. We’re dedicated to getting you your docs fast, protecting your privacy and offering you support. Here’s how:

• Same-Day Scans, Instant Notifications: We accept and scan your docs at our local office the same day. We notify you instantly and reach out to you if your essential mail goes unread.
• Privacy by Default®: We automatically minimize the exposure of and access to your personal data. If we can put our address on a public doc instead of yours, we do. If we don’t have to list your personal info, we don’t. We have tough privacy policies to keep your data safe and private. And we never sell your data.
• Free Limited Mail Forwarding: Of course we’ll get you your state and legal mail. That’s our job. But what if we get some of your regular business mail? It happens a lot—clients and businesses trying to connect with you via your registered agent. 
• Corporate Guides®: Have questions? We have answers. Our guides are business experts whose sole job is to provide phone and email support for all your toughest business questions.