Foreign registration · Form 21

Massachusetts Corporation Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

To do business in Wisconsin, a corporation formed in Massachusetts registers there on Form 21, with $100 in state fees. Wisconsin also asks for Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($12), no older than 60 days. We file it with the Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services using your Massachusetts records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Massachusetts and Wisconsin each ask for

	Massachusetts formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Form 21, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$12	$100 at order
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed on Wisconsin's paper form
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	dfi.wi.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $125, every year	Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report, $65, every year
Due	Within 2.5 months after the close of the corporation's fiscal year	March 31 each year after qualification
Late yearly filing	$25 late fee	$25 late fee
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our Wisconsin registered agent

From Massachusetts to Wisconsin, step by step

Order the Massachusetts certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($12) is ordered from Massachusetts separately; it is not part of our Wisconsin order. It comes as a short form ($7) or a long form ($12). Wisconsin accepts it within 60 days of Massachusetts's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form 21
It names us as your Wisconsin registered agent, with your Massachusetts name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once Massachusetts's certificate is in hand, Wisconsin's filing goes in. After approval, your Massachusetts corporation is registered with Wisconsin.

Wisconsin costs for Massachusetts companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$100
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Massachusetts	$12
Our service, with a year of Wisconsin registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Massachusetts certificate included	$311

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

Will your Massachusetts name work for Wisconsin?

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

Your Wisconsin agent and the Massachusetts one

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

Staying in good standing in Massachusetts and Wisconsin

Each year your corporation files Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and Wisconsin's Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report ($65). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Massachusetts plus Wisconsin comes to $339 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to Wisconsin

An LLC formed in Massachusetts files Form 521 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). See the LLC filing.

Common questions: Massachusetts to Wisconsin

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in Wisconsin?

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

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

$299 at checkout plus $12 to Massachusetts for the Certificate of Good Standing, $311 in all (checkout is $100 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Massachusetts's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Wisconsin wants it ($12), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and Wisconsin?

$339 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $125 to Massachusetts and $65 to Wisconsin for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

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

Does Wisconsin require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Wisconsin corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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