South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form 21

South Carolina Corporation Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

A corporation formed in South Carolina that wants to do business in Wisconsin files Form 21, with $100 in state fees. Wisconsin also asks for South 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 using your South Carolina records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

South Carolina and Wisconsin side by side

	South Carolina formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	South Carolina Certificate of Existence	Form 21, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$10	$100 at order
How it is handled	South Carolina: online	Filed on Wisconsin's paper form
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S), fee set by the state, every year	Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report, $65, every year
Due	15th day of the 4th month after the close of the tax year	March 31 each year after qualification
Agent	Your South Carolina agent for service of process	Our Wisconsin registered agent

How South Carolina companies register with Wisconsin

Order the South Carolina certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from South Carolina separately; it is not part of our Wisconsin order. Wisconsin accepts it within 60 days of South Carolina'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 South Carolina name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once South Carolina's certificate is in hand, Wisconsin's filing goes in. After approval, your South Carolina corporation is registered with Wisconsin.

First-year cost, South Carolina to Wisconsin

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

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

Your South Carolina name and Wisconsin's rules

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

Agents: Wisconsin and South Carolina

Wisconsin calls it a registered agent; South Carolina says agent for service of process. Wisconsin papers come to us; South Carolina's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in South Carolina and Wisconsin

South Carolina wants the Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) every year; Wisconsin wants the Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report every year ($65). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, South Carolina to Wisconsin

An LLC formed in South Carolina files Form 521 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). See the LLC filing.

The other way: Wisconsin into South Carolina

A corporation formed in Wisconsin that registers with South Carolina files Form F0002 with $110 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status ($10). See that filing.

Questions South Carolina owners ask about Wisconsin

Does my South Carolina company need to register in Wisconsin?

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

How much does the Wisconsin registration cost?

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

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

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

What are the yearly costs for South Carolina and Wisconsin?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), South Carolina's report (fee set by the state) and Wisconsin's report ($65).

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

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

Does Wisconsin require a registered agent?

Yes: the South Carolina agent for service of process stays, and ours covers Wisconsin for year one.

Can I form a new Wisconsin corporation instead?

Yes, but South 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 South Carolina's yearly report.

Official sources

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