Indiana

Foreign registration · Form 21

Indiana Corporation Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

To do business in Wisconsin, a corporation formed in Indiana registers there on Form 21, with $100 in state fees. Wisconsin also wants Indiana's Certificate of Existence ($15), dated within 60 days. We file it with the Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services from your Indiana records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Indiana and Wisconsin side by side

	Indiana formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	Indiana Certificate of Existence	Form 21, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$15	$100 at order
How it is handled	Indiana: online through INBiz, emailed after payment and kept in the INBiz documents list	Filed on Wisconsin's paper form
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	Indiana Secretary of State, Business Services Division	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	inbiz.in.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Business Entity Report, $32, every two years	Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report, $65, every year
Due	Last day of the corporation's anniversary month, every 2 years	March 31 each year after qualification
Agent	Your Indiana registered agent	Our Wisconsin registered agent

How Indiana companies register with Wisconsin

Order the Indiana certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($15) is ordered from Indiana separately; it is not part of our Wisconsin order. Wisconsin counts 60 days from the day Indiana issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form 21
It lists us as your Wisconsin registered agent, next to your Indiana name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The Indiana certificate comes first; then the Wisconsin filing goes in. After approval, your Indiana corporation is registered with Wisconsin.

Wisconsin costs for Indiana companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$100
Certificate of Existence, paid to Indiana	$15
Our service, with a year of Wisconsin registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Indiana certificate included	$314

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

Your Indiana name and Wisconsin's rules

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

Your Wisconsin agent and the Indiana one

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

Yearly filings: Wisconsin and Indiana

Indiana wants the Business Entity Report every two years ($32); Wisconsin wants the Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report every year ($65). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Indiana to Wisconsin

An LLC formed in Indiana files Form 521 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Indiana's Business Entity Report ($32) and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). See the LLC filing.

Questions Indiana owners ask about Wisconsin

Does my Indiana company need to register in Wisconsin?

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

How much does the Wisconsin registration cost?

$299 at checkout plus $15 to Indiana for the Certificate of Existence, $314 in all (checkout is $100 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Indiana's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Wisconsin wants Indiana's Certificate of Existence ($15), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Indiana and Wisconsin?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Indiana's report ($32, every two years) and Wisconsin's report ($65).

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

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

Does Wisconsin require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Wisconsin corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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