Tennessee

Foreign registration · Form SS-4233

Massachusetts LLC Foreign Registration in Tennessee

To do business in Tennessee, an LLC formed in Massachusetts registers there on Form SS-4233, with $300 in state fees. Tennessee also wants Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($25), dated within 60 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations using your Massachusetts records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Massachusetts and Tennessee side by side

	Massachusetts formed here	Tennessee registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Form SS-4233, Application for Certificate of Authority, Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$25	$300 at order
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed with Tennessee
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	sos.tn.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $520, every year	Annual Report, $300, every year
Due	On or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our Tennessee registered agent

How Massachusetts companies register with Tennessee

Order the Massachusetts certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($25) is ordered from Massachusetts separately; it is not part of our Tennessee order. It comes as a short form ($12) or a long form ($25). Tennessee counts 60 days from the day Massachusetts issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form SS-4233
It lists us as your Tennessee registered agent, next to your Massachusetts name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once Massachusetts's certificate is in hand, Tennessee's filing goes in. Once Tennessee approves it, the Massachusetts company can do business there.

Tennessee costs for Massachusetts companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$300
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Massachusetts	$25
Our service, with a year of Tennessee registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Massachusetts certificate included	$524

Will your Massachusetts name work for Tennessee?

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

Your Tennessee agent and the Massachusetts one

Tennessee calls it a registered agent; Massachusetts says resident agent. Tennessee papers come to us; Massachusetts's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in Massachusetts and Tennessee

Each year your LLC files Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and Tennessee's Annual Report ($300). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Massachusetts plus Tennessee comes to $969 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to Tennessee

A corporation formed in Massachusetts files Form SS-4431 with Tennessee ($600 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($12)). After that come Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and Tennessee's Annual Report ($20). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Tennessee into Massachusetts

An LLC formed in Tennessee that registers with Massachusetts files Massachusetts's registration (no form number) with $520 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($20) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Massachusetts to Tennessee

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in Tennessee?

Yes, once a Massachusetts business operates there; Tennessee law lists 11 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the Tennessee registration cost?

$499 at checkout plus $25 to Massachusetts for the Certificate of Good Standing, $524 in all (checkout is $300 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Massachusetts's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Tennessee wants it ($25), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and Tennessee?

$969 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $520 to Massachusetts and $300 to Tennessee for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Tennessee?

A Massachusetts company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Tennessee can add a fine of at least $900.

Does Tennessee require a registered agent?

Yes: the Massachusetts resident agent stays, and ours covers Tennessee for year one.

Can I form a new Tennessee LLC instead?

Yes, but Massachusetts keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Tennessee's Annual Report ($300), and the original keeps Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Tennessee later?

Massachusetts companies leave by filing an Application for Certificate of Withdrawal or Cancellation (Foreign Entity) ($20); until then, Tennessee's report stays due alongside Massachusetts's filings.

Official sources

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