Foreign registration · Form 21

West Virginia Corporation Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

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

West Virginia and Wisconsin side by side

	West Virginia formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	West Virginia Certificate of Existence	Form 21, Application for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$10	$100 at order
How it is handled	West Virginia: in about 5 to 10 business days, with 24-hour, 2-hour and 1-hour expedite options	Filed on Wisconsin's paper form
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	West Virginia Secretary of State, Business & Licensing Division	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	sos.wv.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $25, every two years	Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report, $65, every year
Due	July 1 each year	March 31 each year after qualification
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$25 late fee
Agent	Your West Virginia agent for service of process	Our Wisconsin registered agent

From West Virginia to Wisconsin, step by step

Order the West Virginia certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from West Virginia separately; it is not part of our Wisconsin order. West Virginia takes days to issue it and Wisconsin wants it within 60 days, so the order is timed for both.
We prepare and file Form 21
It lists us as your Wisconsin registered agent, next to your West Virginia name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Allow for the days West Virginia takes to send the certificate before the Wisconsin filing goes in. Once Wisconsin approves it, the West Virginia company can do business there.

First-year cost, West Virginia to Wisconsin

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

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

Your West Virginia name and Wisconsin's rules

We search Wisconsin's records for West Virginia's name on file before anything is filed.

Your Wisconsin agent and the West Virginia one

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

Yearly filings: Wisconsin and West Virginia

West Virginia wants the Annual Report every two years ($25); Wisconsin wants the Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report every year ($65). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, West Virginia to Wisconsin

An LLC formed in West Virginia files Form 521 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come West Virginia's Annual Report ($26) and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Wisconsin company in West Virginia

A corporation formed in Wisconsin that registers with West Virginia files Form CF-1 with $101 in state fees. See that filing.

Common questions: West Virginia to Wisconsin

Does my West Virginia company need to register in Wisconsin?

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

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

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

Do I need West Virginia's certificate of good standing?

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

What are the yearly costs for West Virginia and Wisconsin?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), West Virginia's report ($25, every two years) and Wisconsin's report ($65).

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

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

Does Wisconsin require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Wisconsin corporation instead?

Yes, but West 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 West Virginia's Annual Report.

Official sources

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