Foreign registration · Form 521

Illinois LLC Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

Wisconsin registers an LLC from Illinois as a foreign LLC on Form 521, with $100 in state fees. Wisconsin asks nothing of Illinois here, not even the Certificate of Good Standing. We file it with the Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services from your Illinois records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Illinois and Wisconsin side by side

	Illinois formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	Illinois Certificate of Good Standing (not needed here)	Form 521, Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$25	$100 at order
How it is handled	Illinois: online as an instant PDF, printed from the receipt page or sent by email link	Filed online with Wisconsin
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, Limited Liability Division	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	ilsos.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Yearly filing	Limited Liability Company Annual Report (Form LLC-50.1), $75, every year	Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5), $80, every year
Due	Before the first day of the entity's anniversary month each year	March 31
Late yearly filing	$100 late fee	$25 late fee
Agent	Your Illinois registered agent	Our Wisconsin registered agent

How Illinois companies register with Wisconsin

We prepare and file Form 521
It names us as your Wisconsin registered agent, with your Illinois name and formation date. No Illinois paperwork holds up the Wisconsin filing. After approval, your Illinois LLC is registered with Wisconsin.

Your Illinois name and Wisconsin's rules

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

Agents: Wisconsin and Illinois

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

Yearly filings: Wisconsin and Illinois

Each year your LLC files Illinois's Limited Liability Company Annual Report (Form LLC-50.1) ($75) and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Illinois plus Wisconsin comes to $304 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Illinois to Wisconsin

A corporation formed in Illinois files Form 21 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25)). After that come Illinois's Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05) ($75) and Wisconsin's Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report ($65). See the corporation filing.

Questions Illinois owners ask about Wisconsin

Does my Illinois company need to register in Wisconsin?

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

How much does the Wisconsin registration cost?

$299 at checkout, with nothing to pay Illinois.

Do I need Illinois's certificate of good standing?

No, Wisconsin takes Form 521 without it.

What are the yearly costs for Illinois and Wisconsin?

$304 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $75 to Illinois and $80 to Wisconsin for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

An Illinois company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Wisconsin can add up to $97.50 for each year or part of a year.

Does Wisconsin require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Wisconsin LLC instead?

Yes, but Illinois keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($25), and the original keeps Illinois's yearly report.

How do I withdraw from Wisconsin later?

Illinois companies leave by filing a Withdrawal of Registration of Foreign Limited Liability Company; until then, Wisconsin's report stays due alongside Illinois's filings.

Official sources

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