Tennessee

Foreign registration · no form number

Tennessee LLC Foreign Registration in South Dakota

South Dakota registers an LLC from Tennessee as a foreign LLC on an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South 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 South Dakota side by side

	Tennessee formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	Tennessee Certificate of Existence	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign LLC) (no form number)
State fee	$20	$750 at order
How it is handled	Tennessee: online or by mail	Filed online with South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	sos.tn.gov	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $300, every year	Annual Report, $55, every year
Due		During the entity's anniversary month each year
Agent	Your Tennessee registered agent	Our South Dakota registered agent

How Tennessee companies register with South Dakota

Order the Tennessee certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($20) is ordered from Tennessee separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. South 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 South Dakota registered agent, next to your Tennessee name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once Tennessee's certificate is in hand, South Dakota's filing goes in. After approval, your Tennessee LLC is registered with South Dakota.

First-year cost, Tennessee to South Dakota

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Certificate of Existence, paid to Tennessee	$20
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Tennessee certificate included	$969

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

Will your Tennessee name work for South Dakota?

South Dakota accepts your Tennessee name if it includes 'limited liability company', 'limited company', or one of the abbreviations L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC (limited may be written Ltd. and company Co.). If the Tennessee name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. If another South Dakota company uses the Tennessee name, an alternate name is allowed. South Dakota can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Agents: South Dakota and Tennessee

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

Staying in good standing in Tennessee and South Dakota

Each year your LLC files Tennessee's Annual Report ($300) and South Dakota's Annual Report ($55). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Tennessee plus South Dakota comes to $504 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Tennessee to South Dakota

A corporation formed in Tennessee files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($20)). After that come Tennessee's Annual Report ($20) and South Dakota's Annual Report. See the corporation filing.

Registering a South Dakota company in Tennessee

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

Questions Tennessee owners ask about South Dakota

Does my Tennessee company need to register in South Dakota?

Yes, once a Tennessee business operates there; South Dakota law lists 10 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the South Dakota registration cost?

$949 at checkout plus $20 to Tennessee for the Certificate of Existence, $969 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Tennessee's certificate of good standing?

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

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

South Dakota approves online filings immediately, once Tennessee's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: $50.

What are the yearly costs for Tennessee and South Dakota?

$504 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $300 to Tennessee and $55 to South Dakota for the yearly reports.

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will South Dakota 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. South Dakota names must include 'limited liability company', 'limited company', or one of the abbreviations L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC (limited may be written Ltd. and company Co.).

Can I form a new South Dakota LLC instead?

Yes, but Tennessee keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files South Dakota's Annual Report ($55), and the original keeps Tennessee's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from South Dakota later?

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

Official sources

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