Tennessee

Foreign registration · Form 635_0010

Tennessee LLC Foreign Registration in Iowa

Iowa registers an LLC from Tennessee as a foreign LLC on Form 635_0010, with $100 in state fees. Iowa also wants Tennessee's Certificate of Existence ($20), dated within 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Services using your Tennessee records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Tennessee and Iowa side by side

	Tennessee formed here	Iowa registering here
Document	Tennessee Certificate of Existence	Form 635_0010, Limited Liability Company Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$20	$100 at order
How it is handled	Tennessee: online or by mail	Filed with Iowa
Paid expedite		5-business-day $15, 2-business-day $50
Office	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations	Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	sos.tn.gov	sos.iowa.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $300, every year	Biennial Report, $30, every two years
Due		April 1 of odd-numbered years
Agent	Your Tennessee registered agent	Our Iowa registered agent

From Tennessee to Iowa, step by step

Order the Tennessee certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($20) is ordered from Tennessee separately; it is not part of our Iowa order. Iowa counts 90 days from the day Tennessee issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form 635_0010
It lists us as your Iowa registered agent, next to your Tennessee name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once Tennessee's certificate is in hand, Iowa's filing goes in. Once Iowa approves it, the Tennessee company can do business there.

First-year cost, Tennessee to Iowa

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$100
Certificate of Existence, paid to Tennessee	$20
Our service, with a year of Iowa registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Tennessee certificate included	$319

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

Will your Tennessee name work for Iowa?

If Iowa's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Tennessee company. We search Iowa's records for Tennessee's name on file before anything is filed.

Your Iowa agent and the Tennessee one

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

Yearly filings: Iowa and Tennessee

Tennessee wants the Annual Report every year ($300); Iowa wants the Biennial Report every two years ($30). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Tennessee to Iowa

A corporation formed in Tennessee files Form 635_0110A with Iowa ($100 in state fees, the same). After that come Tennessee's Annual Report ($20) and Iowa's Biennial Report ($60). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Iowa into Tennessee

An LLC formed in Iowa that registers with Tennessee files Form SS-4233 with $300 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($5) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Tennessee to Iowa

Does my Tennessee company need to register in Iowa?

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

How much does it cost to register a Tennessee LLC in Iowa?

$299 at checkout plus $20 to Tennessee for the Certificate of Existence, $319 in all (checkout is $100 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Tennessee's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Iowa wants Tennessee's Certificate of Existence ($20), no more than 90 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Tennessee and Iowa?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Tennessee's report ($300) and Iowa's report ($30, every two years).

What if I don't register with Iowa?

A Tennessee company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does Iowa require a registered agent?

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

Will Iowa accept my Tennessee name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Tennessee name at home.

Can I form a new Iowa LLC instead?

Yes, but Tennessee keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Iowa's Biennial Report ($30), and the original keeps Tennessee's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Iowa later?

Tennessee companies leave by filing a Statement of Withdrawal ($10); until then, Iowa's report stays due alongside Tennessee's filings.

Official sources

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