South Carolina

Foreign registration · Form 521

South Carolina LLC Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

An LLC formed in South Carolina that wants to do business in Wisconsin files Form 521, with $100 in state fees. Wisconsin asks nothing of South Carolina here, not even the Certificate of Existence. We file it with the Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services from your South Carolina records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

South Carolina and Wisconsin side by side

	South Carolina formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	South Carolina Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Form 521, Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$10	$100 at order
How it is handled	South Carolina: online	Filed online with Wisconsin
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	South Carolina Secretary of State	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	businessfilings.sc.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Yearly filing	No annual report	Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5), $80, every year
Due		March 31
Agent	Your South Carolina agent for service of process	Our Wisconsin registered agent

From South Carolina to Wisconsin, step by step

We prepare and file Form 521
It lists us as your Wisconsin registered agent, next to your South Carolina name and formation date. No South Carolina paperwork holds up the Wisconsin filing. Once Wisconsin approves it, the South Carolina company can do business there.

Will your South Carolina name work for Wisconsin?

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

Your Wisconsin agent and the South Carolina one

Wisconsin calls it a registered agent; South Carolina says agent for service of process. Wisconsin papers come to us; South Carolina's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in South Carolina and Wisconsin

South Carolina has no annual report for LLCs; Wisconsin wants the Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) every year ($80). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, South Carolina to Wisconsin

A corporation formed in South Carolina files Form 21 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10)). After that come South Carolina's Annual Report (Schedule D of Form SC1120 / SC1120S) and Wisconsin's Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report ($65). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Wisconsin company in South Carolina

An LLC formed in Wisconsin that registers with South Carolina files Form F0008 with $110 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status ($10) dated within 30 days. See that filing.

Questions South Carolina owners ask about Wisconsin

Does my South Carolina company need to register in Wisconsin?

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

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

$299 at checkout, with nothing to pay South Carolina.

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

No, Wisconsin takes Form 521 without it.

What are the yearly costs for South Carolina and Wisconsin?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), no South Carolina yearly report and Wisconsin's report ($80).

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

A South 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 South Carolina agent for service of process stays, and ours covers Wisconsin for year one.

Can I form a new Wisconsin LLC instead?

Yes, but South Carolina keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($25), and South Carolina has no yearly report for the original.

How do I withdraw from Wisconsin later?

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

Official sources

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