Tennessee

Foreign registration · Form SS-4431

Wisconsin Corporation Foreign Registration in Tennessee

A corporation formed in Wisconsin that wants to do business in Tennessee files Form SS-4431, with $600 in state fees. Tennessee also wants Wisconsin's Certificate of Status ($10). We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations using your Wisconsin records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Wisconsin vs Tennessee: the paperwork

	Wisconsin formed here	Tennessee registering here
Document	Wisconsin Certificate of Status	Form SS-4431, Application for Certificate of Authority For-Profit Corporation
State fee	$10	$600 at order
How it is handled	Wisconsin: online, emailed as soon as it is requested	Filed with Tennessee
Office	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations
Official page	dfi.wi.gov	sos.tn.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Domestic Business Corporation Annual Report, $25, every year	Annual Report, $20, every year
Due	End of the calendar quarter containing the anniversary of the articles' effective date
Agent	Your Wisconsin registered agent	Our Tennessee registered agent

How Wisconsin companies register with Tennessee

Order the Wisconsin certificate
The Certificate of Status ($10) is ordered from Wisconsin separately; it is not part of our Tennessee order. Tennessee wants the Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin name and formation date, with the certificate attached. With the certificate issued on the spot, nothing from Wisconsin delays the Tennessee filing. Once Tennessee approves it, the Wisconsin company can do business there.

First-year cost, Wisconsin to Tennessee

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

Will your Wisconsin name work for Tennessee?

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

Agents: Tennessee and Wisconsin

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

Yearly filings: Tennessee and Wisconsin

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

LLC or corporation, Wisconsin to Tennessee

An LLC formed in Wisconsin files Form SS-4233 with Tennessee ($300 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status ($10)). After that come Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($25) and Tennessee's Annual Report ($300). See the LLC filing.

The other way: Tennessee into Wisconsin

A corporation formed in Tennessee that registers with Wisconsin files Form 21 with $100 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($20) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Wisconsin to Tennessee

Does my Wisconsin company need to register in Tennessee?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

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

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

Do I need Wisconsin's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Tennessee wants Wisconsin's Certificate of Status ($10), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Wisconsin and Tennessee?

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

Does Tennessee require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Tennessee corporation instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Tennessee later?

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

Official sources

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