Foreign registration · Form 21

Florida Corporation Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

To do business in Wisconsin, a corporation formed in Florida registers there on Form 21, with $100 in state fees. Wisconsin also asks for Florida's Certificate of Status ($8.75), no older than 60 days. We file it with the Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services using your Florida records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Florida vs Wisconsin: the paperwork

	Florida formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	Florida Certificate of Status	Form 21, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$8.75	$100 at order
How it is handled	Florida: online, emailed as a PDF once payment goes through	Filed on Wisconsin's paper form
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), Registration Section	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	dos.fl.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	May 1	March 31 each year after qualification
Late yearly filing	$400 late fee	$25 late fee
Agent	Your Florida registered agent	Our Wisconsin registered agent

How Florida companies register with Wisconsin

Order the Florida certificate
The Certificate of Status ($8.75) is ordered from Florida separately; it is not part of our Wisconsin order. Ordered from Florida 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 Florida name and formation date, with the certificate attached. With the certificate issued on the spot, nothing from Florida delays the Wisconsin filing. Once Wisconsin approves it, the Florida company can do business there.

First-year cost, Florida to Wisconsin

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$100
Certificate of Status, paid to Florida	$8.75
Our service, with a year of Wisconsin registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Florida certificate included	$307.75

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

Your Florida name and Wisconsin's rules

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

Agents: Wisconsin and Florida

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

Staying in good standing in Florida and Wisconsin

Each year your corporation files Florida's Annual Report ($150) and Wisconsin's Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report ($65). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Florida plus Wisconsin comes to $364 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Florida to Wisconsin

An LLC formed in Florida files Form 521 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Florida's Annual Report ($138.75) and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Wisconsin company in Florida

A corporation formed in Wisconsin that registers with Florida files Form CR2E007 with $70 in state fees. See that filing.

Common questions: Florida to Wisconsin

Does my Florida company need to register in Wisconsin?

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

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

$299 at checkout plus $8.75 to Florida for the Certificate of Status, $307.75 in all (checkout is $100 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Florida's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Wisconsin wants Florida's Certificate of Status ($8.75), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Florida and Wisconsin?

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

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

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

Does Wisconsin require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Wisconsin corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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