Tennessee

Foreign registration · no form number

Tennessee LLC Foreign Registration in Delaware

Delaware registers an LLC from Tennessee as a foreign LLC on a registration (no form number), with $200 in state fees. Delaware also wants Tennessee's Certificate of Existence ($20), dated within 180 days. We file it with the Department of State, Division of Corporations from your Tennessee records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Tennessee vs Delaware: the paperwork

	Tennessee formed here	Delaware registering here
Document	Tennessee Certificate of Existence	Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (no form number)
State fee	$20	$200 at order
How it is handled	Tennessee: online or by mail	Filed with Delaware
Paid expedite		24-hour $50, same-day $100, 2-hour $500, 1-hour $1,000
Office	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations	Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations
Official page	sos.tn.gov	corp.delaware.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $300, every year	Annual LLC Tax, $300, every year
Agent	Your Tennessee registered agent	Our Delaware registered agent

How Tennessee companies register with Delaware

Order the Tennessee certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($20) is ordered from Tennessee separately; it is not part of our Delaware order. Delaware accepts it within 180 days of Tennessee's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your Delaware registered agent, with your Tennessee name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once Tennessee's certificate is in hand, Delaware's filing goes in. Once Delaware approves it, the Tennessee company can do business there.

First-year cost, Tennessee to Delaware

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$200
Certificate of Existence, paid to Tennessee	$20
Our service, with a year of Delaware registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Tennessee certificate included	$419

Delaware's paid expedite is optional and not in the total.

Will your Tennessee name work for Delaware?

Delaware can hold a name for 120 days for $75 before you file.

Your Delaware agent and the Tennessee one

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

Yearly filings: Delaware and Tennessee

Each year your LLC files Tennessee's Annual Report ($300) and Delaware's Annual LLC Tax ($300). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Tennessee plus Delaware comes to $749 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Tennessee to Delaware

A corporation formed in Tennessee files its own registration with Delaware ($245 in state fees). After that come Tennessee's Annual Report ($20) and Delaware's Foreign Corporation Annual Report ($125). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Delaware into Tennessee

An LLC formed in Delaware that registers with Tennessee files Form SS-4233 with $300 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($50) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Tennessee to Delaware

Does my Tennessee company need to register in Delaware?

Yes, once a Tennessee business operates there; Delaware registers it as a foreign LLC.

How much does the Delaware registration cost?

$399 at checkout plus $20 to Tennessee for the Certificate of Existence, $419 in all (checkout is $200 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Tennessee's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Delaware wants Tennessee's Certificate of Existence ($20), no more than 180 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Tennessee and Delaware?

$749 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $300 to Tennessee and $300 to Delaware for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Delaware?

A Tennessee company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Delaware can add up to $200 for each year or part of a year.

Does Delaware require a registered agent?

Yes: the Tennessee registered agent stays, and ours covers Delaware for year one, with a street address there.

Can I form a new Delaware LLC instead?

Yes, but Tennessee keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Delaware's Annual LLC Tax ($400), and the original keeps Tennessee's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Delaware later?

Tennessee companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company; until then, Delaware's report stays due alongside Tennessee's filings.

Official sources

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