Foreign registration · Form 521

South Dakota LLC Foreign Registration in Wisconsin

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

South Dakota and Wisconsin side by side

	South Dakota formed here	Wisconsin registering here
Document	South Dakota Certificate of Good Standing/Existence (not needed here)	Form 521, Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$20	$100 at order
How it is handled	South Dakota: online	Filed online with Wisconsin
Paid expedite		next-day $100, 4-hour (in person) $250, 1-hour (in person) $500
Office	South Dakota Secretary of State	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Official page	sosenterprise.sd.gov	dfi.wi.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $55, every year	Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5), $80, every year
Due	During the entity's anniversary month each year	March 31
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$25 late fee
Agent	Your South Dakota registered agent	Our Wisconsin registered agent

From South Dakota to Wisconsin, step by step

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

Your South Dakota name and Wisconsin's rules

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

Your Wisconsin agent and the South Dakota one

South Dakota and Wisconsin both call it a registered agent. Wisconsin papers come to us; South Dakota's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: Wisconsin and South Dakota

Each year your LLC files South Dakota's Annual Report ($55) and Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($80). With our $149 registered agent renewal, South Dakota plus Wisconsin comes to $284 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, South Dakota to Wisconsin

A corporation formed in South Dakota files Form 21 with Wisconsin ($100 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20)). After that come South Dakota's Annual Report and Wisconsin's Foreign Business Corporation Annual Report ($65). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Wisconsin into South Dakota

An LLC formed in Wisconsin that registers with South Dakota files South Dakota's registration (no form number) with $750 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status ($10). See that filing.

Questions South Dakota owners ask about Wisconsin

Does my South Dakota company need to register in Wisconsin?

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

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

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

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

No, Wisconsin takes Form 521 without it.

What are the yearly costs for South Dakota and Wisconsin?

$284 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $55 to South Dakota and $80 to Wisconsin for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Wisconsin?

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

Can I form a new Wisconsin LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Wisconsin later?

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

Official sources

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