Tennessee

Foreign registration · Form SS-4431

Virginia Corporation Foreign Registration in Tennessee

Tennessee registers a corporation from Virginia as a foreign corporation on Form SS-4431, with $600 in state fees. Tennessee also wants Virginia's Certificate of Good Standing ($6). We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations using your Virginia records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Virginia and Tennessee each ask for

	Virginia formed here	Tennessee registering here
Document	Virginia Certificate of Good Standing	Form SS-4431, Application for Certificate of Authority For-Profit Corporation
State fee	$6	$600 at order
How it is handled	Virginia: online as an instant PDF from the Clerk's Information System	Filed with Tennessee
Office	Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations
Official page	scc.virginia.gov	sos.tn.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report + Annual Registration Fee, $50, every year	Annual Report, $20, every year
Agent	Your Virginia registered agent	Our Tennessee registered agent

From Virginia to Tennessee, step by step

Order the Virginia certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($6) is ordered from Virginia separately; it is not part of our Tennessee order. Tennessee wants the Virginia 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 Virginia name and formation date, with the certificate attached. With the certificate issued on the spot, nothing from Virginia delays the Tennessee filing. After approval, your Virginia corporation is registered with Tennessee.

Tennessee costs for Virginia companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$600
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Virginia	$6
Our service, with a year of Tennessee registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Virginia certificate included	$805

Your Virginia name and Tennessee's rules

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

Your Tennessee agent and the Virginia one

Virginia and Tennessee both call it a registered agent. Tennessee papers come to us; Virginia's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: Tennessee and Virginia

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

LLC or corporation, Virginia to Tennessee

An LLC formed in Virginia files Form SS-4233 with Tennessee ($300 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Fact of Existence/Registration ($6)). After that come Virginia's Annual Registration Fee ($50) and Tennessee's Annual Report ($300). See the LLC filing.

Questions Virginia owners ask about Tennessee

Does my Virginia company need to register in Tennessee?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

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

$799 at checkout plus $6 to Virginia for the Certificate of Good Standing, $805 in all (checkout is $600 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Virginia's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Tennessee wants it ($6), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Virginia and Tennessee?

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

Does Tennessee require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Tennessee corporation instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Tennessee later?

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

Official sources

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