Foreign registration · Form 21

South Dakota Corporation Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

Wisconsin registers a corporation from South Dakota as a foreign corporation on Form 21, with $100 in state fees. Wisconsin also wants South Dakota's Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20), dated within 60 days. We file it with the Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services using your South Dakota records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What South Dakota and Wisconsin each ask for

	South Dakota formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	South Dakota Certificate of Good Standing/Existence	Form 21, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$20	$100 at order
How it is handled	South Dakota: online	Filed on Wisconsin's paper form
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	South Dakota Secretary of State	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	sosenterprise.sd.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year	Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report, $65, every year
Due	By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year (form opens that day	March 31 each year after qualification
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$25 late fee
Agent	Your South Dakota registered agent	Our Wisconsin registered agent

How South Dakota companies register with Wisconsin

Order the South Dakota certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20) is ordered from South Dakota separately; it is not part of our Wisconsin order. Wisconsin counts 60 days from the day South Dakota 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 South Dakota name and formation date and the certificate attached. The South Dakota certificate comes first; then the Wisconsin filing goes in. Once Wisconsin approves it, the South Dakota company can do business there.

First-year cost, South Dakota to Wisconsin

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$100
Certificate of Good Standing/Existence, paid to South Dakota	$20
Our service, with a year of Wisconsin registered agent service	$199
First-year total, South Dakota certificate included	$319

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

Your South Dakota name and Wisconsin's rules

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

Your Wisconsin agent and the South Dakota one

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

Staying in good standing in South Dakota and Wisconsin

South Dakota wants the Annual Report every year; Wisconsin wants the Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report every year ($65). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, South Dakota to Wisconsin

An LLC formed in South Dakota files Form 521 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come South Dakota's Annual Report ($55) and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). See the LLC filing.

The other way: Wisconsin into South Dakota

A corporation formed in Wisconsin that registers with South Dakota files South Dakota's registration (no form number) with $750 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status ($10). See that filing.

Questions South Dakota owners ask about Wisconsin

Does my South Dakota company need to register in Wisconsin?

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

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

$299 at checkout plus $20 to South Dakota for the Certificate of Good Standing/Existence, $319 in all (checkout is $100 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: Wisconsin wants it ($20), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for South Dakota and Wisconsin?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), South Dakota'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 Dakota company up to $65 for each year or part of a year.

Does Wisconsin require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Wisconsin corporation instead?

Yes, but South Dakota 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 Dakota's Annual Report.

Official sources

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