Tennessee

Rhode Island

Foreign registration · Form 450

Tennessee LLC Foreign Registration in Rhode Island

To do business in Rhode Island, an LLC formed in Tennessee registers there on Form 450, with $156 in state fees. Rhode Island also asks for Tennessee's Certificate of Existence ($20), no older than 60 days. We file it with the Department of State, Business Services Division using your Tennessee records and act as your resident agent there for the first year.

Tennessee and Rhode Island side by side

	Tennessee formed here	Rhode Island registering here
Document	Tennessee Certificate of Existence	Form 450, Application for Registration for a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$20	$156 at order (filing fee $150 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Tennessee: online or by mail	Filed with Rhode Island
Office	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations	Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division
Official page	sos.tn.gov	docs.sos.ri.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $300, every year	Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632), $50, every year
Due		May 1
Agent	Your Tennessee registered agent	Our Rhode Island resident agent

From Tennessee to Rhode Island, step by step

Order the Tennessee certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($20) is ordered from Tennessee separately; it is not part of our Rhode Island order. Rhode Island accepts it within 60 days of Tennessee's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form 450
It names us as your Rhode Island resident agent, with your Tennessee name and formation date and the certificate attached. The Tennessee certificate comes first; then the Rhode Island filing goes in. Once Rhode Island approves it, the Tennessee company can do business there.

First-year cost, Tennessee to Rhode Island

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$156
Certificate of Existence, paid to Tennessee	$20
Our service, with a year of Rhode Island resident agent service	$199
First-year total, Tennessee certificate included	$375

Will your Tennessee name work for Rhode Island?

If Rhode Island's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Tennessee company. Rhode Island can hold a name for 120 days for $50 before you file.

Agents: Rhode Island and Tennessee

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

Staying in good standing in Tennessee and Rhode Island

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

LLC or corporation, Tennessee to Rhode Island

A corporation formed in Tennessee files Form 150 with Rhode Island ($319 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($20)). After that come Tennessee's Annual Report ($20) and Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Corporation (Form 630) ($50). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Rhode Island company in Tennessee

An LLC formed in Rhode Island that registers with Tennessee files Form SS-4233 with $300 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Questions Tennessee owners ask about Rhode Island

Does my Tennessee company need to register in Rhode Island?

Yes, once a Tennessee business operates there; Rhode Island law lists 12 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the Rhode Island registration cost?

$355 at checkout plus $20 to Tennessee for the Certificate of Existence, $375 in all (checkout is $156 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Tennessee's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Rhode Island wants Tennessee's Certificate of Existence ($20), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Tennessee and Rhode Island?

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

What if I don't register with Rhode Island?

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

Does Rhode Island require a registered agent?

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

Will Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island LLC instead?

Yes, but Tennessee keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632) ($50), and the original keeps Tennessee's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Rhode Island later?

Tennessee companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation; until then, Rhode Island's report stays due alongside Tennessee's filings.

Official sources

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