How to look up Alabama business entity information

Alabama business entity information, including entity name, type, entity number, and formation date, is available through the Alabama business search portal. This online database can help you find key business-entity details for onboarding, compliance, or business transactions.

The portal calls the state identifier "Entity Number," while official filing forms call it the "Alabama Entity ID Number." Alabama also marks active entities with the status "Exists" rather than "Active." Below, we walk through each search path and where every data point appears.

Summary table: finding your Alabama entity information

The table below shows where each data point lives in Alabama's system and what format it takes.

How to search for Alabama business entities

Access the Alabama business entity search through four paths: entity name, entity number, officer, agent, or incorporator, and reservation or registration ID. The entity name search is the broadest starting point, with filters for entity type, principal city, and status.

Search the complete legal name as registered, then narrow with a filter if needed. Select the entity from the results list to open its detail page.

What you'll see in search results

• Legal entity name (exact spelling and punctuation)

• Entity type shown as the full designation ("Domestic Limited Liability Company," "Domestic Non-Profit Corporation," etc.)

• Entity ID (unique 9-digit identifier, e.g., 001-227-685)

• Formation date and place of formation

• Current status (Alabama uses "Exists" rather than "Active")

How to find your entity number in Alabama

Your Alabama entity number, called "Entity Number" in the search portal and "Alabama Entity ID Number" on official SOS forms, is a 9-digit identifier assigned by the Secretary of State. Alabama recently switched from a 6-digit to a 9-digit format; older entities simply gained three leading zeros, with no action required.

Where to locate your Alabama entity number

1. Alabama business search (fastest method)

• Located: on the entity detail page

• Labeled as: "Entity Number"

• Format: three groups of three digits, hyphen-separated

2. State filings and correspondence

• Most filings other than the initial formation or registration document require your entity number; the LLC Certificate of Formation Amendment is one example.

• The SOS directs filers who don't know their number to look it up through the business entity search.

When a filing asks for the number, pull it from the search portal rather than from your paper certificate.

Alabama entity number format

• Format: 9 digits, hyphen-separated (000-000-000)

• Example: 001-227-685

How to find your entity type in Alabama

Alabama's Business Entity Division records entity types including for-profit and non-profit corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, registered LLPs, LLLPs, benefit corporations, and professional LLCs (PLLC). Other structures, including professional corporations and trusts, may also be organized under Alabama law; your entity detail page shows the exact designation on file.

Where to find your Alabama entity type

1. Alabama business search (most accessible)

• Displayed: on the entity detail page

• Listed as: the full designation, such as "Domestic Corporation" or "Domestic Non-Profit Corporation"

2. Formation documents

• The filed Alabama LLC Certificate of Formation identifies the entity type and subtype; corporations file a Certificate of Incorporation.

• Uses the formal legal terminology.

Annual reports are no longer a reliable source for this information. Act No. 2024-213 (HB 230) repealed § 10A-2A-16.11, the Secretary of State annual report requirement for domestic and foreign corporations, effective October 1, 2024; the entity detail page still lists past report years on file.

Compliance now runs through the Business Privilege Tax return filed with the Department of Revenue, with a full exemption for entities whose calculated tax is $100 or less for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2023.

How to find your formation date in Alabama

Your formation date appears on the entity detail page in the business search portal, listed as "Formation Date." This is the date contracts, lender checklists, and state tax filings ask for.

Where your Alabama formation date appears

1. Alabama business search (easiest access)

• Listed as: "Formation Date"

• Location: displayed on the entity detail page after clicking the entity

• Format: MM/DD/YYYY

2. Formation documents

• Compare any filing date shown on your filed Certificate of Formation or Certificate of Incorporation against the portal's Formation Date.

• Use the portal's Formation Date when your paper records are ambiguous.

Formation date vs. effective date

Delayed effectiveness of Alabama filings falls under § 10A-1-4.12, "Time and Date of Effectiveness for Certain Filings; Time Zones," and § 10A-1-4.14, "Delayed Effectiveness Not Permitted." If your entity specified a delayed effective date at formation, confirm which date the portal's "Formation Date" field reflects before relying on it for contracts or tax filings; the SOS does not publish explicit guidance on whether the displayed date is the filing date or the effective date.

Monitor your Alabama entities with Discern

Looking up an Entity ID or confirming a status of "Exists" is a task you repeat every time a lender, partner, or compliance review asks for it. Discern centralizes entity records, tracks annual report deadlines, and provides registered agent coverage across all 51 jurisdictions, so your team isn't repeating the lookup by hand for every entity.

For a portfolio spread across Alabama and other states, Discern helps you confirm that every required registration is in place and each entity is in good standing before a financing or transaction closes. Teams managing 200+ registrations spend 5 to 10 minutes annually on compliance with Discern.

Book a demo with Discern.