Foreign registration · Form 21

Virginia Corporation Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

Wisconsin registers a corporation from Virginia as a foreign corporation on Form 21, with $100 in state fees. Wisconsin also wants Virginia's Certificate of Good Standing ($6), dated within 60 days. We file it with the Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services from your Virginia records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Virginia and Wisconsin side by side

	Virginia formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	Virginia Certificate of Good Standing	Form 21, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$6	$100 at order
How it is handled	Virginia: online as an instant PDF from the Clerk's Information System	Filed on Wisconsin's paper form
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	scc.virginia.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report + Annual Registration Fee, $50, every year	Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report, $65, every year
Due		March 31 each year after qualification
Late yearly filing	$10 late fee	$25 late fee
Agent	Your Virginia registered agent	Our Wisconsin registered agent

From Virginia to Wisconsin, step by step

Order the Virginia certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($6) is ordered from Virginia separately; it is not part of our Wisconsin order. Ordered from Virginia on filing day, it easily meets Wisconsin's limit of 60 days.
We prepare and file Form 21
It names us as your Wisconsin registered agent, with your Virginia name and formation date and the certificate attached. Virginia issues the certificate instantly, so the Wisconsin filing can go in the same day. After approval, your Virginia corporation is registered with Wisconsin.

First-year cost, Virginia to Wisconsin

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$100
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Virginia	$6
Our service, with a year of Wisconsin registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Virginia certificate included	$305

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

Will your Virginia name work for Wisconsin?

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

Agents: Wisconsin and Virginia

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

Yearly filings: Wisconsin and Virginia

Each year your corporation files Virginia's Annual Report + Annual Registration Fee ($50) and Wisconsin's Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report ($65). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Virginia plus Wisconsin comes to $264 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Virginia to Wisconsin

An LLC formed in Virginia files Form 521 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Virginia's Annual Registration Fee ($50) and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). See the LLC filing.

Questions Virginia owners ask about Wisconsin

Does my Virginia company need to register in Wisconsin?

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

How much does the Wisconsin registration cost?

$299 at checkout plus $6 to Virginia for the Certificate of Good Standing, $305 in all (checkout is $100 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Virginia's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Wisconsin wants it ($6), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Virginia and Wisconsin?

$264 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $50 to Virginia and $65 to Wisconsin for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

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

Does Wisconsin require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Wisconsin corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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