Foreign registration · Form 21

Illinois Corporation Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

To do business in Wisconsin, a corporation formed in Illinois registers there on Form 21, with $100 in state fees. Wisconsin also asks for Illinois's Certificate of Good Standing ($25), no older than 60 days. We file it with the Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services using your Illinois records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Illinois vs Wisconsin: the paperwork

	Illinois formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	Illinois Certificate of Good Standing	Form 21, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$25	$100 at order
How it is handled	Illinois: online as an instant PDF, printed from the receipt page or sent by email link	Filed on Wisconsin's paper form
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, Limited Liability Division	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	ilsos.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05), $75, every year	Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report, $65, every year
Due	Before the first day of the entity's anniversary month each year	March 31 each year after qualification
Agent	Your Illinois registered agent	Our Wisconsin registered agent

From Illinois to Wisconsin, step by step

Order the Illinois certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($25) is ordered from Illinois separately; it is not part of our Wisconsin order. Ordered from Illinois 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 Illinois name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Illinois issues the certificate instantly, so the Wisconsin filing can go in the same day. Once Wisconsin approves it, the Illinois company can do business there.

Wisconsin costs for Illinois companies

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

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

Will your Illinois name work for Wisconsin?

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

Your Wisconsin agent and the Illinois one

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

Yearly filings: Wisconsin and Illinois

Each year your corporation files Illinois's Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05) ($75) and Wisconsin's Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report ($65). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Illinois plus Wisconsin comes to $289 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Illinois to Wisconsin

An LLC formed in Illinois files Form 521 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Illinois's Limited Liability Company Annual Report (Form LLC-50.1) ($75) and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). See the LLC filing.

Questions Illinois owners ask about Wisconsin

Does my Illinois company need to register in Wisconsin?

Yes, once an Illinois 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 Illinois corporations once the form is approved.

How much does the Wisconsin registration cost?

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

Do I need Illinois's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Wisconsin wants it ($25), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Illinois and Wisconsin?

$289 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $75 to Illinois and $65 to Wisconsin for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

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

Does Wisconsin require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Wisconsin corporation instead?

Yes, but Illinois keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Wisconsin's Domestic Business Corporation Annual Report ($25), and the original keeps Illinois's Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05).

Official sources

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