Tennessee

Foreign registration · Form SS-4431

California Corporation Foreign Registration in Tennessee

A corporation formed in California that wants to do business in Tennessee files Form SS-4431, with $600 in state fees. Tennessee also wants California's Certificate of Status ($5). We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations from your California records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

California and Tennessee side by side

	California formed here	Tennessee registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status	Form SS-4431, Application for Certificate of Authority For-Profit Corporation
State fee	$5	$600 at order
How it is handled	California: online as a PDF within minutes, or on paper by mail or drop-off in Sacramento	Filed with Tennessee
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	sos.tn.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Statement of Information (Form SI-550), $25, every year	Annual Report, $20, every year
Due	Last day of the corporation's registration-anniversary month, annually
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our Tennessee registered agent

From California to Tennessee, step by step

Order the California certificate
The Certificate of Status ($5) is ordered from California separately; it is not part of our Tennessee order. Tennessee wants the California certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file Form SS-4431
It lists us as your Tennessee registered agent, next to your California name and formation date, with the certificate attached. California issues the certificate instantly, so the Tennessee filing can go in the same day. After approval, your California corporation is registered with Tennessee.

First-year cost, California to Tennessee

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$600
Certificate of Status, paid to California	$5
Our service, with a year of Tennessee registered agent service	$199
First-year total, California certificate included	$804

Your California name and Tennessee's rules

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

Agents: Tennessee and California

Tennessee calls it a registered agent; California says agent for service of process. Tennessee papers come to us; California's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in California and Tennessee

Each year your corporation files California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25) and Tennessee's Annual Report ($20). With our $149 registered agent renewal, California plus Tennessee comes to $194 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, California to Tennessee

An LLC formed in California files Form SS-4233 with Tennessee ($300 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status ($5)). After that come California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) ($20) and Tennessee's Annual Report ($300). See the LLC filing.

The other way: Tennessee into California

A corporation formed in Tennessee that registers with California files Form S&DC-S/N with $100 in state fees. See that filing.

Common questions: California to Tennessee

Does my California company need to register in Tennessee?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does it cost to register a California corporation in Tennessee?

$799 at checkout plus $5 to California for the Certificate of Status, $804 in all (checkout is $600 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need California's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Tennessee wants California's Certificate of Status ($5), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for California and Tennessee?

$194 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $25 to California and $20 to Tennessee for the yearly reports.

Does Tennessee require a registered agent?

Yes: the California agent for service of process stays, and ours covers Tennessee for year one.

Can I form a new Tennessee corporation instead?

Yes, but California keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Tennessee's Annual Report ($20), and the original keeps California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550).

How do I withdraw from Tennessee later?

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

Official sources

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