Alabama

Foreign registration · Form 21

Alabama Corporation Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

To do business in Wisconsin, a corporation formed in Alabama registers there on Form 21, with $100 in state fees. Wisconsin also wants Alabama's Certificate of Existence ($25), dated within 60 days. We file it with the Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services using your Alabama records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Alabama vs Wisconsin: the paperwork

	Alabama formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	Alabama Certificate of Existence	Form 21, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$25	$100 at order
How it is handled	Alabama: online as an instant printable certificate with a seal and authentication number	Filed on Wisconsin's paper form
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	Alabama Secretary of State, Business Entities Division	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	sos.alabama.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT), fee set by the state, every year	Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report, $65, every year
Due		March 31 each year after qualification
Agent	Your Alabama registered agent	Our Wisconsin registered agent

From Alabama to Wisconsin, step by step

Order the Alabama certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($25) is ordered from Alabama separately; it is not part of our Wisconsin order. Ordered from Alabama on filing day, it easily meets Wisconsin's limit of 60 days.
We prepare and file Form 21
It names us as your Wisconsin registered agent, with your Alabama name and formation date and the certificate attached. Alabama issues the certificate instantly, so the Wisconsin filing can go in the same day. Once Wisconsin approves it, the Alabama company can do business there.

First-year cost, Alabama to Wisconsin

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$100
Certificate of Existence, paid to Alabama	$25
Our service, with a year of Wisconsin registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Alabama certificate included	$324

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

Will your Alabama name work for Wisconsin?

We check your exact Alabama name against Wisconsin's records before filing.

Your Wisconsin agent and the Alabama one

Alabama and Wisconsin both call it a registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for Alabama; ours takes Wisconsin's papers and notices.

Yearly filings: Wisconsin and Alabama

Alabama wants the Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT) every year; Wisconsin wants the Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report every year ($65). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Alabama to Wisconsin

An LLC formed in Alabama files Form 521 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Alabama's Form PPT — Alabama Business Privilege Tax Return and Annual Report and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Wisconsin company in Alabama

A corporation formed in Wisconsin that registers with Alabama files Alabama's registration (no form number) with $184 in state fees. See that filing.

Common questions: Alabama to Wisconsin

Does my Alabama company need to register in Wisconsin?

Yes, once an Alabama business operates there; Wisconsin does not count a one-off deal finished within 30 days.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: Wisconsin issues one to Alabama corporations once the form is approved.

How much does it cost to register an Alabama corporation in Wisconsin?

$299 at checkout plus $25 to Alabama for the Certificate of Existence, $324 in all (checkout is $100 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Alabama's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Wisconsin wants Alabama's Certificate of Existence ($25), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Alabama and Wisconsin?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Alabama's report (fee set by the state) and Wisconsin's report ($65).

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

Wisconsin can charge an Alabama company up to $65 for each year or part of a year.

Does Wisconsin require a registered agent?

Yes: the Alabama registered agent stays, and ours covers Wisconsin for year one.

Can I form a new Wisconsin corporation instead?

Yes, but Alabama keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Wisconsin's Domestic Business Corporation Annual Report ($25), and the original keeps Alabama's Business Privilege Tax return (Form CPT).

Official sources

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