Foreign registration · Form 521

Massachusetts LLC Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

To do business in Wisconsin, an LLC formed in Massachusetts registers there on Form 521, with $100 in state fees. Wisconsin asks nothing of Massachusetts here, not even the Certificate of Good Standing. We file it with the Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services using your Massachusetts records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Massachusetts and Wisconsin each ask for

	Massachusetts formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing (not needed here)	Form 521, Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$25	$100 at order
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed online with Wisconsin
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	dfi.wi.gov
Yearly filing	Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $520, every year	Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5), $80, every year
Due	On or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization	March 31
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our Wisconsin registered agent

From Massachusetts to Wisconsin, step by step

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

Your Massachusetts name and Wisconsin's rules

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

Your Wisconsin agent and the Massachusetts one

Wisconsin calls it a registered agent; Massachusetts says resident agent. Wisconsin papers come to us; Massachusetts's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: Wisconsin and Massachusetts

Each year your LLC files Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Massachusetts plus Wisconsin comes to $749 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to Wisconsin

A corporation formed in Massachusetts files Form 21 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($12)). After that come Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and Wisconsin's Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report ($65). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Wisconsin company in Massachusetts

An LLC formed in Wisconsin that registers with Massachusetts files Massachusetts's registration (no form number) with $520 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status ($10) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Massachusetts owners ask about Wisconsin

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in Wisconsin?

Yes, once a Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts.

Do I need Massachusetts's certificate of good standing?

No, Wisconsin takes Form 521 without it.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and Wisconsin?

$749 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $520 to Massachusetts and $80 to Wisconsin for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

A Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts resident agent stays, and ours covers Wisconsin for year one.

Can I form a new Wisconsin LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Wisconsin later?

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

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