Minnesota

Foreign registration · Form 21

Minnesota Corporation Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

A corporation formed in Minnesota that wants to do business in Wisconsin files Form 21, with $100 in state fees. Wisconsin also asks for Minnesota's Certificate of Good Standing ($5), no older than 60 days. We file it with the Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services using your Minnesota records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Minnesota and Wisconsin each ask for

	Minnesota formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	Minnesota Certificate of Good Standing	Form 21, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$5	$100 at order
How it is handled	Minnesota: online, issued as soon as it is paid for and kept in the online account for 90 days	Filed on Wisconsin's paper form
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	sos.mn.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Annual Renewal, no fee, every year	Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report, $65, every year
Due	December 31	March 31 each year after qualification
Agent	Your Minnesota registered agent	Our Wisconsin registered agent

How Minnesota companies register with Wisconsin

Order the Minnesota certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($5) is ordered from Minnesota separately; it is not part of our Wisconsin order. An instant Minnesota certificate reaches Wisconsin only hours old, well inside the limit of 60 days.
We prepare and file Form 21
It names us as your Wisconsin registered agent, with your Minnesota name and formation date and the certificate attached. With the certificate issued on the spot, nothing from Minnesota delays the Wisconsin filing. Once Wisconsin approves it, the Minnesota company can do business there.

Wisconsin costs for Minnesota companies

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

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

Will your Minnesota name work for Wisconsin?

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

Agents: Wisconsin and Minnesota

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

Staying in good standing in Minnesota and Wisconsin

Each year your corporation files Minnesota's Annual Renewal (no fee) and Wisconsin's Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report ($65). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Minnesota plus Wisconsin comes to $214 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Minnesota to Wisconsin

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

Registering a Wisconsin company in Minnesota

A corporation formed in Wisconsin that registers with Minnesota files Minnesota's registration (no form number) with $220 in state fees. See that filing.

Questions Minnesota owners ask about Wisconsin

Does my Minnesota company need to register in Wisconsin?

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

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

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

Do I need Minnesota's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Wisconsin wants it ($5), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Minnesota and Wisconsin?

$214 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, nothing to Minnesota and $65 to Wisconsin for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

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

Does Wisconsin require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Wisconsin corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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