Foreign registration · Form 21

Kansas Corporation Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

To do business in Wisconsin, a corporation formed in Kansas registers there on Form 21, with $100 in state fees. Wisconsin also asks for Kansas's Certificate of Good Standing ($7.50), no older than 60 days. We file it with the Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services from your Kansas records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Kansas vs Wisconsin: the paperwork

	Kansas formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	Kansas Certificate of Good Standing	Form 21, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$7.50	$100 at order
How it is handled	Kansas: online as a PDF in your Kansas business account	Filed on Wisconsin's paper form
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	Kansas Secretary of State, Business Services Division	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	sos.ks.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Business Entity Information Report, fee set by the state, every two years	Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report, $65, every year
Due	15th day of the 4th month after tax-year-end	March 31 each year after qualification
Agent	Your Kansas resident agent	Our Wisconsin registered agent

From Kansas to Wisconsin, step by step

Order the Kansas certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($7.50) is ordered from Kansas separately; it is not part of our Wisconsin order. Wisconsin accepts it within 60 days of Kansas's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form 21
It lists us as your Wisconsin registered agent, next to your Kansas name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once Kansas's certificate is in hand, Wisconsin's filing goes in. Once Wisconsin approves it, the Kansas company can do business there.

Wisconsin costs for Kansas companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$100
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Kansas	$7.50
Our service, with a year of Wisconsin registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Kansas certificate included	$306.50

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

Will your Kansas name work for Wisconsin?

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

Agents: Wisconsin and Kansas

Wisconsin calls it a registered agent; Kansas says resident agent. Wisconsin papers come to us; Kansas's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: Wisconsin and Kansas

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

LLC or corporation, Kansas to Wisconsin

An LLC formed in Kansas files Form 521 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Kansas's Information Report ($90) and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Wisconsin company in Kansas

A corporation formed in Wisconsin that registers with Kansas files Form FA with $115 in state fees; no Wisconsin certificate is needed. See that filing.

Questions Kansas owners ask about Wisconsin

Does my Kansas company need to register in Wisconsin?

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

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

$299 at checkout plus $7.50 to Kansas for the Certificate of Good Standing, $306.50 in all (checkout is $100 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Kansas's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Wisconsin wants it ($7.50), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Kansas and Wisconsin?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Kansas's report (fee set by the state, every two years) and Wisconsin's report ($65).

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

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

Does Wisconsin require a registered agent?

Yes: the Kansas resident agent stays, and ours covers Wisconsin for year one.

Can I form a new Wisconsin corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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