Foreign registration · Form FBE

Wisconsin LLC Foreign Registration in Kentucky

To do business in Kentucky, an LLC formed in Wisconsin registers there on Form FBE, with $90 in state fees. Kentucky asks nothing of Wisconsin here, not even the Certificate of Status. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings using your Wisconsin records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Wisconsin and Kentucky each ask for

	Wisconsin formed here	Kentucky registering here
Document	Wisconsin Certificate of Status (not needed here)	Form FBE, Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Entity)
State fee	$10	$90 at order
How it is handled	Wisconsin: online, emailed as soon as it is requested	Filed with Kentucky
Office	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services	Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings
Official page	dfi.wi.gov	web.sos.ky.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5), $25, every year	Annual Report, $15, every year
Due	End of the calendar quarter containing the LLC's anniversary date	On or before June 30
Agent	Your Wisconsin registered agent	Our Kentucky registered agent

How Wisconsin companies register with Kentucky

We prepare and file Form FBE
It names us as your Kentucky registered agent, with your Wisconsin name and formation date. No Wisconsin paperwork holds up the Kentucky filing. Once Kentucky approves it, the Wisconsin company can do business there.

Your Wisconsin name and Kentucky's rules

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

Your Kentucky agent and the Wisconsin one

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

Yearly filings: Kentucky and Wisconsin

Each year your LLC files Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($25) and Kentucky's Annual Report ($15). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Wisconsin plus Kentucky comes to $189 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Wisconsin to Kentucky

A corporation formed in Wisconsin files Form FBE with Kentucky ($90 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Wisconsin's Domestic Business Corporation Annual Report ($25) and Kentucky's Annual Report ($15). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Kentucky into Wisconsin

An LLC formed in Kentucky that registers with Wisconsin files Form 521 with $100 in state fees; no Kentucky certificate is needed. See that filing.

Common questions: Wisconsin to Kentucky

Does my Wisconsin company need to register in Kentucky?

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

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

$289 at checkout, with nothing to pay Wisconsin.

Do I need Wisconsin's certificate of good standing?

No, Kentucky takes Form FBE without it.

How long does the Kentucky registration take?

Kentucky's standard processing takes up to 3 business days; nothing comes from Wisconsin first.

What are the yearly costs for Wisconsin and Kentucky?

$189 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $25 to Wisconsin and $15 to Kentucky for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Kentucky?

A Wisconsin company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Kentucky can add a penalty of $2 a day.

Does Kentucky require a registered agent?

Yes: the Wisconsin registered agent stays, and ours covers Kentucky for year one.

Can I form a new Kentucky LLC instead?

Yes, but Wisconsin keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Kentucky's Annual Report ($15), and the original keeps Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5).

How do I withdraw from Kentucky later?

Wisconsin companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal (Foreign Business Entity) ($40); until then, Kentucky's report stays due alongside Wisconsin's filings.

Official sources

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