Foreign registration · Form 21

California Corporation Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

A corporation formed in California that wants to do business in Wisconsin files Form 21, with $100 in state fees. Wisconsin also wants California's Certificate of Status ($5), dated within 60 days. We file it with the Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services from your California records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

California and Wisconsin side by side

	California formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status	Form 21, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$5	$100 at order
How it is handled	California: online as a PDF within minutes, or on paper by mail or drop-off in Sacramento	Filed on Wisconsin's paper form
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Statement of Information (Form SI-550), $25, every year	Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report, $65, every year
Due	Last day of the corporation's registration-anniversary month, annually	March 31 each year after qualification
Late yearly filing	$250 late fee	$25 late fee
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our Wisconsin registered agent

From California to Wisconsin, step by step

Order the California certificate
The Certificate of Status ($5) is ordered from California separately; it is not part of our Wisconsin order. Ordered from California on filing day, it easily meets Wisconsin's limit of 60 days.
We prepare and file Form 21
It lists us as your Wisconsin registered agent, next to your California name and formation date, with the certificate attached. With the certificate issued on the spot, nothing from California delays the Wisconsin filing. After approval, your California corporation is registered with Wisconsin.

Wisconsin costs for California companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$100
Certificate of Status, paid to California	$5
Our service, with a year of Wisconsin registered agent service	$199
First-year total, California certificate included	$304

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

Will your California name work for Wisconsin?

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

Agents: Wisconsin and California

Wisconsin calls it a registered agent; California says agent for service of process. Wisconsin papers come to us; California's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in California and Wisconsin

Each year your corporation files California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25) and Wisconsin's Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report ($65). With our $149 registered agent renewal, California plus Wisconsin comes to $239 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, California to Wisconsin

An LLC formed in California files Form 521 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) ($20) and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Wisconsin company in California

A corporation formed in Wisconsin that registers with California files Form S&DC-S/N with $100 in state fees. See that filing.

Common questions: California to Wisconsin

Does my California company need to register in Wisconsin?

Yes, once a California 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 California corporations once the form is approved.

How much does it cost to register a California corporation in Wisconsin?

$299 at checkout plus $5 to California for the Certificate of Status, $304 in all (checkout is $100 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need California's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Wisconsin wants California's Certificate of Status ($5), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for California and Wisconsin?

$239 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $25 to California and $65 to Wisconsin for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

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

Does Wisconsin require a registered agent?

Yes: the California agent for service of process stays, and ours covers Wisconsin for year one.

Can I form a new Wisconsin corporation instead?

Yes, but California keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Wisconsin's Domestic Business Corporation Annual Report ($25), and the original keeps California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550).

Official sources

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