Texas

Foreign registration · Form 304

Wisconsin LLC Foreign Registration in Texas

Texas registers an LLC from Wisconsin as a foreign LLC on Form 304, with $767.13 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Texas asks nothing of Wisconsin here, not even the Certificate of Status. We file it with the Texas Secretary of State using your Wisconsin records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Wisconsin and Texas side by side

	Wisconsin formed here	Texas registering here
Document	Wisconsin Certificate of Status (not needed here)	Form 304
State fee	$10	$767.13 at order (filing fee $750 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Wisconsin: online, emailed as soon as it is requested	Filed with Texas
Required expedite		$50 at order (Texas Express)
Faster options		next-day $500, same-day $750
Office	Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services	Texas Secretary of State
Official page	dfi.wi.gov	sos.state.tx.us
Yearly filing	Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5), $25, every year	Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	End of the calendar quarter containing the LLC's anniversary date	May 15 each year
Late yearly filing	$25 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your Wisconsin registered agent	Our Texas registered agent

From Wisconsin to Texas, step by step

We prepare and file Form 304
It names us as your Texas registered agent, with your Wisconsin name and formation date. Nothing has to come from Wisconsin first, so the Texas filing can go in right away. After approval, your Wisconsin LLC is registered with Texas.

Your Wisconsin name and Texas's rules

Texas accepts your Wisconsin name if it includes limited liability company, limited company or an abbreviation of either. If another Texas company uses the Wisconsin name, an alternate name is allowed. We search Texas's records for Wisconsin's name on file before anything is filed.

Agents: Texas and Wisconsin

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

Yearly filings: Texas and Wisconsin

Wisconsin wants the Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5) every year ($25); Texas wants the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report every year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Wisconsin to Texas

A corporation formed in Wisconsin files Form 301 with Texas ($767.13 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same). After that come Wisconsin's Domestic Business Corporation Annual Report ($25) and Texas's Franchise Tax Report + Public Information Report (no fee). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Texas company in Wisconsin

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

Common questions: Wisconsin to Texas

Does my Wisconsin company need to register in Texas?

Yes, once a Wisconsin business operates there; Texas law lists 16 activities that do not count on their own.

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

$1,016.13 at checkout, including the $50 required expedite, with nothing to pay Wisconsin.

Do I need Wisconsin's certificate of good standing?

No, Texas takes Form 304 without it.

How long does the Texas registration take?

Typically 2 to 3 business days with Texas's required expedite; nothing comes from Wisconsin first. Faster state options: next-day $500, same-day $750.

What are the yearly costs for Wisconsin and Texas?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Wisconsin's report ($25) and Texas's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with Texas?

A Wisconsin company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does Texas require a registered agent?

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

Will Texas accept my Wisconsin name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Wisconsin name at home. Texas names must include limited liability company, limited company or an abbreviation of either.

Can I form a new Texas LLC instead?

Yes, but Wisconsin keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Texas's Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report, and the original keeps Wisconsin's Annual Report (Form 5 / CORP5).

How do I withdraw from Texas later?

Wisconsin companies leave by filing Form 608, Certificate of Withdrawal of Registration ($15); until then, Texas's report stays due alongside Wisconsin's filings.

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