Tennessee

Foreign registration · Form SS-4431

South Dakota Corporation Foreign Registration in Tennessee

To do business in Tennessee, a corporation formed in South Dakota registers there on Form SS-4431, with $600 in state fees. Tennessee also wants South Dakota's Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20). We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations from your South Dakota records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

South Dakota and Tennessee side by side

	South Dakota formed here	Tennessee registering here
Document	South Dakota Certificate of Good Standing/Existence	Form SS-4431, Application for Certificate of Authority For-Profit Corporation
State fee	$20	$600 at order
How it is handled	South Dakota: online	Filed with Tennessee
Office	South Dakota Secretary of State	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations
Official page	sosenterprise.sd.gov	sos.tn.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year	Annual Report, $20, every year
Due	By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year (form opens that day
Agent	Your South Dakota registered agent	Our Tennessee registered agent

How South Dakota companies register with Tennessee

Order the South Dakota certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20) is ordered from South Dakota separately; it is not part of our Tennessee order. Tennessee wants the South Dakota 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 South Dakota name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The South Dakota certificate comes first; then the Tennessee filing goes in. After approval, your South Dakota corporation is registered with Tennessee.

Tennessee costs for South Dakota companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$600
Certificate of Good Standing/Existence, paid to South Dakota	$20
Our service, with a year of Tennessee registered agent service	$199
First-year total, South Dakota certificate included	$819

Your South Dakota name and Tennessee's rules

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

Your Tennessee agent and the South Dakota one

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

Staying in good standing in South Dakota and Tennessee

South Dakota wants the Annual Report every year; Tennessee wants the Annual Report every year ($20). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, South Dakota to Tennessee

An LLC formed in South Dakota files Form SS-4233 with Tennessee ($300 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20)). After that come South Dakota's Annual Report ($55) and Tennessee's Annual Report ($300). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Tennessee company in South Dakota

A corporation formed in Tennessee that registers with South Dakota files South Dakota's registration (no form number) with $750 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($20). See that filing.

Common questions: South Dakota to Tennessee

Does my South Dakota company need to register in Tennessee?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does the Tennessee registration cost?

$799 at checkout plus $20 to South Dakota for the Certificate of Good Standing/Existence, $819 in all (checkout is $600 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: Tennessee wants it ($20), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for South Dakota and Tennessee?

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

Does Tennessee require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Tennessee corporation instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Tennessee later?

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

Official sources

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