Tennessee

Foreign registration · Form FBE

Tennessee LLC Foreign Registration in Kentucky

Kentucky registers an LLC from Tennessee as a foreign LLC on Form FBE, with $90 in state fees. Kentucky needs nothing from Tennessee: no Certificate of Existence. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings using your Tennessee records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Tennessee and Kentucky each ask for

	Tennessee formed here	Kentucky registering here
Document	Tennessee Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Form FBE, Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Entity)
State fee	$20	$90 at order
How it is handled	Tennessee: online or by mail	Filed with Kentucky
Office	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations	Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings
Official page	sos.tn.gov	web.sos.ky.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $300, every year	Annual Report, $15, every year
Due		On or before June 30
Agent	Your Tennessee registered agent	Our Kentucky registered agent

From Tennessee to Kentucky, step by step

We prepare and file Form FBE
It names us as your Kentucky registered agent, with your Tennessee name and formation date. Nothing has to come from Tennessee first, so the Kentucky filing can go in right away. Once Kentucky approves it, the Tennessee company can do business there.

Your Tennessee name and Kentucky's rules

We search Kentucky's records for Tennessee's name on file before anything is filed.

Your Kentucky agent and the Tennessee one

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

Yearly filings: Kentucky and Tennessee

Each year your LLC files Tennessee's Annual Report ($300) and Kentucky's Annual Report ($15). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Tennessee plus Kentucky comes to $464 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Tennessee to Kentucky

A corporation formed in Tennessee files Form FBE with Kentucky ($90 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Tennessee's Annual Report ($20) and Kentucky's Annual Report ($15). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Kentucky into Tennessee

An LLC formed in Kentucky that registers with Tennessee files Form SS-4233 with $300 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Tennessee to Kentucky

Does my Tennessee company need to register in Kentucky?

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

How much does the Kentucky registration cost?

$289 at checkout, with nothing to pay Tennessee.

Do I need Tennessee's certificate of good standing?

No, Kentucky takes Form FBE without it.

How long does the Kentucky registration take?

Kentucky's standard processing takes up to 3 business days; nothing comes from Tennessee first.

What are the yearly costs for Tennessee and Kentucky?

$464 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $300 to Tennessee and $15 to Kentucky for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Kentucky?

A Tennessee company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Kentucky can add a penalty of $2 a day.

Does Kentucky require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Kentucky LLC instead?

Yes, but Tennessee keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Kentucky's Annual Report ($15), and the original keeps Tennessee's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Kentucky later?

Tennessee companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal (Foreign Business Entity) ($40); until then, Kentucky's report stays due alongside Tennessee's filings.

Official sources

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The same move for a corporation