North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form 21

North Carolina Corporation Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

A corporation formed in North Carolina that wants to do business in Wisconsin files Form 21, with $100 in state fees. Wisconsin also asks for North Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), no older than 60 days. We file it with the Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services from your North Carolina records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

What North Carolina and Wisconsin each ask for

	North Carolina formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	North Carolina Certificate of Existence	Form 21, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$10	$100 at order
How it is handled	North Carolina: online as a downloadable electronic certified document, or on paper	Filed on Wisconsin's paper form
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	sosnc.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $25, every year	Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report, $65, every year
Due	15th day of the 4th month following the close of the fiscal year	March 31 each year after qualification
Agent	Your North Carolina registered agent	Our Wisconsin registered agent

From North Carolina to Wisconsin, step by step

Order the North Carolina certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from North Carolina separately; it is not part of our Wisconsin order. Wisconsin counts 60 days from the day North Carolina issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form 21
It lists us as your Wisconsin registered agent, next to your North Carolina name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The North Carolina certificate comes first; then the Wisconsin filing goes in. Once Wisconsin approves it, the North Carolina company can do business there.

Wisconsin costs for North Carolina companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$100
Certificate of Existence, paid to North Carolina	$10
Our service, with a year of Wisconsin registered agent service	$199
First-year total, North Carolina certificate included	$309

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

Your North Carolina name and Wisconsin's rules

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

Your Wisconsin agent and the North Carolina one

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

Yearly filings: Wisconsin and North Carolina

Each year your corporation files North Carolina's Annual Report ($25) and Wisconsin's Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report ($65). With our $149 registered agent renewal, North Carolina plus Wisconsin comes to $239 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, North Carolina to Wisconsin

An LLC formed in North Carolina files Form 521 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come North Carolina's Annual Report ($203) and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Wisconsin company in North Carolina

A corporation formed in Wisconsin that registers with North Carolina files Form B-09 with $253 in state fees. See that filing.

Questions North Carolina owners ask about Wisconsin

Does my North Carolina company need to register in Wisconsin?

Yes, once a North Carolina 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 North Carolina corporations once the form is approved.

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

$299 at checkout plus $10 to North Carolina for the Certificate of Existence, $309 in all (checkout is $100 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need North Carolina's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Wisconsin wants North Carolina's Certificate of Existence ($10), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for North Carolina and Wisconsin?

$239 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $25 to North Carolina and $65 to Wisconsin for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

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

Does Wisconsin require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Wisconsin corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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