Foreign registration · Form 21

Delaware Corporation Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

A corporation formed in Delaware that wants to do business in Wisconsin files Form 21, with $100 in state fees. Wisconsin also asks for Delaware's Certificate of Good Standing ($50), no older than 60 days. We file it with the Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services using your Delaware records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Delaware and Wisconsin each ask for

	Delaware formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	Delaware Certificate of Good Standing	Form 21, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$50	$100 at order
How it is handled	Delaware: through the Division of Corporations request service, sent by first-class mail unless a FedEx or UPS account is supplied	Filed on Wisconsin's paper form
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	corp.delaware.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Annual Franchise Tax Report, $50, every year	Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report, $65, every year
Due	March 1	March 31 each year after qualification
Late yearly filing	$200 late fee	$25 late fee
Agent	Your Delaware registered agent	Our Wisconsin registered agent

How Delaware companies register with Wisconsin

Order the Delaware certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($50) is ordered from Delaware separately; it is not part of our Wisconsin order. It comes as a short form ($50) or a long form ($175). Delaware mails it, and Wisconsin counts the 60 days from issue, so it is ordered with transit in mind.
We prepare and file Form 21
It names us as your Wisconsin registered agent, with your Delaware name and formation date and the certificate attached. Allow for the days Delaware takes to send the certificate before the Wisconsin filing goes in. Once Wisconsin approves it, the Delaware company can do business there.

Wisconsin costs for Delaware companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$100
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Delaware	$50
Our service, with a year of Wisconsin registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Delaware certificate included	$349

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

Your Delaware name and Wisconsin's rules

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

Your Wisconsin agent and the Delaware one

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

Yearly filings: Wisconsin and Delaware

Each year your corporation files Delaware's Annual Franchise Tax Report ($50) and Wisconsin's Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report ($65). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Delaware plus Wisconsin comes to $264 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Delaware to Wisconsin

An LLC formed in Delaware files Form 521 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Delaware's Annual LLC Tax ($400) and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). See the LLC filing.

The other way: Wisconsin into Delaware

A corporation formed in Wisconsin that registers with Delaware files Delaware's registration (no form number) with $245 in state fees. See that filing.

Questions Delaware owners ask about Wisconsin

Does my Delaware company need to register in Wisconsin?

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

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

$299 at checkout plus $50 to Delaware for the Certificate of Good Standing, $349 in all (checkout is $100 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Delaware's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Wisconsin wants it ($50), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Delaware and Wisconsin?

$264 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $50 to Delaware and $65 to Wisconsin for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

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

Does Wisconsin require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Wisconsin corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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