Tennessee Corporation Foreign Registration in North Dakota

To do business in North Dakota, a corporation formed in Tennessee registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $145 in state fees. North Dakota may ask for Tennessee's Certificate of Existence ($20). We file it with the Secretary of State using your Tennessee records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Tennessee and North Dakota side by side

	Tennessee formed here	North Dakota registering here
Document	Tennessee Certificate of Existence	Foreign Business Corporation Certificate of Authority Application (no form number)
State fee	$20	$145 at order
How it is handled	Tennessee: online or by mail	Filed online with North Dakota
Office	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations	North Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	sos.tn.gov	sos.nd.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $20, every year	Annual Report, $25, every year
Due		May 15
Agent	Your Tennessee registered agent	Our North Dakota registered agent

From Tennessee to North Dakota, step by step

We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your North Dakota registered agent, next to your Tennessee name and formation date. If North Dakota wants the Tennessee certificate, it is ordered first. Once North Dakota approves it, the Tennessee company can do business there.

Will your Tennessee name work for North Dakota?

North Dakota accepts your Tennessee name if it includes company, corporation, incorporated, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them. We check your exact Tennessee name against North Dakota's records before filing.

Your North Dakota agent and the Tennessee one

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

Staying in good standing in Tennessee and North Dakota

Each year your corporation files Tennessee's Annual Report ($20) and North Dakota's Annual Report ($25). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Tennessee plus North Dakota comes to $194 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Tennessee to North Dakota

An LLC formed in Tennessee files its own registration with North Dakota ($135 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($20)). After that come Tennessee's Annual Report ($300) and North Dakota's Annual Report ($50). See the LLC filing.

Registering a North Dakota company in Tennessee

A corporation formed in North Dakota that registers with Tennessee files Form SS-4431 with $600 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($20). See that filing.

Common questions: Tennessee to North Dakota

Does my Tennessee company need to register in North Dakota?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: North Dakota issues one to Tennessee corporations once the filing is approved.

How much does it cost to register a Tennessee corporation in North Dakota?

$344 at checkout; North Dakota may also want Tennessee's Certificate of Existence, at extra cost.

What are the yearly costs for Tennessee and North Dakota?

$194 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $20 to Tennessee and $25 to North Dakota for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with North Dakota?

A Tennessee company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does North Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will North Dakota accept my Tennessee name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes company, corporation, incorporated, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them.

Can I form a new North Dakota corporation instead?

Yes, but Tennessee keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Dakota's Annual Report ($25), and the original keeps Tennessee's Annual Report.

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC