Foreign registration · no form number

Wisconsin Corporation Foreign Registration in South Dakota

A corporation formed in Wisconsin that wants to do business in South Dakota files an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South Dakota also wants Wisconsin's Certificate of Status ($10). We file it with the Secretary of State from your Wisconsin records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

What Wisconsin and South Dakota each ask for

	Wisconsin formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	Wisconsin Certificate of Status	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Corporation) (no form number)
State fee	$10	$750 at order
How it is handled	Wisconsin: online, emailed as soon as it is requested	Filed online with South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	dfi.wi.gov	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Domestic Business Corporation Annual Report, $25, every year	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	End of the calendar quarter containing the anniversary of the articles' effective date	By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year
Late yearly filing	$25 late fee	$50 late fee
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Online processing: immediately
Agent	Your Wisconsin registered agent	Our South Dakota registered agent

From Wisconsin to South Dakota, step by step

Order the Wisconsin certificate
The Certificate of Status ($10) is ordered from Wisconsin separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. South Dakota wants the Wisconsin certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your South Dakota registered agent, next to your Wisconsin name and formation date, with the certificate attached. With the certificate issued on the spot, nothing from Wisconsin delays the South Dakota filing. After approval, your Wisconsin corporation is registered with South Dakota.

First-year cost, Wisconsin to South Dakota

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Certificate of Status, paid to Wisconsin	$10
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Wisconsin certificate included	$959

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

Your Wisconsin name and South Dakota's rules

If South Dakota's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Wisconsin company. South Dakota can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Your South Dakota agent and the Wisconsin one

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

Yearly filings: South Dakota and Wisconsin

Wisconsin wants the Domestic Business Corporation Annual Report every year ($25); South Dakota wants the Annual Report every year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Wisconsin to South Dakota

An LLC formed in Wisconsin files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Status ($10)). After that come Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($25) and South Dakota's Annual Report ($55). See the LLC filing.

Registering a South Dakota company in Wisconsin

A corporation formed in South Dakota that registers with Wisconsin files Form 21 with $100 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Questions Wisconsin owners ask about South Dakota

Does my Wisconsin company need to register in South Dakota?

Yes, once a Wisconsin business operates there; South Dakota law lists 11 activities that do not count on their own.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: South Dakota issues one to Wisconsin corporations once the filing is approved.

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

$949 at checkout plus $10 to Wisconsin for the Certificate of Status, $959 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Wisconsin's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Dakota wants Wisconsin's Certificate of Status ($10), current at filing.

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

South Dakota approves online filings immediately; Wisconsin's certificate is an instant download, so there is no wait before filing. Paid expedite: $50.

What are the yearly costs for Wisconsin and South Dakota?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Wisconsin's report ($25) and South Dakota's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Dakota?

A Wisconsin company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will South Dakota accept my Wisconsin name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Wisconsin name at home.

Can I form a new South Dakota corporation instead?

Yes, but Wisconsin keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files South Dakota's Annual Report, and the original keeps Wisconsin's yearly report.

Official sources

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