Foreign registration · no form number

Wisconsin LLC Foreign Registration in Massachusetts

Massachusetts registers an LLC from Wisconsin as a foreign LLC on a paper registration (no form number), with $520 in state fees. Massachusetts also wants Wisconsin's Certificate of Status ($10), dated within 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division using your Wisconsin records and act as your resident agent there for the first year.

Wisconsin vs Massachusetts: the paperwork

	Wisconsin formed here	Massachusetts registering here
Document	Wisconsin Certificate of Status	Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$10	$520 at order (filing fee $500 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Wisconsin: online, emailed as soon as it is requested	Filed on Massachusetts's paper form
Paid expedite		$20
Office	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division
Official page	dfi.wi.gov	sec.state.ma.us
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5), $25, every year	Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $500, every year
Due	End of the calendar quarter containing the LLC's anniversary date	On or before the anniversary date of registration to do business in Massachusetts
Agent	Your Wisconsin registered agent	Our Massachusetts resident agent

From Wisconsin to Massachusetts, step by step

Order the Wisconsin certificate
The Certificate of Status ($10) is ordered from Wisconsin separately; it is not part of our Massachusetts order. An instant Wisconsin certificate reaches Massachusetts only hours old, well inside the limit of 90 days.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Massachusetts resident agent, next to your Wisconsin name and formation date, with the certificate attached. With the certificate issued on the spot, nothing from Wisconsin delays the Massachusetts filing. After approval, your Wisconsin LLC is registered with Massachusetts.

First-year cost, Wisconsin to Massachusetts

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$520
Certificate of Status, paid to Wisconsin	$10
Our service, with a year of Massachusetts resident agent service	$199
First-year total, Wisconsin certificate included	$729

Massachusetts's paid expedite is optional and not in the total.

Will your Wisconsin name work for Massachusetts?

Massachusetts can hold a name for $30 before you file.

Your Massachusetts agent and the Wisconsin one

Massachusetts calls it a resident agent; Wisconsin says registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for Wisconsin; ours takes Massachusetts's papers and notices.

Yearly filings: Massachusetts and Wisconsin

Each year your LLC files Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) ($25) and Massachusetts's Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($500). With our $149 resident agent renewal, Wisconsin plus Massachusetts comes to $674 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

Registering a Massachusetts company in Wisconsin

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

Questions Wisconsin owners ask about Massachusetts

Does my Wisconsin company need to register in Massachusetts?

Yes, once a Wisconsin business operates there; Massachusetts registers it as a foreign LLC.

How much does the Massachusetts registration cost?

$719 at checkout plus $10 to Wisconsin for the Certificate of Status, $729 in all (checkout is $520 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Wisconsin's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Massachusetts wants Wisconsin's Certificate of Status ($10), no more than 90 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Wisconsin and Massachusetts?

$674 a year: our $149 resident agent renewal, $25 to Wisconsin and $500 to Massachusetts for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Massachusetts?

A Wisconsin company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Massachusetts can add a civil penalty of up to $500.

Does Massachusetts require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Massachusetts LLC instead?

Yes, but Wisconsin keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520), and the original keeps Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5).

How do I withdraw from Massachusetts later?

Wisconsin companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal ($100); until then, Massachusetts's report stays due alongside Wisconsin's filings.

Official sources

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