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No jargon · Tennessee

3 Best Foreign Registration Services in Tennessee (2026): Our Honest Take

We'd line up the foreign registration services in Tennessee for 2026 as Mainstay Filing ($199), TN Registered Agent.org ($199) and Tennessee Registered Agent.co ($199), in that order. Plan on $300 for the state and $397 to $497 for services over three years.
From the LLC Plainly editorial team

Short answer

What the state charges
$300
Certificate required?
Required (60 days or newer)
Later on
$300, annual report
Our picks
Mainstay Filing, TN Registered Agent.org then Tennessee Registered Agent.co

Our favorites in Tennessee

Wondering about the order? How we pick explains it.
Our favorite

1. Mainstay Filing: best for your second, third and fourth state

Registration is $199 plus the state fee, and the agent is $149 later

Number one is Mainstay Filing, since $199 over the state fee gets you registered, with the registered agent free in year one and $149 a year after.

You'd save $100 over three years with TN Registered Agent.org. The catch is it doesn't work outside Tennessee.

Starting in year two, the registered agent runs $149 a year.

Your money buys

  • Registration paperwork done
  • Registered agent, free in year one
  • No change in price by state

The good

  • $199, with state fees on top
  • One fee for any state
  • Agent covered for year one

Trade-offs

  • Its agent renewal of $149 is $50 higher than TN Registered Agent.org
A Tennessee favorite

2. TN Registered Agent.org: best for one extra state

Registration is $199 plus the state fee, and the agent is $99 later

Why TN Registered Agent.org second? Honestly, $199 files the registration, and the agent costs $99 each year after.

Your money buys

  • The foreign filing, submitted
  • Year-one registered agent

The good

  • Agent covered in year one
  • A service fee of $199
  • Then $99 a year for the agent

Trade-offs

  • Works in Tennessee alone, so your home state needs its own agent
A Tennessee favorite

3. Tennessee Registered Agent.co: best for a one-state add-on

Registration is $199 plus the state fee, and the agent is $99 later

Why Tennessee Registered Agent.co third? Honestly, $199 files the registration, and the agent costs $99 each year after.

Its prices match TN Registered Agent.org exactly, so either one works.

Your money buys

  • The foreign filing, submitted
  • Year-one registered agent

The good

  • A service fee of $199
  • Agent covered in year one
  • Then $99 a year for the agent

Trade-offs

  • Works in Tennessee alone, so your home state needs its own agent

At a glance

#WhoYear oneRenewalOver three yearsCovers
1Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497registration paperwork done; registered agent, free in year one; no change in price by stateHead to Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2TN Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397the foreign filing, submitted; Year-one registered agentHead to TN Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Tennessee Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397the foreign filing, submitted; Year-one registered agentHead to Tennessee Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
We read these prices on November 13, 2026. Three years means year one plus two renewals.

The questions, one by one

When does my LLC need to register?

Doing business in Tennessee with an LLC formed somewhere else means registering at the start.

If you skip registering, you could face Tennessee's courts won't hear its claims (Tenn. Code Ann. 48-249-913(a)).

official: publications.tnsosfiles.com, October 2026

What's the price of foreign registration?

State fee $300; service $199 extra.

Over three years the state itself takes $900, counting any recurring report. official: sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, October 2026

Where does the registration go?

The Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations handles the Application for Certificate of Authority, Foreign Limited Liability Company (SS-4233), and one filing does it.

Add certificate of existence or good standing dated within 60 days.

Is there anything to file once I'm registered?

The state wants a annual report later on, priced at $300.

The due date reads: First day of the fourth month after fiscal year end (April 1 for a calendar year).

How did you decide the order?

Work taken off your hands, worth 31%, put Mainstay Filing first.

Cost across three years (33%) and work taken off your hands (31%) matter most, and three lighter checks sit behind them.

TN Registered Agent.org only covers Tennessee, so you'd need someone else at home.

Our method, in full

Tennessee: the rules, cited

ItemDetailsWhere we found it
Application fee$300official: sos-prod.tnsosgovfiles.com, October 2026
Certificate from homeRequired, 60 daysofficial: publications.tnsosfiles.com, October 2026
Annual report$300official: publications.tnsosfiles.com, October 2026
Paid to the state by year three$900Added from the rows
We add the formation filing, two later reports and any minimum tax to reach the three-year number. Costs that have no fixed price don't go in.

More questions

Does my home state need an agent too?

You still need one at home. Mainstay Filing serves both states; a local company serves one.

What's each pick's bill across three years?

Three-year totals are Mainstay Filing, $497; TN Registered Agent.org, $397; Tennessee Registered Agent.co, $397 for the services alone.

Where did you get these numbers?

Every state fee links to its official page. Every service price is read from the company's own site.

Do I need to hire a service?

You can skip it. The state's fee is the same whichever way you file.

Is filing included in what they sell?

All of them do. The state fee doesn't change.

What's the best foreign registration service for Tennessee?

Mainstay Filing comes first: its $199 fee is the same in every state, and the first registered agent year comes with it. Then come TN Registered Agent.org and Tennessee Registered Agent.co.

Check our work

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