Foreign registration · Form 21

Connecticut Corporation Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

A corporation formed in Connecticut that wants to do business in Wisconsin files Form 21, with $100 in state fees. Wisconsin also asks for Connecticut's Certificate of Legal Existence ($80), no older than 60 days. We file it with the Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services from your Connecticut records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

What Connecticut and Wisconsin each ask for

	Connecticut formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	Connecticut Certificate of Legal Existence	Form 21, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$80	$100 at order
How it is handled	Connecticut: online, with an express version, or by mail	Filed on Wisconsin's paper form
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	Connecticut Secretary of the State, Business Services Division	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	business.ct.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $150, every year	Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report, $65, every year
Due	Anniversary date of the filing of the first annual report	March 31 each year after qualification
Agent	Your Connecticut registered agent	Our Wisconsin registered agent

How Connecticut companies register with Wisconsin

Order the Connecticut certificate
The Certificate of Legal Existence ($80) is ordered from Connecticut separately; it is not part of our Wisconsin order. It comes as a short form ($80) or a long form ($120). Wisconsin accepts it within 60 days of Connecticut's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form 21
It names us as your Wisconsin registered agent, with your Connecticut name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once Connecticut's certificate is in hand, Wisconsin's filing goes in. After approval, your Connecticut corporation is registered with Wisconsin.

Wisconsin costs for Connecticut companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$100
Certificate of Legal Existence, paid to Connecticut	$80
Our service, with a year of Wisconsin registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Connecticut certificate included	$379

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

Will your Connecticut name work for Wisconsin?

We search Wisconsin's records for Connecticut's name on file before anything is filed.

Agents: Wisconsin and Connecticut

Connecticut and Wisconsin both call it a registered agent. Wisconsin papers come to us; Connecticut's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in Connecticut and Wisconsin

Each year your corporation files Connecticut's Annual Report ($150) and Wisconsin's Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report ($65). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Connecticut plus Wisconsin comes to $364 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Connecticut to Wisconsin

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

The other way: Wisconsin into Connecticut

A corporation formed in Wisconsin that registers with Connecticut files Connecticut's registration (no form number) with $385 in state fees. See that filing.

Common questions: Connecticut to Wisconsin

Does my Connecticut company need to register in Wisconsin?

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

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

$299 at checkout plus $80 to Connecticut for the Certificate of Legal Existence, $379 in all (checkout is $100 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Connecticut's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Wisconsin wants Connecticut's Certificate of Legal Existence ($80), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Connecticut and Wisconsin?

$364 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $150 to Connecticut and $65 to Wisconsin for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

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

Does Wisconsin require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Wisconsin corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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