Tennessee

Foreign registration · Form 21

Tennessee Corporation Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

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

What Tennessee and Wisconsin each ask for

	Tennessee formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	Tennessee Certificate of Existence	Form 21, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$20	$100 at order
How it is handled	Tennessee: online or by mail	Filed on Wisconsin's paper form
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	sos.tn.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $20, every year	Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report, $65, every year
Due		March 31 each year after qualification
Agent	Your Tennessee registered agent	Our Wisconsin registered agent

How Tennessee companies register with Wisconsin

Order the Tennessee certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($20) is ordered from Tennessee separately; it is not part of our Wisconsin order. Wisconsin counts 60 days from the day Tennessee 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 Tennessee name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once Tennessee's certificate is in hand, Wisconsin's filing goes in. After approval, your Tennessee corporation is registered with Wisconsin.

First-year cost, Tennessee to Wisconsin

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

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

Your Tennessee name and Wisconsin's rules

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

Agents: Wisconsin and Tennessee

Tennessee and Wisconsin both call it a registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for Tennessee; ours takes Wisconsin's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in Tennessee and Wisconsin

Each year your corporation files Tennessee's Annual Report ($20) and Wisconsin's Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report ($65). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Tennessee plus Wisconsin comes to $234 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Tennessee to Wisconsin

An LLC formed in Tennessee files Form 521 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Tennessee's Annual Report ($300) and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). See the LLC filing.

The other way: Wisconsin into Tennessee

A corporation formed in Wisconsin that registers with Tennessee files Form SS-4431 with $600 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status ($10). See that filing.

Common questions: Tennessee to Wisconsin

Does my Tennessee company need to register in Wisconsin?

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

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

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

Do I need Tennessee's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Wisconsin wants Tennessee's Certificate of Existence ($20), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Tennessee and Wisconsin?

$234 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $20 to Tennessee and $65 to Wisconsin for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

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

Does Wisconsin require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Wisconsin corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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