South Carolina

Tennessee

Foreign registration · Form SS-4431

South Carolina Corporation Foreign Registration in Tennessee

Tennessee registers a corporation from South Carolina as a foreign corporation on Form SS-4431, with $600 in state fees. Tennessee also wants South Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10). We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations from your South Carolina records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

South Carolina vs Tennessee: the paperwork

	South Carolina formed here	Tennessee registering here
Document	South Carolina Certificate of Existence	Form SS-4431, Application for Certificate of Authority For-Profit Corporation
State fee	$10	$600 at order
How it is handled	South Carolina: online	Filed with Tennessee
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	sos.tn.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S), fee set by the state, every year	Annual Report, $20, every year
Due	15th day of the 4th month after the close of the tax year
Agent	Your South Carolina agent for service of process	Our Tennessee registered agent

How South Carolina companies register with Tennessee

Order the South Carolina certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from South Carolina separately; it is not part of our Tennessee order. Tennessee wants the South Carolina 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 South Carolina name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once South Carolina's certificate is in hand, Tennessee's filing goes in. After approval, your South Carolina corporation is registered with Tennessee.

First-year cost, South Carolina to Tennessee

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$600
Certificate of Existence, paid to South Carolina	$10
Our service, with a year of Tennessee registered agent service	$199
First-year total, South Carolina certificate included	$809

Your South Carolina name and Tennessee's rules

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

Your Tennessee agent and the South Carolina one

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

Yearly filings: Tennessee and South Carolina

South Carolina wants the Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) every year; Tennessee wants the Annual Report every year ($20). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, South Carolina to Tennessee

An LLC formed in South Carolina files Form SS-4233 with Tennessee ($300 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10)). See the LLC filing.

The other way: Tennessee into South Carolina

A corporation formed in Tennessee that registers with South Carolina files Form F0002 with $110 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($20). See that filing.

Questions South Carolina owners ask about Tennessee

Does my South Carolina company need to register in Tennessee?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does the Tennessee registration cost?

$799 at checkout plus $10 to South Carolina for the Certificate of Existence, $809 in all (checkout is $600 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need South Carolina's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Tennessee wants South Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for South Carolina and Tennessee?

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

Does Tennessee require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Tennessee corporation instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Tennessee later?

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

Official sources

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