Rhode Island

Tennessee

Foreign registration · Form SS-4233

Rhode Island LLC Foreign Registration in Tennessee

Tennessee registers an LLC from Rhode Island as a foreign LLC on Form SS-4233, with $300 in state fees. Tennessee also asks for Rhode Island's Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22), no older than 60 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations from your Rhode Island records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

What Rhode Island and Tennessee each ask for

	Rhode Island formed here	Tennessee registering here
Document	Rhode Island Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing	Form SS-4233, Application for Certificate of Authority, Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$22	$300 at order
How it is handled	Rhode Island: online in about two business days, the same day in person, or in 5 to 7 business days by mail	Filed with Tennessee
Office	Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations
Official page	sos.ri.gov	sos.tn.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632), $50, every year	Annual Report, $300, every year
Due	May 1
Agent	Your Rhode Island resident agent	Our Tennessee registered agent

How Rhode Island companies register with Tennessee

Order the Rhode Island certificate
The Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22) is ordered from Rhode Island separately; it is not part of our Tennessee order. It comes as a short form ($22) or a long form ($30). With Rhode Island taking days and Tennessee counting 60 days from issue, the order is timed for both.
We prepare and file Form SS-4233
It lists us as your Tennessee registered agent, next to your Rhode Island name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Allow for the days Rhode Island takes to send the certificate before the Tennessee filing goes in. Once Tennessee approves it, the Rhode Island company can do business there.

Tennessee costs for Rhode Island companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$300
Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Rhode Island	$22
Our service, with a year of Tennessee registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Rhode Island certificate included	$521

Your Rhode Island name and Tennessee's rules

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

Your Tennessee agent and the Rhode Island one

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

Staying in good standing in Rhode Island and Tennessee

Each year your LLC files Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632) ($50) and Tennessee's Annual Report ($300). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Rhode Island plus Tennessee comes to $499 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Rhode Island to Tennessee

A corporation formed in Rhode Island files Form SS-4431 with Tennessee ($600 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22)). After that come Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Corporation (Form 630) ($50) and Tennessee's Annual Report ($20). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Tennessee company in Rhode Island

An LLC formed in Tennessee that registers with Rhode Island files Form 450 with $156 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($20) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Rhode Island to Tennessee

Does my Rhode Island company need to register in Tennessee?

Yes, once a Rhode Island 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 $22 to Rhode Island for the Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing, $521 in all (checkout is $300 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Rhode Island's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Tennessee wants it ($22), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Rhode Island and Tennessee?

$499 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $50 to Rhode Island and $300 to Tennessee for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Tennessee?

A Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island resident agent stays, and ours covers Tennessee for year one.

Can I form a new Tennessee LLC instead?

Yes, but Rhode Island keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Tennessee's Annual Report ($300), and the original keeps Rhode Island's yearly report.

How do I withdraw from Tennessee later?

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

Official sources

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