Foreign registration · Form 521

Kentucky LLC Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

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

Kentucky vs Wisconsin: the paperwork

	Kentucky formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	Kentucky Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Form 521, Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$10	$100 at order
How it is handled	Kentucky: online as a printable certificate, or by mail or fax	Filed online with Wisconsin
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	web.sos.ky.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $15, every year	Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5), $80, every year
Due	On or before June 30	March 31
Agent	Your Kentucky registered agent	Our Wisconsin registered agent

How Kentucky companies register with Wisconsin

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

Will your Kentucky name work for Wisconsin?

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

Agents: Wisconsin and Kentucky

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

Yearly filings: Wisconsin and Kentucky

Each year your LLC files Kentucky's Annual Report ($15) and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Kentucky plus Wisconsin comes to $244 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Kentucky to Wisconsin

A corporation formed in Kentucky files Form 21 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10)). After that come Kentucky's Annual Report ($15) and Wisconsin's Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report ($65). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Wisconsin into Kentucky

An LLC formed in Wisconsin that registers with Kentucky files Form FBE with $90 in state fees; no Wisconsin certificate is needed. See that filing.

Common questions: Kentucky to Wisconsin

Does my Kentucky company need to register in Wisconsin?

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

How much does it cost to register a Kentucky LLC in Wisconsin?

$299 at checkout, with nothing to pay Kentucky.

Do I need Kentucky's certificate of good standing?

No, Wisconsin takes Form 521 without it.

What are the yearly costs for Kentucky and Wisconsin?

$244 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $15 to Kentucky and $80 to Wisconsin for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

A Kentucky 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 Kentucky registered agent stays, and ours covers Wisconsin for year one.

Can I form a new Wisconsin LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Wisconsin later?

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

Official sources

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