Foreign registration · Form 21

Iowa Corporation Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

To do business in Wisconsin, a corporation formed in Iowa registers there on Form 21, with $100 in state fees. Wisconsin also asks for Iowa's Certificate of Existence ($5), no older than 60 days. We file it with the Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services using your Iowa records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Iowa and Wisconsin each ask for

	Iowa formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	Iowa Certificate of Existence	Form 21, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$5	$100 at order
How it is handled	Iowa: online as a printable PDF right after payment	Filed on Wisconsin's paper form
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	sos.iowa.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Biennial Report, $60, every two years	Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report, $65, every year
Due	April 1 of even-numbered years	March 31 each year after qualification
Agent	Your Iowa registered agent	Our Wisconsin registered agent

How Iowa companies register with Wisconsin

Order the Iowa certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($5) is ordered from Iowa separately; it is not part of our Wisconsin order. Ordered from Iowa 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 Iowa name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Iowa issues the certificate instantly, so the Wisconsin filing can go in the same day. Once Wisconsin approves it, the Iowa company can do business there.

First-year cost, Iowa to Wisconsin

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$100
Certificate of Existence, paid to Iowa	$5
Our service, with a year of Wisconsin registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Iowa certificate included	$304

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

Will your Iowa name work for Wisconsin?

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

Your Wisconsin agent and the Iowa one

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

Yearly filings: Wisconsin and Iowa

Iowa wants the Biennial Report every two years ($60); Wisconsin wants the Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report every year ($65). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Iowa to Wisconsin

An LLC formed in Iowa files Form 521 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Iowa's Biennial Report ($30) and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). See the LLC filing.

The other way: Wisconsin into Iowa

A corporation formed in Wisconsin that registers with Iowa files Form 635_0110A with $100 in state fees. See that filing.

Questions Iowa owners ask about Wisconsin

Does my Iowa company need to register in Wisconsin?

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

How much does it cost to register an Iowa corporation in Wisconsin?

$299 at checkout plus $5 to Iowa for the Certificate of Existence, $304 in all (checkout is $100 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Iowa's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Wisconsin wants Iowa's Certificate of Existence ($5), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Iowa and Wisconsin?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Iowa's report ($60, every two years) and Wisconsin's report ($65).

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

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

Does Wisconsin require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Wisconsin corporation instead?

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

Official sources

People also search

Corporation into Wisconsin, by home state (48)

Iowa into other states (41)

The same move for an LLC