Foreign registration · Form 21

Pennsylvania Corporation Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

A corporation formed in Pennsylvania that wants to do business in Wisconsin files Form 21, with $100 in state fees. Wisconsin also asks for Pennsylvania's Subsistence Certificate ($40), no older than 60 days. We file it with the Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services using your Pennsylvania records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Pennsylvania and Wisconsin side by side

	Pennsylvania formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	Pennsylvania Subsistence Certificate	Form 21, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$40	$100 at order
How it is handled	Pennsylvania: online through Business Filing Services, or by mail on the copy and certificate request form	Filed on Wisconsin's paper form
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	file.dos.pa.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $7, every year	Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report, $65, every year
Due	June 30	March 31 each year after qualification
Agent	Your Pennsylvania registered office	Our Wisconsin registered agent

From Pennsylvania to Wisconsin, step by step

Order the Pennsylvania certificate
The Subsistence Certificate ($40) is ordered from Pennsylvania separately; it is not part of our Wisconsin order. Wisconsin counts 60 days from the day Pennsylvania issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form 21
It names us as your Wisconsin registered agent, with your Pennsylvania name and formation date and the certificate attached. The Pennsylvania certificate comes first; then the Wisconsin filing goes in. Once Wisconsin approves it, the Pennsylvania company can do business there.

First-year cost, Pennsylvania to Wisconsin

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$100
Subsistence Certificate, paid to Pennsylvania	$40
Our service, with a year of Wisconsin registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Pennsylvania certificate included	$339

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

Will your Pennsylvania name work for Wisconsin?

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

Your Wisconsin agent and the Pennsylvania one

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

Staying in good standing in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin

Each year your corporation files Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7) and Wisconsin's Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report ($65). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Pennsylvania plus Wisconsin comes to $221 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Pennsylvania to Wisconsin

An LLC formed in Pennsylvania files Form 521 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7) and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Wisconsin company in Pennsylvania

A corporation formed in Wisconsin that registers with Pennsylvania files Form DSCB:15-412 with $250 in state fees; no Wisconsin certificate is needed. See that filing.

Common questions: Pennsylvania to Wisconsin

Does my Pennsylvania company need to register in Wisconsin?

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

How much does the Wisconsin registration cost?

$299 at checkout plus $40 to Pennsylvania for the Subsistence Certificate, $339 in all (checkout is $100 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Pennsylvania's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Wisconsin wants Pennsylvania's Subsistence Certificate ($40), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Pennsylvania and Wisconsin?

$221 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $7 to Pennsylvania and $65 to Wisconsin for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

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

Does Wisconsin require a registered agent?

Yes: the Pennsylvania registered office stays, and ours covers Wisconsin for year one.

Can I form a new Wisconsin corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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