Tennessee

Foreign registration · no form number

Tennessee Corporation Foreign Registration in Delaware

A corporation formed in Tennessee that wants to do business in Delaware files a registration (no form number), with $245 in state fees. Delaware may ask for Tennessee's Certificate of Existence ($20). We file it with the Department of State, Division of Corporations using your Tennessee records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Tennessee and Delaware each ask for

	Tennessee formed here	Delaware registering here
Document	Tennessee Certificate of Existence	Qualification Certificate of a Foreign Corporation (no form number)
State fee	$20	$245 at order
How it is handled	Tennessee: online or by mail	Filed with Delaware
Paid expedite		24-hour $50, same-day $100, 2-hour $500, 1-hour $1,000
Office	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations	Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations
Official page	sos.tn.gov	corp.delaware.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $20, every year	Foreign Corporation Annual Report, $125, every year
Due		June 30
Agent	Your Tennessee registered agent	Our Delaware registered agent

From Tennessee to Delaware, step by step

We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your Delaware registered agent, with your Tennessee name and formation date. If Delaware wants the Tennessee certificate, it is ordered first. After approval, your Tennessee corporation is registered with Delaware.

Will your Tennessee name work for Delaware?

Delaware can hold a name for 120 days for $75 before you file.

Agents: Delaware and Tennessee

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

Yearly filings: Delaware and Tennessee

Each year your corporation files Tennessee's Annual Report ($20) and Delaware's Foreign Corporation Annual Report ($125). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Tennessee plus Delaware comes to $294 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Tennessee to Delaware

An LLC formed in Tennessee files its own registration with Delaware ($200 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($20)). After that come Tennessee's Annual Report ($300) and Delaware's Annual LLC Tax ($300). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Delaware company in Tennessee

A corporation formed in Delaware that registers with Tennessee files Form SS-4431 with $600 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($50). See that filing.

Common questions: Tennessee to Delaware

Does my Tennessee company need to register in Delaware?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

Delaware calls it qualification for Tennessee corporations; other states say certificate of authority.

How much does the Delaware registration cost?

$444 at checkout; Delaware may also want Tennessee's Certificate of Existence, at extra cost.

What are the yearly costs for Tennessee and Delaware?

$294 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $20 to Tennessee and $125 to Delaware for the yearly reports.

Does Delaware require a registered agent?

Yes: the Tennessee registered agent stays, and ours covers Delaware for year one, with a street address there.

Can I form a new Delaware corporation instead?

Yes, but Tennessee keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Delaware's Annual Franchise Tax Report ($50), and the original keeps Tennessee's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Delaware later?

Tennessee companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal of Foreign Corporation; until then, Delaware's report stays due alongside Tennessee's filings.

What does a Delaware company file to register in Tennessee?

It files Form SS-4431 with $600 in state fees, plus Delaware's good standing certificate.

Official sources

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