(a) A foreign corporation, except a foreign insurance corporation subject to title 56, may not transact business in this state until it obtains a certificate of authority from the secretary of state.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 48-25-101

  • board of directors: means the governing board of a corporation, whether denominated the board of directors or otherwise, except that no person or group of persons is the board of directors because of powers delegated to that person or group pursuant to §. See Tennessee Code 48-51-201
  • Business: includes every trade, occupation, profession, investment activity and other lawful purpose for gain or the preservation of assets whether or not carried on for profits. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
  • Foreign corporation: means a corporation for profit incorporated under a law other than the laws of this state. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
  • Month: means the time from any day of any month to the corresponding day of the succeeding month, if any, and if none, the last day of the succeeding month. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
  • Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
  • Personal property: All property that is not real property.
  • Personal property: includes money, goods, chattels, things in action, and evidences of debt. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Proceeding: includes civil suit and criminal, administrative, and investigatory action. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
  • Property: includes both personal and real property. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Secretary of state: means the person who holds the office of secretary of state of Tennessee. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b) The following activities, among others, do not constitute transacting business within the meaning of subsection (a):

(1) Maintaining, defending, or settling any proceeding, claim, or dispute;
(2) Holding meetings of the board of directors or shareholders or carrying on other activities concerning internal corporate affairs;
(3) Maintaining bank accounts;
(4) Maintaining offices or agencies for the transfer, exchange, and registration of the corporation’s own securities or appointing and maintaining trustees or depositories with respect to those securities;
(5) Selling through independent contractors;
(6) Soliciting or obtaining orders, whether by mail or through employees or agents or otherwise, if the orders require acceptance outside this state before they become contracts;
(7) Creating or acquiring indebtedness, deeds of trusts, mortgages, and security interests in real or personal property;
(8) Securing or collecting debts or enforcing mortgages, deeds of trust, and security interests in property securing the debts;
(9) Owning, without more, real or personal property; provided, that for a reasonable time the management and rental of real property acquired in connection with enforcing a mortgage or deed of trust shall also not be considered transacting business if the owner is attempting to liquidate the owner’s investment and if no office or other agency therefor, other than an independent agency, is maintained in this state;
(10) Conducting an isolated transaction that is completed within one (1) month and that is not one in the course of repeated transactions of a like nature; or
(11) Transacting business in interstate commerce.
(c) The list of activities in subsection (b) is not exhaustive, and is applicable solely to determine whether a foreign corporation must procure a certificate of authority and for no other purpose.
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