Tennessee

Foreign registration · no form number

Tennessee LLC Foreign Registration in North Dakota

An LLC formed in Tennessee that wants to do business in North Dakota files an online registration (no form number), with $135 in state fees. North Dakota also wants Tennessee's Certificate of Existence ($20). We file it with the Secretary of State from your Tennessee records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Tennessee and North Dakota side by side

	Tennessee formed here	North Dakota registering here
Document	Tennessee Certificate of Existence	Foreign Business Limited Liability Company Certificate of Authority Application (no form number)
State fee	$20	$135 at order
How it is handled	Tennessee: online or by mail	Filed online with North Dakota
Office	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations	North Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	sos.tn.gov	sos.nd.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $300, every year	Annual Report, $50, every year
Due		November 15
Agent	Your Tennessee registered agent	Our North Dakota registered agent

From Tennessee to North Dakota, step by step

Order the Tennessee certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($20) is ordered from Tennessee separately; it is not part of our North Dakota order. North Dakota wants the Tennessee certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your North Dakota registered agent, next to your Tennessee name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once Tennessee's certificate is in hand, North Dakota's filing goes in. After approval, your Tennessee LLC is registered with North Dakota.

First-year cost, Tennessee to North Dakota

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$135
Certificate of Existence, paid to Tennessee	$20
Our service, with a year of North Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Tennessee certificate included	$354

Your Tennessee name and North Dakota's rules

North Dakota accepts your Tennessee name if it includes the words limited liability company, or LLC or L.L.C.. If the Tennessee name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. We search North Dakota's records for Tennessee's name on file before anything is filed.

Your North Dakota agent and the Tennessee one

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

Staying in good standing in Tennessee and North Dakota

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

LLC or corporation, Tennessee to North Dakota

A corporation formed in Tennessee files its own registration with North Dakota ($145 in state fees). After that come Tennessee's Annual Report ($20) and North Dakota's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

Registering a North Dakota company in Tennessee

An LLC formed in North Dakota that registers with Tennessee files Form SS-4233 with $300 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($20) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Questions Tennessee owners ask about North Dakota

Does my Tennessee company need to register in North Dakota?

Yes, once a Tennessee business operates there; North Dakota does not count a one-off deal finished within 30 days.

How much does the North Dakota registration cost?

$334 at checkout plus $20 to Tennessee for the Certificate of Existence, $354 in all (checkout is $135 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Tennessee's certificate of good standing?

Yes: North Dakota wants Tennessee's Certificate of Existence ($20), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Tennessee and North Dakota?

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

What if I don't register with North Dakota?

North Dakota can charge a Tennessee company a civil penalty of up to $5,000.

Does North Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will North Dakota accept my Tennessee name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes the words limited liability company, or LLC or L.L.C..

Can I form a new North Dakota LLC instead?

Yes, but Tennessee keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Dakota's Annual Report ($50), and the original keeps Tennessee's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from North Dakota later?

Tennessee companies leave by filing an Application for withdrawal of a foreign limited liability company; until then, North Dakota's report stays due alongside Tennessee's filings.

Official sources

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