Alabama Certificate of Existence: two agencies, ask which proof they want.
When the lender, the bank, or another state asks for proof your Alabama company exists and is current, this is the document they mean: the Certificate of Existence, the Secretary of State’s fee, issued by the Secretary of State. Alabama splits the proof between the Secretary of State and the Department of Revenue, so the first question is which certificate the requester actually wants. Here is what it proves, who asks, and how to get yours without the order bouncing.
The state-sealed certificate ordered and delivered fast, with your standing checked first so the order never bounces.
Four facts cover the whole system
A state-issued certificate from the Secretary of State attesting that the company exists on the record and is current with the state’s requirements. Lenders, banks, other states, and investors accept it because it comes from the only source that counts. We order it for you →
Alabama proof comes in two flavors: the Secretary of State’s Certificate of Existence covers the entity’s registration, and the Department of Revenue’s Certificate of Compliance, $14, covers the tax side. Lenders sometimes want one, sometimes both, ask which before ordering, because the two come from different agencies on different timelines.
Loan closings and refinances, bank accounts, foreign qualification in other states, investor diligence, license applications, and most requesters want it recent, commonly issued within the last 30 to 90 days, so certificates are ordered per occasion, not stockpiled.
The state charges the Secretary of State’s fee, ordered online, with the tax-side companion available separately. When we handle it, the total is the state fee plus a transaction fee plus our service fee, one-time, itemized on the pricing page before you pay, with your standing checked before the order goes in so the request never bounces.
✓ Accuracy verified against the official filing requirements · checked 2026
Five moments, one certificate each
Alabama certifies what is true: the certificate of existence, the Secretary of State’s fee from the Secretary of State, ordered online, with the tax-side companion available separately. Requesters want it recent, so certificates are ordered per occasion, standing checked first, because the state will not certify a company that is not current.
Where you stand decides what you do next
Confirm their freshness window, then we check your standing and order it, checked first so the order never bounces mid-closing.
The foreign qualification needs a recent Alabama certificate, often under 90 days old, ordered as part of the filing package. We sequence both so the certificate is fresh when the other state reads it.
Check before anyone else does: the official record shows your status free, and if standing lapsed, here is the way back before the certificate matters.
The bank wanted proof, Alabama offered two kinds
The Birmingham company’s lender asked for a certificate of good standing, and Alabama, characteristically, made it a research project: the Secretary of State’s existence certificate or the Revenue Department’s $14 compliance certificate? The bank wanted both. We ordered both. In Alabama, ask which proof they mean. There are two, from two buildings.
Representative composite drawn from customer outcomes.
Ask what the certificate means for you
How do I get a certificate of existence in Alabama?
How long is a Alabama certificate of existence valid?
What if my company is not in good standing?
Everything standing touches, watched in one place
Every state's record, one guide per state
Name AvailabilityDistinguishable is not the same as safe, check properly
Registered AgentA Alabama address that never misses a service of process
Compliance CalendarYour deadlines tracked, so the record stays boring
CRMThe counterparties you vet become the clients you keep
Business BankingOpen the account the day your filing comes back
Alabama, beyond the certificate
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Name search to filed Articles, the Alabama playbook.
Read the guide → CostsWhat a Alabama LLC Costs
State fees, the recurring bill, and the first-year total.
See the numbers → State hubForm a Business in Alabama
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Open the hub → FileForm an LLC in Alabama
From clean name to filed Articles, handled.
Start the filing →Related reading, from the library.
The service handles it for you. These guides explain it, for the owners who want the whole picture first.
The complete 2026 guide to ordering a Alabama Certificate of Existence: $25 standard fee, 5-10 business days processing, common...
Read the article →The complete 2026 guide to Alabama's Business Privilege Tax Return: April 15 deadline, $100 LLC fee / $100 corp fee, online filing...
Read the article →The complete 2026 guide to reinstating a dissolved Alabama business entity: $100 base fee plus back-filings, 10-15 business days...
Read the article →Alabama Good Standing questions.
What is a Alabama Certificate of Existence?
A state-issued certificate from the Secretary of State attesting that the company exists and is current with state requirements. Lenders, banks, other states, and investors accept it as proof because it comes from the official record. We order it as part of certificate service, standing checked first.
How much does a Alabama certificate of existence cost?
The state charges the Secretary of State’s fee, ordered online, with the tax-side companion available separately. When we handle it, the total is the state fee plus a transaction fee plus our service fee, one-time, itemized on the pricing page before you pay, with your standing checked before the order goes in so the request never bounces.
How long is a Alabama certificate of existence valid?
There is no statutory expiration, the receiving party decides, and most want a certificate issued within the last 30 to 90 days. Order per occasion: fresh for the closing, fresh for the qualification, fresh for the diligence request.
Is a certificate of existence the same as a certificate of good standing?
Yes, Alabama’s official name is the certificate of existence, and requesters may call it a certificate of good standing, certificate of existence, or certificate of status interchangeably. Florida issues a Certificate of Status, Tennessee a Certificate of Existence, Pennsylvania a Subsistence Certificate: different names, same recent state-sealed proof of existence and standing.
What if my Alabama company is not in good standing?
Alabama LLCs rarely lose registration standing, but the tax side bites: an entity behind on Business Privilege Tax cannot produce the Revenue side’s Certificate of Compliance, and some requesters insist on it. The BPT account squared comes first. The fix comes before the certificate: the reinstatement path, then the order. We check standing before every order so the bounce never happens mid-deal.
Do I need a new certificate for every request?
Usually, yes: each requester applies its own freshness window, often 30 to 90 days, and a certificate ordered for last spring’s loan rarely satisfies this fall’s qualification. The good news is ordering is fast when standing is clean, which is the part worth maintaining year-round.
Can File.Business get my Alabama certificate of existence?
Yes: we verify your standing on the official record first, order the certificate at the speed your deadline requires, and deliver it with the record kept in your document vault for the next time a lender asks. When we handle it, the total is the state fee plus a transaction fee plus our service fee, one-time, itemized on the pricing page before you pay, with your standing checked before the order goes in so the request never bounces.
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Up a level, or across to the neighbours.
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