STATE OF ALABAMA
NAME RESERVATION REQUEST FORM
FOR DOMESTIC ENTITIES
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PURPOSE: To request reservation of entity name prior to forming
said entity in the State of Alabama. Pertinent requirements are listed
in Title 10A, Chapter 1, Article 5 of the Alabama Business and
Nonprofit Entities Code. These requirements apply to all entity types,
business and non-profit.
INSTRUCTIONS: Mail this completed form with the appropriate
fee to the Office of the Secretary of State at PO Box 5616,
Montgomery, AL 36103. Include a check, money order , or credit
card payment for $10 for standard processing (no guaranteed
processing timeframe – dependent on volume) or $25 for expedited
processing (within approximately 3 business days after date of
receipt). The request is only accepted via mail or courier and will not be accepted via fax or email. Using a credit card
and our website, you may reserve the name online in the time it takes to type this request (see page 4). Due to volume,
we are unable to search for requests that may or may not have been received via regular mail to provide receipts
or status – if a receipt is needed use registered mail service or a courier service. No fees are charged or deposited
until the Reservation is approved. If the credit card does not authorize or the check is dishonored the Reservation will be
terminated (there is a $30.00 NSF check fee for all returned checks). All processing instructions are complete in this
form; cover letters are not necessary and will not be reviewed
.
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For SOS Office Use Onl
y)
The information completing this form must be typed or the requests will be rejected
without review.
Faxed or emailed request will not be acknowledged, reviewed, processed, or returned.
1. Type of Entity (check one):
Business Corporation ____ Limited Partnership (LP)
Nonprofit Corporation ____ Limited Liability Limited Partnership (LLLP)
Professional Corporation (PC) ____ Employee Cooperative Corporation
Limited Liability Company (LLC) Real Estate Investment Trust
Registered Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)
2. Name Requested [10A-1-5.11]:
Please see pages 3 and 4 of this form for naming requirements under Code of Alabama 1975.
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3. The request for name reservation is submitted by and for the use of (this information will appear on the certificate):
Requester Name (entity or individual):
Address:
4. The certificate of name reservation is to be mailed to:
Mailing Address (If the certificate is to be held for pick-up, Hold For Pickup must be typed in this line.)
There is no call for pick-up service available.
Date Signature of Requester [10A-1-5.11]
If the requester is, a Service Provider using a prepaid account:
Acct Name:
Acct Number:
$10.00 Standard Processing or $25.00 Expedited Processing
Credit Card Payment Option (must be typed and signed):
$10.00 standard processing option (processing timeframe depends on volume and staffing – see status
on page 3)
$25.00 expedited processing option (generally processed within approximately 3 business days after
date of receipt)
Card Type:
(Visa, MC, Discover & AmEx)
Card Number: Expiration Mo/Yr: /
Card Holder Name:
Complete Billing Address:
Street or PO City State Zip
Signature of Card Holder:
MUST be signed in order to process.
/
/
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Informational Only/Do Not Send With Request
Online Service Available:
The name reservation request may be fully processed in real-time online. Go to www.sos.alabama.gov and click on the
Business Services tab. Scroll down to the Online Services link beneath the Business Entities subheading. Non-
subscribers pay a $28 fee with a credit card and receive the reservation by printing it immediately at the end of the
process. If you would like to go directly to online filing, click on the link below or cut and paste it into your browser:
https://www.alabamainteractive.org/sos_nameReservation/welcome.action
.
Mailing of Certifications of Name Reservation:
All documents not processed online are mailed standard USPS unless preaddressed envelopes with special postage or
overnight courier envelopes are included with the request. Any overnight courier envelopes must have a completed
airbill
showing no reference to the Office of the Secretary of State, with the billing information completed and clearly marked
“bill recipient” – if they are not completed in this manner they will be discarded.
Status of Request:
If a status of the request is needed, please go to www.sos.alabama.gov and click on the Government Records tab. Under
that tab, there is a link for Business Entity Records, select it. The screen that appears will offer a variety of ways to
search. Search by the entity name - that screen will list the “filings completed through” date to show the date through
which processing has been completed. Enter the name just as filed following the instructions on the screen with regard to
punctuation, etc. to determine if the request has been processed. If you do not have evidence of receipt and the request
was not completed by the appropriate “through date,” we have to assume that the request never got into the office – the
only way to obtain a receipt is through registered mail/courier service. If there is an issue about the status of a request,
email the details and a copy of the receipt of delivery to business.services@sos.alabama.gov
and a supervisor will
research the problem and respond in the order in which the email was received. Please do not call the office or come in
with a question about status as research time is required and every call slows processing procedures - we understand that
you are anxious to receive your certification of reservation as quickly as possible and we are trying to see that processing
is interrupted as little as possible. The fastest most efficient method is via online filing in which you control the
processing timeframe.
Checking the Availability of a Name:
Go to www.sos.alabama.gov and click on Government Records, then Business Entity Records in the drop-down listing,
then search the database under Entity Name by typing in the name that you would like to use for your entity excluding
entity identifiers such as Inc., LLC, etc. and any punctuation. Do not complete any of the other boxes on the search page
and the system will show all entities using the name or, in many cases, similar names. Entity names must be
distinguishable excluding entity designations on the index from existing names [10A-1-5.03]. Performing the search may
shorten the time it takes to get a Name Reservation completed if you file on paper by reducing rejections. If you use the
Online Filing method, the search is a part of the process and it is not necessary to perform it separately.
Name requirements of Title 10A:
Corporations: The name of a corporation must contain the word “corporation” or “incorporated”; or an abbreviation of
one of those words. Exceptions are: nonprofit corporations, banks, trust companies, savings and loan associations, or
insurance companies. [10A-1-5.04]
Professional Corporations: The name of a professional corporation must contain the words “professional corporation” or
the abbreviation “P.C.” or “P C”. [10A-1-5.08]
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Limited Liability Companies (LLC): The name of a limited liability company must contain the words “Limited Liability
Company” or the abbreviation “L.L.C.” or “LLC”. [10A-1-5.06]
Registered Limited Liability Partnerships (LLP): The name of a registered limited liability partnership shall contain the
words “Registered Limited Liability Partnership” or the abbreviation “L.L.P.” or “LLP”. [10A-1-5.07]
Limited Partnerships: The name of a limited partnership that is not a limited liability limited partnership must contain the
phrase "limited partnership" or "Limited," or the abbreviation "L.P.," "LP," or "Ltd."and must not contain the phrase
"limited liability limited partnership" or the abbreviation "LLLP" or "L.L.L.P.". The name of a limited partnership may
not contain the following words: "bank," "banking," "banker," "trust," "insurance," "insurer," "corporation,"
"incorporated," or any abbreviation of such words. [10A-9-1.08]
Limited Liability Limited Partnerships: The name of a limited liability limited partnership must contain the phrase
"limited liability limited partnership" or the abbreviation "LLLP" or "L.L.L.P." and must not contain the phrase "limited
partnership" or the term "Limited," or the abbreviation "L.P.," "LP," or "Ltd.". [10A-9-1.08]
Names Requiring Letters from Other Agencies: any banking entity will need a letter from the Alabama Banking
Commissioner’s Office and any insurance entity will need a letter from the Alabama Insurance Commissioner’s Office.
Names Requiring Evidence of Alabama Licensing: any name using a professional designation in the name (i.e.,
engineering, attorney) requires a copy of the license of one officer/member or a letter from the governing agency allowing
the use of the name without licensing.