North Carolina

Foreign registration · Form 521

North Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

An LLC formed in North Carolina that wants to do business in Wisconsin files Form 521, with $100 in state fees. Wisconsin needs nothing from North Carolina: no Certificate of Existence. We file it with the Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services from your North Carolina records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

North Carolina and Wisconsin side by side

	North Carolina formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	North Carolina Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Form 521, Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$10	$100 at order
How it is handled	North Carolina: online as a downloadable electronic certified document, or on paper	Filed online with Wisconsin
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Business Registration Division	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	sosnc.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $203, every year	Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5), $80, every year
Due	April 15	March 31
Agent	Your North Carolina registered agent	Our Wisconsin registered agent

From North Carolina to Wisconsin, step by step

We prepare and file Form 521
It names us as your Wisconsin registered agent, with your North Carolina name and formation date. Nothing has to come from North Carolina first, so the Wisconsin filing can go in right away. Once Wisconsin approves it, the North Carolina company can do business there.

Your North Carolina name and Wisconsin's rules

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

Your Wisconsin agent and the North Carolina one

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

Yearly filings: Wisconsin and North Carolina

Each year your LLC files North Carolina's Annual Report ($203) and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). With our $149 registered agent renewal, North Carolina plus Wisconsin comes to $432 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, North Carolina to Wisconsin

A corporation formed in North Carolina files Form 21 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10)). After that come North Carolina's Annual Report ($25) and Wisconsin's Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report ($65). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Wisconsin company in North Carolina

An LLC formed in Wisconsin that registers with North Carolina files Form L-09 with $253 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status ($10) dated within 180 days. See that filing.

Questions North Carolina owners ask about Wisconsin

Does my North Carolina company need to register in Wisconsin?

Yes, once a North Carolina 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 North Carolina.

Do I need North Carolina's certificate of good standing?

No, Wisconsin takes Form 521 without it.

What are the yearly costs for North Carolina and Wisconsin?

$432 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $203 to North Carolina and $80 to Wisconsin for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

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

Can I form a new Wisconsin LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Wisconsin later?

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

Official sources

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