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Register Your Ohio LLC in Tennessee
Step-by-step foreign qualification requirements, fees, and filing instructions for Ohio LLCs expanding into Tennessee.
Cost Summary
- Tennessee filing fee
- $300
- Ohio Certificate of Full Force and Effect (Good Standing)
- $5
- Annual obligation in Tennessee
- $300/year + $100/year franchise tax
- Estimated year 1 total
- $705
Note: Year 1 total includes the $300 filing fee in Tennessee, the $5 Certificate of Full Force and Effect (Good Standing) fee from Ohio, and $400 in first-year Tennessee state charges. Registered agent fees (typically $100-$200/year) are not included.
Ohio data last reviewed Aug 22, 2026 · ohiosos.gov
Tennessee data last reviewed Aug 21, 2026 · sos.tn.gov
How to register your Ohio LLC in Tennessee
1
Check name availability in Tennessee
Before filing, verify that your LLC name (or a distinguishable variation) is available in Tennessee. If your exact name is already taken, you may need to register under a fictitious or assumed name.
Search the business name register on the Tennessee Secretary of State website before you file.
2
Get a Certificate of Full Force and Effect (Good Standing) from Ohio
Tennessee requires a Certificate of Full Force and Effect (Good Standing) from Ohio to prove your LLC is in good standing. The fee is $5. Available to order online. No expiration printed on the certificate itself. Ohio requires no home-state certificate when a foreign LLC registers here..
Order from Ohio ↗
3
File the Application for Certificate of Authority - Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form SS-4233) in Tennessee
Submit your application along with the Certificate of Full Force and Effect (Good Standing) and the $300 filing fee. Processing time is Tennessee publishes a live processed-through notice on TNBEAR rather than a standing turnaround, in the form "as of [date] we have processed all corporate filings received in our office through [date]". This filing falls under corporate filings rather than annual reports. No standing duration is published, and TNBEAR could not be read when this was last checked on 17 August 2026. Online filing is available.
Tennessee filing portal ↗
4
Appoint a registered agent in Tennessee
You must designate a registered agent with a physical address in Tennessee to accept legal documents on behalf of your LLC. This is required as part of the foreign qualification application.
Ongoing compliance in Tennessee
- Annual report
- $300/year + $100/year franchise tax
- Report due
- April 1
- Processing time
- Tennessee publishes a live processed-through notice on TNBEAR rather than a standing turnaround, in the form "as of [date] we have processed all corporate filings received in our office through [date]". This filing falls under corporate filings rather than annual reports. No standing duration is published, and TNBEAR could not be read when this was last checked on 17 August 2026
Note: The $300 annual report fee is a minimum, not a flat fee. Tennessee charges $50 per member, so an LLC with six or fewer members pays $300 and a larger one pays more, up to a maximum of $3,000. The same $50 per member calculation sets the fee to register the LLC in Tennessee in the first place.
Important to know about Tennessee
- Must register for franchise and excise tax in addition to foreign qualification
If your LLC did business in Tennessee before filing, check the Tennessee foreign LLC penalty guide first. Back fees can run from the date you started, not the date you file.
Activities that do NOT require registration in Tennessee
- Maintaining, defending, or settling a proceeding, claim, or dispute
- Holding meetings of members or representatives, or carrying on internal affairs
- Maintaining bank accounts
- Maintaining a transfer, exchange, or registration office for the company's own securities
- Selling through independent contractors
- Soliciting or taking orders that must be accepted outside the state
- Creating or acquiring debts, deeds of trust, mortgages, or security interests
- Collecting debts or enforcing mortgages, deeds of trust, and security interests
- Owning real or personal property, and nothing more, including managing and renting foreclosed real property for a reasonable time while liquidating it
- A single isolated transaction completed within one month and not one of repeated transactions of a like nature
- Transacting business in interstate commerce
- Acting as a member or manager of a domestic or foreign LLC
Under T.C.A. Section 48-249-902. Applies to foreign LLCs first filing on or after 2006-01-01; the legacy provision for earlier registrants is T.C.A. Section 48-246-102. Tennessee states the isolated-transaction window as ONE MONTH, not a day count.
Need a registered agent in Tennessee?
A registered agent is required for foreign qualification. These services operate in all 50 states.
Get Northwest Registered Agent ↗
Recommended · $125/year · Privacy included
Registered Agents Inc
$200/year · Report filing included, state fees extra
Harbor Compliance
$99 first year, then $149/year · Full-service compliance option
Not sure which service fits? Our full Northwest Registered Agent review and Harbor Compliance review cover pricing, renewal terms, and where each one fits.
Need a business address in Tennessee?
A virtual mailbox gives your LLC a professional address in Tennessee for mail forwarding, public filings, and banking, without leasing office space.
Independent mailbox providers
This page provides general information based on publicly available state requirements. It is not legal advice. Verify all fees and requirements with the Tennessee Secretary of State before filing.