> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.topograph.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Alabama (US)

> Entity identifiers, data sources, and implementation details for Alabama (US-AL)

<Warning>
  This guide is outdated and will be removed on 1 November 2026. The up-to-date Alabama (US) reference is on the [Alabama (US) country page](https://www.topograph.co/countries/us-al).
</Warning>

## Table of Contents

* [Data Sources](#data-sources)
* [Company Identifiers](#company-identifiers)
* [Search Capabilities](#search-capabilities)
* [Quirks & Gotchas](#quirks--gotchas)
* [Mappings](#mappings)
  * [Company Status](#company-status)
  * [Legal Forms](#legal-forms)
  * [Legal Representatives](#legal-representatives)
  * [Other Key Persons](#other-key-persons)
* [Data Availability](#data-availability)
* [Documents](#documents)
* [Example API Responses](#example-api-responses)

## Data Sources

All entity data comes from the **Alabama Secretary of State — Business Entities Division** via the ARC-SOS public portal ([arc-sos.state.al.us](https://arc-sos.state.al.us)). This is the official online search system for all corporations, limited liability companies, non-profit corporations, limited partnerships, general partnerships, and their foreign equivalents registered in Alabama.

Every request hits the live register. There is no bulk data export or open-data feed. Responses are always authoritative and reflect the register's current state.

<Note>
  Alabama is a single-source integration. All data — company profile, legal
  representatives, registered agent, and search — comes from the live Alabama
  SoS portal. The Trade Register Extract is included at no extra charge with
  the company data block.
</Note>

## Company Identifiers

### Query Identifiers

| Identifier Type | Format | Example | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| **Entity ID Number** | 9 digits, leading zeros significant (`000358845`, `001226798`). Accepted with or without dashes (`000-358-845`) and without the leading zeros (`358845`). | `000358845` | Primary identifier assigned by Alabama SoS at registration |

<Tip>
  The Alabama Secretary of State moved from 6-digit to 9-digit Entity IDs by adding three leading zeros to existing numbers, so older entities start with `000`. Both forms are accepted: `358845` and `000358845` resolve to the same entity. Responses always return the 9-digit form.
</Tip>

### Identifiers in API Response

| Identifier | Format | Example | Found In |
| - | - | - | - |
| `entityId` | 9 digits, no dashes, leading zeros | `000358845` | All entities |

### Legal Entity Identifier (LEI)

GLEIF is the supplementary data source for this identifier.

`company.identifiers.lei` is returned when a company identifier has a unique match against this jurisdiction's registration or validation references in GLEIF.

An [LEI (Legal Entity Identifier)](https://www.gleif.org/en/about-lei/introducing-the-legal-entity-identifier-lei) has 20 uppercase letters and digits, ending in two check digits.

Coverage varies by entity. The field is omitted when no unambiguous match is available. Lapsed or retired LEIs may be returned; annulled records are excluded.

## Search Capabilities

| Search Type | Pattern | Example | Match Type | Expected Results |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| By Name | 2–200 chars | `"Alabama Holdings"` | Starts with | Multiple results |
| By Entity ID | 1–9 digits | `000358845` | Exact | Single entity |

<Note>
  Name search matches from the beginning of the entity name (starts-with). Use
  shorter prefixes for broader results. Dashes are stripped before matching, so
  searching `000-358-845` and `000358845` return the same result.
</Note>

### Active companies only

Search can return companies that are no longer active. Each result carries the register's status, so [`activeOnly=true`](/essentials/search#active-companies-only) removes the inactive ones.

## Quirks & Gotchas

| Quirk | Details |
| - | - |
| **6-digit legacy IDs** | Entities numbered before the switch to 9 digits are displayed as `000NNNNNN` on the portal. Both `NNNNNN` and `000NNNNNN` are accepted as queries. |
| **Dashes in Entity IDs** | The portal displays IDs as `000-358-845` but the API returns and accepts undashed form `000358845`. |
| **LLCs have no member/manager data** | Alabama law does not require LLCs to publicly disclose their members or managers. LLC lookups return zero `legalRepresentatives` for members and managers. Only Corporations list Directors and Incorporators. |
| **Incorporators are historical** | Incorporators listed on the entity detail page reflect who signed the formation documents. They do not represent current governance and are returned in `otherKeyPersons` with the filed title and standardized role `Other`. |
| **Address format varies** | Older entities (pre-2000) often have only a city and state with no street address. `addressLine1` may be absent for historical records. |
| **Non-entity statuses** | The portal lists Name Reservations, Registered Names, and Previous Names alongside active entities. These are filtered out and return a 404. |

## Mappings

### Company Status

| Portal Status | Active |
| - | - |
| Exists | Yes |
| Cancelled | No |
| Dissolved | No |
| Merged | No |
| Revoked | No |
| Withdrawn | No |
| Converted | No |

Unknown statuses not in the table above are resolved via AI enrichment.

### Legal Forms

51 entity types are registered by Alabama SoS, covering domestic formations under Alabama law and foreign entities registered to do business in Alabama. ISO 20275 ELF codes are assigned to the four most common domestic types; foreign variants carry no ELF code, as the code belongs to the jurisdiction of formation.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Domestic Corporations">
    | Legal Form | Standardized | ISO 20275 |
    | - | - | - |
    | Domestic Corporation | Corporation | HFGV |
    | Domestic Benefit Corporation | Corporation | - |
    | Domestic Professional Corporation | Corporation | - |
    | Domestic Public Corporation | Corporation | - |
    | Domestic Employee Cooperative Corporation | Corporation | - |
    | Domestic Corporation Sole | Corporation | - |
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Domestic Non-Profits & Associations">
    | Legal Form | Standardized | ISO 20275 |
    | - | - | - |
    | Domestic Non-Profit Corporation | Nonprofit Organization | V65U |
    | Domestic Professional Non-Profit Corporation | Nonprofit Organization | - |
    | Domestic Homeowners Association | Nonprofit Organization | - |
    | Domestic Professional Association | Nonprofit Organization | - |
    | Domestic Non-Profit General Partnership | Partnership | - |
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Domestic LLCs">
    | Legal Form | Standardized | ISO 20275 |
    | - | - | - |
    | Domestic Limited Liability Company | Limited Liability Company | CWRI |
    | Domestic Professional Limited Liability Company | Limited Liability Company | - |
    | Domestic Series Limited Liability Company | Limited Liability Company | - |
    | Domestic Non-Profit Ltd. Liability Company | Limited Liability Company | - |
    | Domestic Non-Profit Series Ltd. Liability Company | Limited Liability Company | - |
    | Domestic Professional Non-Profit Ltd. Liability Company | Limited Liability Company | - |
    | Domestic Professional Series Ltd. Liability Company | Limited Liability Company | - |
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Domestic Partnerships">
    | Legal Form | Standardized | ISO 20275 |
    | - | - | - |
    | Domestic Limited Partnership | Partnership | HN8W |
    | Domestic General Partnership | Partnership | - |
    | Domestic Limited Liability Partnership | Partnership | - |
    | Domestic Registered Limited Liability Partnership | Partnership | - |
    | Domestic Ltd. Liability Ltd. Partnership | Partnership | - |
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Domestic Other">
    | Legal Form | Standardized |
    | - | - |
    | Domestic Real Estate Investment Trust | Other |
    | Domestic Unincorporated Association | Other |
    | Delaware Statutory Trust | Other |
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Foreign Entities">
    Foreign entities are registered to do business in Alabama after formation elsewhere. No ISO 20275 codes are assigned; the code belongs to the jurisdiction of formation.

    | Legal Form | Standardized |
    | - | - |
    | Foreign Corporation | Corporation |
    | Foreign Benefit Corporation | Corporation |
    | Foreign Professional Corporation | Corporation |
    | Foreign Public Corporation | Corporation |
    | Foreign Employee Cooperative Corporation | Corporation |
    | Foreign Insurance Corporation | Corporation |
    | Foreign Business Entity | Other |
    | Foreign Non-Profit Corporation | Nonprofit Organization |
    | Foreign Professional Non-Profit Corporation | Nonprofit Organization |
    | Foreign Homeowners Association | Nonprofit Organization |
    | Foreign Professional Association | Nonprofit Organization |
    | Foreign Limited Liability Company | Limited Liability Company |
    | Foreign Professional Limited Liability Company | Limited Liability Company |
    | Foreign Series Limited Liability Company | Limited Liability Company |
    | Foreign Non-Profit Ltd. Liability Company | Limited Liability Company |
    | Foreign Non-Profit Series Ltd. Liability Company | Limited Liability Company |
    | Foreign Professional Series Ltd. Liability Company | Limited Liability Company |
    | Foreign Limited Partnership | Partnership |
    | Foreign General Partnership | Partnership |
    | Foreign Non-Profit General Partnership | Partnership |
    | Foreign Limited Liability Partnership | Partnership |
    | Foreign Registered Limited Liability Partnership | Partnership |
    | Foreign Ltd. Liability Ltd. Partnership | Partnership |
    | Foreign Real Estate Investment Trust | Other |
    | Foreign Unincorporated Association | Other |
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### Legal Representatives

Legal representatives are returned for corporations only. Alabama LLCs are not required to publicly disclose their members or managers on the register.

| Portal Role | Standardized Role | Notes |
| - | - | - |
| Director | Director | Current governance role for corporations |
| Manager | Manager | For manager-managed LLCs (rarely disclosed) |
| Member | Other | Other key person; membership alone does not establish powers (rarely disclosed) |
| Incorporator | Other | Other key person; historical formation role |

### Other Key Persons

| Portal Role | Standardized Role |
| - | - |
| Registered Agent | Registered Agent |

## Data Availability

| Datapoint | Available | Notes |
| - | - | - |
| Legal name | Yes | |
| Entity ID | Yes | |
| Legal form | Yes | 51 types, standardized + ISO 20275 where applicable |
| Status | Yes | Active/inactive, AI-enriched for unknown values |
| Formation date | Yes | |
| Registration address | Yes | May be city-only for pre-2000 entities |
| Nature of business | Yes | Free-text field, returned in `activityDescription` |
| Directors / Incorporators | Yes | Corporations only |
| Registered agent | Yes | Name and address |
| Shareholders | No | Not collected by the Alabama register |
| Officers (President, Secretary, etc.) | No | Not published on the public portal |
| Ultimate beneficial owners | No | No state UBO register |
| Activity codes (NAICS/SIC) | No | Free-text "Nature of Business" only |

## Documents

| Document | Available | Notes |
| - | - | - |
| Trade Register Extract | Yes | Printable PDF of the ARC-SOS entity detail page, included with all company data requests |
| Filing copies (Articles, Amendments, etc.) | No | Available from the Alabama SoS document portal but requires a US-issued payment card |

## Example API Responses

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Active domestic corporation">
    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "company": {
        "id": "000120714",
        "countryCode": "US-AL",
        "legalName": "SAMPLE MANUFACTURING INCORPORATED",
        "legalForm": {
          "localName": "Domestic Corporation",
          "standardized": "Corporation",
          "iso20275Code": "HFGV"
        },
        "status": { "active": true, "localName": "Exists" },
        "legalAddress": {
          "addressLine1": "100 COMMERCE DRIVE SUITE 200",
          "city": "BIRMINGHAM",
          "region": "AL",
          "postalCode": "35203",
          "countryCode": "US"
        },
        "registrationDate": "1987-11-23",
        "activityDescription": "MANUFACTURING"
      },
      "legalRepresentatives": [
        {
          "entityId": "person_001",
          "type": "individual",
          "role": { "localName": "Director", "standardized": "Director" },
          "individual": {
            "name": { "fullName": "SMITH JOHN A" },
            "residenceAddress": {
              "addressLine1": "100 COMMERCE DRIVE",
              "city": "BIRMINGHAM",
              "region": "AL",
              "postalCode": "35203",
              "countryCode": "US"
            }
          }
        }
      ],
      "otherKeyPersons": [
        {
          "entityId": "person_002",
          "type": "individual",
          "role": { "localName": "Incorporator", "standardized": "Other" },
          "individual": { "name": { "fullName": "DOE JANE B" } }
        },
        {
          "entityId": "person_003",
          "type": "individual",
          "role": { "localName": "Registered Agent", "standardized": "Registered Agent" },
          "individual": {
            "name": { "fullName": "REGISTERED AGENTS OF ALABAMA LLC" },
            "residenceAddress": {
              "addressLine1": "2 NORTH JACKSON STREET SUITE 605",
              "city": "MONTGOMERY",
              "region": "AL",
              "postalCode": "36104",
              "countryCode": "US"
            }
          }
        }
      ]
    }
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Inactive (Cancelled) foreign LLC">
    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "company": {
        "id": "000605255",
        "countryCode": "US-AL",
        "legalName": "SAMPLE TECHNOLOGY LLC",
        "legalForm": {
          "localName": "Foreign Limited Liability Company",
          "standardized": "Limited Liability Company"
        },
        "status": { "active": false, "localName": "Cancelled" },
        "legalAddress": {
          "city": "HUNTSVILLE",
          "region": "AL",
          "countryCode": "US"
        },
        "registrationDate": "2010-03-15"
      },
      "legalRepresentatives": [],
      "otherKeyPersons": [
        {
          "entityId": "person_001",
          "type": "individual",
          "role": { "localName": "Registered Agent", "standardized": "Registered Agent" },
          "individual": { "name": { "fullName": "JONES ROBERT C" } }
        }
      ]
    }
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Active non-profit corporation">
    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "company": {
        "id": "001169235",
        "countryCode": "US-AL",
        "legalName": "SAMPLE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION",
        "legalForm": {
          "localName": "Domestic Non-Profit Corporation",
          "standardized": "Nonprofit Organization",
          "iso20275Code": "V65U"
        },
        "status": { "active": true, "localName": "Exists" },
        "legalAddress": {
          "addressLine1": "500 WHITESBURG DRIVE",
          "city": "HUNTSVILLE",
          "region": "AL",
          "postalCode": "35801",
          "countryCode": "US"
        },
        "registrationDate": "2015-06-10",
        "activityDescription": "COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT"
      },
      "legalRepresentatives": [
        {
          "entityId": "person_001",
          "type": "individual",
          "role": { "localName": "Director", "standardized": "Director" },
          "individual": { "name": { "fullName": "WILLIAMS SARAH K" } }
        }
      ],
      "otherKeyPersons": [
        {
          "entityId": "person_002",
          "type": "individual",
          "role": { "localName": "Registered Agent", "standardized": "Registered Agent" },
          "individual": {
            "name": { "fullName": "SAMPLE REGISTERED AGENTS INC" },
            "residenceAddress": {
              "addressLine1": "300 CORPORATE DRIVE",
              "city": "BIRMINGHAM",
              "region": "AL",
              "postalCode": "35242",
              "countryCode": "US"
            }
          }
        }
      ]
    }
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Available documents">
    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "documents": {
        "tradeRegisterExtract": {
          "id": "c710ff36-6a0b-55bf-a957-43a6a7f2240d",
          "name": "Trade Register Extract",
          "description": "Printable extract of the Alabama Secretary of State ARC-SOS Entity Detail page. Includes Entity ID Number, legal name, entity type, status, formation date, registered agent, principal address, nature of business, capital information, and filing history.",
          "format": "pdf"
        }
      }
    }
    ```
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>


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