Rhode Island

Tennessee

Foreign registration · Form SS-4431

Rhode Island Corporation Foreign Registration in Tennessee

A corporation formed in Rhode Island that wants to do business in Tennessee files Form SS-4431, with $600 in state fees. Tennessee also wants Rhode Island's Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22). We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations using your Rhode Island records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Rhode Island and Tennessee side by side

	Rhode Island formed here	Tennessee registering here
Document	Rhode Island Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing	Form SS-4431, Application for Certificate of Authority For-Profit Corporation
State fee	$22	$600 at order
How it is handled	Rhode Island: online in about two business days, the same day in person, or in 5 to 7 business days by mail	Filed with Tennessee
Office	Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations
Official page	sos.ri.gov	sos.tn.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report for a Corporation (Form 630), $50, every year	Annual Report, $20, every year
Due	May 1
Agent	Your Rhode Island resident agent	Our Tennessee registered agent

From Rhode Island to Tennessee, step by step

Order the Rhode Island certificate
The Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22) is ordered from Rhode Island separately; it is not part of our Tennessee order. It comes as a short form ($22) or a long form ($30). Tennessee wants the Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The Rhode Island certificate takes days to arrive, so the Tennessee filing waits for it. After approval, your Rhode Island corporation is registered with Tennessee.

Tennessee costs for Rhode Island companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$600
Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Rhode Island	$22
Our service, with a year of Tennessee registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Rhode Island certificate included	$821

Your Rhode Island name and Tennessee's rules

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

Your Tennessee agent and the Rhode Island one

Tennessee calls it a registered agent; Rhode Island says resident agent. Tennessee papers come to us; Rhode Island's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: Tennessee and Rhode Island

Each year your corporation files Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Corporation (Form 630) ($50) and Tennessee's Annual Report ($20). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Rhode Island plus Tennessee comes to $219 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Rhode Island to Tennessee

An LLC formed in Rhode Island files Form SS-4233 with Tennessee ($300 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22)). After that come Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632) ($50) and Tennessee's Annual Report ($300). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Tennessee company in Rhode Island

A corporation formed in Tennessee that registers with Rhode Island files Form 150 with $319 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($20). See that filing.

Common questions: Rhode Island to Tennessee

Does my Rhode Island company need to register in Tennessee?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

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

$799 at checkout plus $22 to Rhode Island for the Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing, $821 in all (checkout is $600 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Rhode Island's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Tennessee wants it ($22), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Rhode Island and Tennessee?

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

Does Tennessee require a registered agent?

Yes: the Rhode Island resident agent stays, and ours covers Tennessee for year one.

Can I form a new Tennessee corporation instead?

Yes, but Rhode Island keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Tennessee's Annual Report ($20), and the original keeps Rhode Island's yearly report.

How do I withdraw from Tennessee later?

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

Official sources

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