Tennessee

Foreign registration · Form SS-4431

Illinois Corporation Foreign Registration in Tennessee

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

What Illinois and Tennessee each ask for

	Illinois formed here	Tennessee registering here
Document	Illinois Certificate of Good Standing	Form SS-4431, Application for Certificate of Authority For-Profit Corporation
State fee	$25	$600 at order
How it is handled	Illinois: online as an instant PDF, printed from the receipt page or sent by email link	Filed with Tennessee
Office	Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, Limited Liability Division	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations
Official page	ilsos.gov	sos.tn.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05), $75, every year	Annual Report, $20, every year
Due	Before the first day of the entity's anniversary month each year
Agent	Your Illinois registered agent	Our Tennessee registered agent

How Illinois companies register with Tennessee

Order the Illinois certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($25) is ordered from Illinois separately; it is not part of our Tennessee order. Tennessee wants the Illinois 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 Illinois name and formation date and the certificate attached. Illinois issues the certificate instantly, so the Tennessee filing can go in the same day. After approval, your Illinois corporation is registered with Tennessee.

First-year cost, Illinois to Tennessee

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

Will your Illinois name work for Tennessee?

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

Your Tennessee agent and the Illinois one

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

Staying in good standing in Illinois and Tennessee

Each year your corporation files Illinois's Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05) ($75) and Tennessee's Annual Report ($20). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Illinois plus Tennessee comes to $244 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Illinois to Tennessee

An LLC formed in Illinois files Form SS-4233 with Tennessee ($300 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25)). After that come Illinois's Limited Liability Company Annual Report (Form LLC-50.1) ($75) and Tennessee's Annual Report ($300). See the LLC filing.

Questions Illinois owners ask about Tennessee

Does my Illinois company need to register in Tennessee?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does it cost to register an Illinois corporation in Tennessee?

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

Do I need Illinois's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Tennessee wants it ($25), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Illinois and Tennessee?

$244 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $75 to Illinois and $20 to Tennessee for the yearly reports.

Does Tennessee require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Tennessee corporation instead?

Yes, but Illinois keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Tennessee's Annual Report ($20), and the original keeps Illinois's Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05).

How do I withdraw from Tennessee later?

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

Official sources

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