Maryland

Foreign registration · Form 21

Maryland Corporation Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

To do business in Wisconsin, a corporation formed in Maryland registers there on Form 21, with $100 in state fees. Wisconsin also wants Maryland's Certificate of Status ($20), dated within 60 days. We file it with the Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services using your Maryland records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Maryland and Wisconsin side by side

	Maryland formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	Maryland Certificate of Status	Form 21, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$20	$100 at order
How it is handled	Maryland: online through Maryland Business Express, emailed right away	Filed on Wisconsin's paper form
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	businessexpress.maryland.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Periodic report, $300, every year	Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report, $65, every year
Due	April 15	March 31 each year after qualification
Agent	Your Maryland resident agent	Our Wisconsin registered agent

How Maryland companies register with Wisconsin

Order the Maryland certificate
The Certificate of Status ($20) is ordered from Maryland separately; it is not part of our Wisconsin order. Ordered from Maryland 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 Maryland name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Maryland issues the certificate instantly, so the Wisconsin filing can go in the same day. Once Wisconsin approves it, the Maryland company can do business there.

First-year cost, Maryland to Wisconsin

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$100
Certificate of Status, paid to Maryland	$20
Our service, with a year of Wisconsin registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Maryland certificate included	$319

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

Will your Maryland name work for Wisconsin?

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

Your Wisconsin agent and the Maryland one

Wisconsin calls it a registered agent; Maryland says resident agent. Your current resident agent stays for Maryland; ours takes Wisconsin's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in Maryland and Wisconsin

Each year your corporation files Maryland's periodic report ($300) and Wisconsin's Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report ($65). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Maryland plus Wisconsin comes to $514 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Maryland to Wisconsin

An LLC formed in Maryland files Form 521 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Maryland's Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1) ($300) and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). See the LLC filing.

The other way: Wisconsin into Maryland

A corporation formed in Wisconsin that registers with Maryland files Maryland's registration (no form number) with $104.50 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. See that filing.

Questions Maryland owners ask about Wisconsin

Does my Maryland company need to register in Wisconsin?

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

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

$299 at checkout plus $20 to Maryland for the Certificate of Status, $319 in all (checkout is $100 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Maryland's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Wisconsin wants Maryland's Certificate of Status ($20), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Maryland and Wisconsin?

$514 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $300 to Maryland and $65 to Wisconsin for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

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

Does Wisconsin require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Wisconsin corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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