Tennessee

Foreign registration · Form SS-4431

Delaware Corporation Foreign Registration in Tennessee

Tennessee registers a corporation from Delaware as a foreign corporation on Form SS-4431, with $600 in state fees. Tennessee also wants Delaware's Certificate of Good Standing ($50). We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations from your Delaware records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

What Delaware and Tennessee each ask for

	Delaware formed here	Tennessee registering here
Document	Delaware Certificate of Good Standing	Form SS-4431, Application for Certificate of Authority For-Profit Corporation
State fee	$50	$600 at order
How it is handled	Delaware: through the Division of Corporations request service, sent by first-class mail unless a FedEx or UPS account is supplied	Filed with Tennessee
Office	Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations
Official page	corp.delaware.gov	sos.tn.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Franchise Tax Report, $50, every year	Annual Report, $20, every year
Due	March 1
Agent	Your Delaware registered agent	Our Tennessee registered agent

From Delaware to Tennessee, step by step

Order the Delaware certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($50) is ordered from Delaware separately; it is not part of our Tennessee order. It comes as a short form ($50) or a long form ($175). Tennessee wants the Delaware 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 Delaware name and formation date and the certificate attached. Allow for the days Delaware takes to send the certificate before the Tennessee filing goes in. Once Tennessee approves it, the Delaware company can do business there.

Tennessee costs for Delaware companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$600
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Delaware	$50
Our service, with a year of Tennessee registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Delaware certificate included	$849

Will your Delaware name work for Tennessee?

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

Your Tennessee agent and the Delaware one

Delaware and Tennessee both call it a registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for Delaware; ours takes Tennessee's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in Delaware and Tennessee

Each year your corporation files Delaware's Annual Franchise Tax Report ($50) and Tennessee's Annual Report ($20). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Delaware plus Tennessee comes to $219 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Delaware to Tennessee

An LLC formed in Delaware files Form SS-4233 with Tennessee ($300 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($50)). After that come Delaware's Annual LLC Tax ($400) and Tennessee's Annual Report ($300). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Tennessee company in Delaware

A corporation formed in Tennessee that registers with Delaware files Delaware's registration (no form number) with $245 in state fees. See that filing.

Common questions: Delaware to Tennessee

Does my Delaware company need to register in Tennessee?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does the Tennessee registration cost?

$799 at checkout plus $50 to Delaware for the Certificate of Good Standing, $849 in all (checkout is $600 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Delaware's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Tennessee wants it ($50), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Delaware and Tennessee?

$219 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $50 to Delaware and $20 to Tennessee for the yearly reports.

Does Tennessee require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Tennessee corporation instead?

Yes, but Delaware keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Tennessee's Annual Report ($20), and the original keeps Delaware's Annual Franchise Tax Report.

How do I withdraw from Tennessee later?

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

Official sources

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