Alabama Business Entity Search

Official agency: Alabama Secretary of State

Open Official Government SearchOpens www.sos.alabama.gov in a new tab. This is the official government site, not EntityLocator.

Direct links on the official site

Search methods offered

Entity NameName box, plus Type, Place of Formation, Principal City and Status filters.
Entity IDOne Entity ID field.
Agent / Officer / IncorporatorA Name box and a Place of Formation selector.
Reservation IDOne Reservation ID field.
Status filter choicesAll Records, Exists, Cancelled, Consolidated, Dissolved, Merged, Revoked, Withdrawn, Registered Name, Name Reservation and Previous Name.

How to search

Open the Alabama Business Entity Records page using the button above. The search options open in a new window.
Choose Entity Name, or open the direct name search linked below the button.
Enter the business name. Leave Type, Place of Formation and Status at All Records for a broad first search, or narrow them if you know them. Principal City is also optional.
Select Search.
Compare the Entity ID, Entity Name, City, Type and Status in the results, and use the pagination if needed.
Select the Entity ID number to open the record. In our test the entity name itself was plain text, not a link.
Review the formation and agent information, annual reports, transactions and scanned documents.
If you know the ID, use the separate Entity ID option. For a person or agent, or a reservation, use the matching separate search.

What you can expect to find

Results show Entity ID, Entity Name, City, Type and Status.
A record can show the Entity ID Number, Entity Type, Principal Address, Principal Mailing Address, Status, Place of Formation, Formation Date, Registered Agent Name, Registered Office Street Address, Registered Office Mailing Address, Nature of Business, Capital Authorized, Capital Paid In and Directors. In our sample, the director was shown as NOT PROVIDED, so don’t expect director data on every record.
Annual Reports, Transactions and Scanned Documents sections were present. The scanned listings showed the document date, type and page count, with a Purchase Document Copies link.
The Type selector has All Records plus domestic and foreign legal forms, including corporations, nonprofit corporations, LLCs, series LLCs, partnerships, professional forms and trusts. Place of Formation lists Alabama counties, states and other jurisdictions.
The sample record’s status was “Exists”. We could not confirm that this means tax good standing, licensing or a certificate of good standing, and we didn’t verify a status glossary. Previous Name and Name Reservation are record categories in the selector, not status conclusions.

Limitations, fees and notices

Name search, results and record details were free. Document copies are a separate purchase and aren’t included with the free search. We did not confirm copy or certificate prices or whether purchasing needs a login, so no prices are listed.
The forms displayed “Filings completed through 11/01/2026” when we checked on November 4, 2026. Check the cutoff shown when you search rather than assuming real-time coverage.
The landing page says Alabama entity IDs changed from six digits to nine digits, with up to three leading zeroes added. It also directs people looking for certain corporation records from 1949 to 2010 to the Alabama Archives. That doesn’t mean records from that period are missing from the search.
We saw no matching-mode or exact-name option on the name search.
A Reservation ID lookup finds an existing reservation. It is not an official determination that a proposed name is available.

Sources and research notes

Sources reviewed: November 4, 2026. Official sites change; always confirm current details on the government site.

Research for this guide used the official Alabama sites in a web browser. All four search forms were opened, and a name search and one bank record were tested.