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Order $89 to $99 Alabama registered agent service online for immediate access to our address and state forms. No additional charges.
Your business must appoint an Alabama registered agent to receive documents in legal matters, including notice of lawsuit. Our reliable registered agent service fulfills this requirement. You get:
Whether you’re forming a new organization in Alabama or expanding to it from another jurisdiction, appointing a registered agent with the secretary of state is among the key requirements you need to meet. Your agent accepts and forwards service of process and other official correspondence, ensuring you don’t miss important notices and enabling you to address any legal matters promptly.
In this guide, we’ll go through the duties associated with the role of an Alabama registered agent, and the steps involved in their appointment process. We’ll also introduce Harbor Compliance and show you how our Registered Agent Service helps you stay on top of legal and government notices.
The primary responsibility of a registered agent is to receive service of process and other official notices on your behalf. They then forward such notices to you so that you’re aware of any legal requirements or obligations you need to meet.
To be able to fulfill their statutory duty, your agent must maintain a registered office—an Alabama address to which official notices will be delivered. The registered office cannot be a P.O. box, so the agent must have a physical location and be present at it during regular business hours.
The importance of a reliable agent is particularly evident in case of legal action against your organization. If your agent doesn’t accept and timely forward a lawsuit notice, you may fail to appear in court. As a result of your absence, the judge or jury will resort to default judgment and most likely rule in the plaintiff’s favor. Your agent must ensure you can present your case and avoid such unfavorable outcomes.
According to Section 10A-1-5.31 of the Alabama Code, your registered agent can be any of the following:
Legal entities (domestic or foreign) that act as registered agents are typically referred to as commercial agents. They specialize in performing registered agent duties and have well-developed systems to ensure you don’t miss official correspondence.
That’s why many organization leaders consider them more reliable than individual agents, who may be absent from the registered office and miss your notice for various reasons, most notably:
If you’re forming a new organization in Alabama, you’ll appoint the agent in your formation filings—Articles of Incorporation for profit or nonprofit corporations or Articles of Organization for LLCs. Your documents will contain a section asking you to provide the agent’s name and address (registered office).
The process is the same if you’re expanding your organization to Alabama from another state, except you’ll name your agent in your foreign qualification filings.
If you already have an agent but want to partner with a different one, you can change the agent by submitting the Change of Registered Agent or Registered Office by Entity form.
While the form mentioned above can be used to change only the address of your current agent, note that you won’t need to do this if you appoint a commercial agent. They can submit a separate form to the secretary of state and change their name or address on behalf of all represented entities.
If you need a convenient, reliable Alabama registered agent, consider partnering with Harbor Compliance. Our Registered Agent Service is perfectly tailored to ensure your notices are delivered timely and efficiently. It entails the following:
We can help your organization meet its statutory obligations beyond appointing a registered agent. Our extensive portfolio of services includes:
Harbor Compliance is much more than a registered agent service provider—we offer an extensive portfolio of services that help you navigate Oklahoma’s regulatory framework effortlessly. Refer to the following table for a brief overview of our most notable services:
Our services are available to organizations operating in multiple states and various industries, such as engineering, construction, and healthcare.
Appointing an individual agent (including yourself) might seem the most hassle-free option at first glance. However, it comes with a few significant drawbacks. The following table shows how individual agents compare to Harbor Compliance according to the most impactful factors:
| Factor | Individual Agent | Harbor Compliance |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy | Appointing yourself or someone from your organization means you must either make your personal information public or risk receiving service of process in front of your team or employees. | When you appoint us, our details enter the public record instead of yours, and all notices arrive at our Dotham office. They’re forwarded to you discreetly through the Client Portal. |
| Security | Individual registered agents typically don’t have access to industry-standard security measures. | Harbor Compliance protects your data with strict access controls and cybersecurity measures like strong encryption and cloud monitoring. |
| Reliability | An agent might miss your notice due to personal reasons, exposing you to legal consequences. | Our local office is always open during business hours, so there’s no risk of missed notices. |
| Flexibility | If you serve as your own registered agent in Alabama, you must be present at a specific physical location during business hours. And if your organization expands beyond Alabama, you’d need to appoint a separate individual for each state you operate in. | Due to our nationwide presence, you can appoint us in different jurisdictions and get all notices delivered to one centralized platform. This allows you to manage your organization, especially a multistate one, regardless of your physical location. |
Harbor Compliance makes it easy to meet Alabama’s registered agent requirement. The specific steps vary between three possible scenarios:
Regulatory setbacks can delay the formation of your organization and cause significant time waste. To ensure your entity is up and running quickly, you can let Harbor Compliance complete the registration on your behalf through the following services:
Choose the service that corresponds with your business structure, and we’ll submit the necessary filings and appoint Harbor Compliance as your registered agent.
If you wish to file independently and don’t need such comprehensive services, you can appoint us by taking the following steps:
If you want to expand your organization from another state without tedious processes, our Foreign Qualification service package can save you precious time and effort. Once you complete the wizard, we will:
You can change your registered agent directly with the secretary of state if you submit the appropriate form. By appointing us, you benefit from not having to do it yourself, as we can file the change on your behalf.
While ordering the Registered Agent Service, you’ll see the Change of Agent service before checkout. Add it to your cart, complete the purchase, and we’ll make Harbor Compliance your new agent.
Located in nearby Dothan, AL!
Appoint us as your Alabama registered agent when you incorporate your business or form your LLC. Sign up for registered agent service and file using the state forms and instructions in your Client Portal. The forms are pre-filled and signed as required by the state.
Appoint us as your agent when you apply for a certificate of authority to transact business in Alabama. Sign up for Alabama registered agent service and file using the forms and instructions in your Client Portal. The forms are pre-filled and signed as required by the state.
Changing your registered agent to us is easy. Sign up for Alabama registered agent service and file using the forms and instructions in your Client Portal. The forms are pre-filled and signed as required by the state.
Harbor Compliance is a provider of nationwide registered agent service. We can help you consolidate your agent representation and achieve cost savings. Our specialists manage the process to change registered agents so that virtually no work is required on your part. We will complete the state filings to appoint us as your registered agent. Additionally, we can extend your subscription term so that you avoid double payment for any portion of your current contract. There’s no reason to wait. Simply contact us for consolidation and we’ll take care of the rest. If you have registered agent appointments spanning multiple states or entities, contact us today.
Below, you’ll find answers to commonly asked questions about registered agents in Alabama. If you need additional guidance, explore our comprehensive Information Center.
All filing entities—including LLCs—are legally obligated to appoint a registered agent to operate in Alabama.
Corporations and other legal entities can act as registered agents, and they’re often referred to as commercial agents.
You can appoint yourself as a registered agent, but doing so would significantly limit your day-to-day flexibility because you’d need to be present at the registered office during business hours.
You can become a registered agent by giving the represented entity your consent, after which they’ll name you in their formation/foreign qualification filings.
Appointing an Alabama registered agent is a seemingly small but crucial step toward operating in accordance with the state’s laws. If you want to outsource this responsibility to experts, sign up for our Registered Agent Service.
To check whether your organization meets other statutory requirements, you can get a free Harbor Compliance Score™. If you need help securing a good regulatory standing, reach out to us to learn more about our other services, and our team will find a solution tailored to your needs.
You can also leverage our advanced software solution to meet your obligations effortlessly. Schedule a demonstration to see how it can help.
As your organization grows, you may need a registered agent in other states. Browse the following table for information about our service in other states Harbor Compliance covers:
