Foreign registration · Form 521

Montana LLC Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

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

What Montana and Wisconsin each ask for

	Montana formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	Montana Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Form 521, Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$5	$100 at order
How it is handled	Montana: online	Filed online with Wisconsin
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	Montana Secretary of State, Business Services	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	biz.sosmt.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $20, every year	Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5), $80, every year
Due	April 15	March 31
Late yearly filing	$15 late fee	$25 late fee
Agent	Your Montana registered agent	Our Wisconsin registered agent

How Montana companies register with Wisconsin

We prepare and file Form 521
It lists us as your Wisconsin registered agent, next to your Montana name and formation date. Nothing has to come from Montana first, so the Wisconsin filing can go in right away. After approval, your Montana LLC is registered with Wisconsin.

Your Montana name and Wisconsin's rules

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

Your Wisconsin agent and the Montana one

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

Yearly filings: Wisconsin and Montana

Each year your LLC files Montana's Annual Report ($20) and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Montana plus Wisconsin comes to $249 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Montana to Wisconsin

A corporation formed in Montana files Form 21 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($5)). After that come Montana's Annual Report (no fee) and Wisconsin's Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report ($65). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Wisconsin into Montana

An LLC formed in Wisconsin that registers with Montana files Montana's registration (no form number) with $70 in state fees; no Wisconsin certificate is needed. See that filing.

Common questions: Montana to Wisconsin

Does my Montana company need to register in Wisconsin?

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

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

$299 at checkout, with nothing to pay Montana.

Do I need Montana's certificate of good standing?

No, Wisconsin takes Form 521 without it.

What are the yearly costs for Montana and Wisconsin?

$249 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $20 to Montana and $80 to Wisconsin for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

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

Can I form a new Wisconsin LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Wisconsin later?

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

Official sources

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