The office of the Alabama Secretary of State LLC can be searched by the general public, in order to find any entity. This includes limited liability partnerships, professional associations, limited liability companies, corporations, and limited partnerships. A search can be done with the entity's number, registered agent, name, officer, month and year the company was created, incorporator, registration by ID, and date. When the search results are received, there will be an option of looking at all the detailed information.

Searching by Name

To look by name, go to the website and put in the name of the business you're looking for. Do not put LLC or any punctuation. It does not matter if the name is capitalized. Put the start of the word or first few words of the name for the best results. If there is just one word for the name, the full name can be used.

The search can be narrowed down by putting in the following: 

  • Status
  • Entity type
  • City of main address
  • The place where it was formed

After the name or any other information needed is put in, click the search button to go to the next step. A list of results will appear on the following page, including the status with the Secretary, entity ID number, type, and the city of office. The entity ID can be clicked to get the complete information about the business.

On the next page, the following information can be viewed:

  • The principal address
  • Place of formation
  • Qualify date
  • Registered agent street address
  • Capital paid in
  • Any scanned documents
  • ID number
  • Mailing address
  • Type
  • Formation date
  • Registered agent name
  • Nature of the business
  • Capital authorized
  • Name and mailing address of the incorporator

Alabama LLC Name Requirements

The abbreviations L.L.C or LLC are required to be used at the end of a business name. LLC is most commonly used. An LLC is not the same as a corporation, so the words incorporated, Inc., corporation, or Corp. cannot be used. It is also not permitted to use the words banker, bank, banking, or trust unless the Alabama State Banking Department gives the business a letter of approval.

Names with the words insurer or insurance may not be used except when a letter of approval is granted from the Alabama Department of Insurance. To use the names engineering or engineer, the person applying must be an engineer who has been licensed by the Alabama Board of Engineers and Land Surveyors.

If there is a professional designation in the LLC's name, such as veterinarian, doctor, or attorney, a copy of the license will need to be shown by one of the members. The LLC name that is desired must be unique and different from all other registered businesses in the state of Alabama.

There needs to be different designators in the name, meaning the identifiers should be unique. Examples include:

  • L.L.C, LLC
  • Possessive, singular, and plural
  • The, A, An
  • Or, &, and
  • Three vs. 3
  • Slashes, commas, periods, hyphens

Alabama LLC Name Reservation

It's mandatory to file a Name Reservation when an LLC is formed in Alabama. This form can be filed by mail or filed online, which gets approved quicker and is easier. The fee for filing online is $28 and there is instant approval. If sending it in by mail, it costs $10 for an approval within a week or $25 for an approval in three days. The form can be downloaded here.

Follow these steps to make a Name Reservation online:

  • Click on "Name Reservation Menu."
  • Click on "Name Reservation."
  • Choose "Non-Subscriber."
  • Put in the contact information, including email, name, and phone number, the address, and click "continue."
  • Put the desired LLC name under "New Name Reservation" and click "continue."
  • Check "domestic" under "type of reservation," select "Limited Liability Company" under "Type of Entity" and click "continue."
  • Choose "Name Reservation Only."
  • Click "Individual" under "Requestor is an," put the name and address, and then "continue."
  • Review the information on the summary page, click "agree-to-terms," and then "continue."
  • Pay and download the Name Reservation Approval.

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