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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 3 · Tennessee

Foreign LLC Registration Walkthrough, Tennessee (2026): 5 Stages and the 3 Best Services

For bringing an LLC into a second state in Tennessee in 2026, our mentors would send you to Mainstay Filing ($199), Tennessee Registered Agent.co ($199) and TN Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. Registering takes 5 stages and a $300 state fee, and each later report costs $300.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Read this first

Fee at the state office
$300
Verify it at sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, which we opened in October 2026
Certificate you must attach
60 days
No older than
Yearly filing
$300
Annual report
Three-year state cost
$900
Registration and reports
Stage count
5
Each one explained

You will walk away able to

  • When registration is required
  • What you file and what it costs
  • The upkeep that repeats
  • Our recommendations, with reasons

Our shortlist for Tennessee

The mentors' five criteria are on how we score, and they decide the order.

Our call

1. Mainstay Filing: best for LLCs on the move

Our first call$199 plus fees; renewal $149 annually

If you only phone one company, make it Mainstay Filing, because the first registered agent year comes with the $199 registration service, so you only add the state fee.

Tennessee Registered Agent.co costs $100 less across three years; this one still ranks higher because it takes more work off your plate.

Year two brings an agent bill of $149, and it does not change from state to state.

What you get

  • The registration filing
  • Your first year of registered agent is free
  • One fee wherever you register

What works

  • $199 plus the state fee
  • Year-one agent is covered
  • One price anywhere

What to watch

  • A pricier agent renewal ($149)
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. Tennessee Registered Agent.co: best for adding just Tennessee

In-state service$199 plus fees; renewal $99 annually

Second place goes to Tennessee Registered Agent.co, since registering in Tennessee here costs $199 and includes a year of agent service; renewal is $99.

What you get

  • Filing made with the state
  • Agent service for one year comes with the price

What works

  • $199 to register
  • No agent fee in year one
  • $99 yearly from year two

What to watch

  • Covers Tennessee only, so your home state needs its own agent
Visit Tennessee Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. TN Registered Agent.org: best for registering only in Tennessee

In-state service$199 plus fees; renewal $99 annually

Third place goes to TN Registered Agent.org, since registering in Tennessee here costs $199 and includes a year of agent service; renewal is $99.

It lists the same prices as Tennessee Registered Agent.co.

What you get

  • Filing made with the state
  • Agent service for one year comes with the price

What works

  • No agent fee in year one
  • $99 yearly from year two
  • $199 to register

What to watch

  • Covers Tennessee only, so your home state needs its own agent
Visit TN Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services, compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Tennessee Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Tennessee Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3TN Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit TN Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
What each company posted on November 13, 2026. These figures leave out Tennessee's $300 fee.

How registration works in Tennessee

  1. Stage 1

    Does the rule cover you?

    If your LLC came from elsewhere and will operate in Tennessee, you register first as a foreign LLC. What can go wrong without registering: an unregistered LLC cannot be a plaintiff in Tennessee (Tenn. Code Ann. 48-249-913(a)) contracts it has signed stay valid (Tenn. Code Ann. 48-249-913(f))

    Check it yourself: Verify it at publications.tnsosfiles.com, which we opened in October 2026

  2. Stage 2

    Collect the certificate from the state of formation

    Attach certificate of existence or good standing, issued within 60 days.

    Ask for it shortly before you file.

  3. Stage 3

    Choose your Tennessee registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a Tennessee street address, with the county. P.O. boxes are not accepted.

    Any of our picks can take the job.

    Check it yourself: Verify it at sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, which we opened in October 2026

  4. Stage 4

    Get ready the Application for Certificate of Authority, Foreign Limited Liability Company

    Filing is registering, and the state charges $300 for it.

    Check it yourself: Verify it at sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, which we opened in October 2026

  5. Stage 5

    Keep the registration in force

    Write down the annual report and its $300 fee (first day of the fourth month after fiscal year end (April 1 for a calendar year)).

Tennessee costs by stage

What forPaid toSum
Filing to registerPaid to the state$300
Annual reportPaid to the state$300
Service, if you hire oneThe service company$199 in year one
Three years of state feesPaid to the state$900
Here is how the three-year state row is built: filing fee, then the report in each of years two and three, then any yearly minimum tax. Service fees get their own rows.

How the scores came out

What decided it was work taken off your desk, which carries 32% of the score.

Tennessee Registered Agent.co renews for less, but reaching several states mattered more.

Tennessee questions answered

What does Tennessee collect from a foreign LLC when it registers?

$300 in state fees. A service adds $199.

Which form do I file to register?

One form does the job, and the recipient is the Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations.

Do I need a certificate from my home state?

Yes: certificate of existence or good standing, issued within 60 days of filing.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

an unregistered LLC cannot be a plaintiff in Tennessee (Tenn. Code Ann. 48-249-913(a)) contracts it has signed stay valid (Tenn. Code Ann. 48-249-913(f))

What is due after registering?

Look ahead to the annual report, which costs $300.

Which service should handle the registration?

Mainstay Filing, Tennessee Registered Agent.co and TN Registered Agent.org, from the top score to the lowest.

Where we got the facts

  1. Backing for Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business Services: tnbear.tn.gov, August 2026.
  2. Backing for Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business Services: sos.tn.gov, August 2026.
  3. Backing for Tennessee yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source: sos.tn.gov, October 2026.
  4. Backing for Tennessee report due date: law.justia.com, August 2026.
  5. Backing for Tennessee formation fee: Filing fee, official source: sos.tn.gov, October 2026.
  6. Backing for Tennessee registered agent statute: sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, October 2026.
  7. Backing for Form SS-4233, Certificate of Authority for a foreign: sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, October 2026.
  8. Backing for Form SS-4241, withdrawal or cancellation: sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, October 2026.
  9. Backing for Tennessee Revised LLC Act, Public Chapter 286: publications.tnsosfiles.com, October 2026.
  10. Backing for Tennessee Revised Limited Liability Company Act, foreign LLC: capitol.tn.gov, November 2026.
  11. Mainstay Filing Tennessee service page; prices copied November 13, 2026
  12. Tennessee Registered Agent.co pricing page; prices copied November 13, 2026
  13. TN Registered Agent.org pricing page; prices copied November 13, 2026