Alabama

Tennessee

Foreign registration · Form SS-4431

Alabama Corporation Foreign Registration in Tennessee

Tennessee registers a corporation from Alabama as a foreign corporation on Form SS-4431, with $600 in state fees. Tennessee also wants Alabama's Certificate of Existence ($25). We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations from your Alabama records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Alabama and Tennessee side by side

	Alabama formed here	Tennessee registering here
Document	Alabama Certificate of Existence	Form SS-4431, Application for Certificate of Authority For-Profit Corporation
State fee	$25	$600 at order
How it is handled	Alabama: online as an instant printable certificate with a seal and authentication number	Filed with Tennessee
Office	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations
Official page	sos.alabama.gov	sos.tn.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT), fee set by the state, every year	Annual Report, $20, every year
Agent	Your Alabama registered agent	Our Tennessee registered agent

How Alabama companies register with Tennessee

Order the Alabama certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($25) is ordered from Alabama separately; it is not part of our Tennessee order. Tennessee wants the Alabama certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file Form SS-4431
It names us as your Tennessee registered agent, with your Alabama name and formation date and the certificate attached. Alabama issues the certificate instantly, so the Tennessee filing can go in the same day. Once Tennessee approves it, the Alabama company can do business there.

Tennessee costs for Alabama companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$600
Certificate of Existence, paid to Alabama	$25
Our service, with a year of Tennessee registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Alabama certificate included	$824

Your Alabama name and Tennessee's rules

Tennessee can hold a name for $20 before you file.

Agents: Tennessee and Alabama

Alabama and Tennessee both call it a registered agent. Tennessee papers come to us; Alabama's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: Tennessee and Alabama

Alabama wants the Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT) every year; Tennessee wants the Annual Report every year ($20). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Alabama to Tennessee

An LLC formed in Alabama files Form SS-4233 with Tennessee ($300 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($25)). After that come Alabama's Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report and Tennessee's Annual Report ($300). See the LLC filing.

The other way: Tennessee into Alabama

A corporation formed in Tennessee that registers with Alabama files Alabama's registration (no form number) with $184 in state fees. See that filing.

Common questions: Alabama to Tennessee

Does my Alabama company need to register in Tennessee?

Yes, once an Alabama business operates there; Tennessee registers it as a foreign corporation.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: Tennessee issues one to Alabama corporations once the form is approved.

How much does the Tennessee registration cost?

$799 at checkout plus $25 to Alabama for the Certificate of Existence, $824 in all (checkout is $600 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Alabama's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Tennessee wants Alabama's Certificate of Existence ($25), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Alabama and Tennessee?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Alabama's report (fee set by the state) and Tennessee's report ($20).

Does Tennessee require a registered agent?

Yes: the Alabama registered agent stays, and ours covers Tennessee for year one.

Can I form a new Tennessee corporation instead?

Yes, but Alabama keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Tennessee's Annual Report ($20), and the original keeps Alabama's Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT).

How do I withdraw from Tennessee later?

Alabama companies leave by filing an Application for Certificate of Withdrawal or Cancellation (Foreign Entity); until then, Tennessee's report stays due alongside Alabama's filings.

Official sources

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