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How to Get a Certificate of Good Standing in Wisconsin

Wisconsin calls it the Certificate of Status and charges $10. Here is how to order it and what must be current first.

At a glance

Document name
Certificate of Status
State fee
$10
Online ordering
Yes
Typical turnaround
Ordered through the Department of Financial Institutions Certificate of Status application. Choosing immediate delivery sends the certificate by automated email as soon as the $10 payment goes through, and it stays retrievable online for six days. Standard delivery by post, collection or later email runs 7 to 10 business days at the same $10 and is required for the long form, for a notarised copy for apostille, and for a name change. Expedited handling on a copy request costs $25 per document
Issuing office
Wisconsin DFI ↗

How to order it

  1. Clear any past-due filings first. The Wisconsin DFI will not issue a certificate while you have unpaid tax or an unfiled report. The state-specific requirements are in the points below.
  2. Order it online. Search your LLC in the Wisconsin portal, request the certificate, and download it. Link in the table above.
  3. Pay the $10 fee. Pay by card at checkout. A small card surcharge usually applies.
  4. Use it inside the recipient's window. The certificate has no state expiration, but banks and other states usually want one dated within the last 30 to 90 days. Order it close to when you need it.

Would rather not deal with the agency yourself?

CorpNet orders the certificate for you
$69 service fee, plus the Wisconsin state fee shown above · A filing service, not a registered agent. Ordering it yourself is cheaper and the steps above are the whole process.
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Full ordering details for Wisconsin

Wisconsin issues the Certificate of Status through the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), Division of Corporate and Consumer Services, not through a Secretary of State. Order online through the DFI Corporate Records search by paying $10 per certificate. Also known as Certificate of Good Standing. Certified document copies are $10 per document. A LONG FORM EXISTS AT THE SAME $10 and adds previous names, charter documents and registered agent detail; a version notarised for use in another country is also $10. Wisconsin uses the single term Certificate of Status for domestic and registered foreign LLCs alike, under Wis. Stat. 183.0211.

Processing and expedited tiers: Ordered through the Department of Financial Institutions Certificate of Status application. Choosing immediate delivery sends the certificate by automated email as soon as the $10 payment goes through, and it stays retrievable online for six days. Standard delivery by post, collection or later email runs 7 to 10 business days at the same $10 and is required for the long form, for a notarised copy for apostille, and for a name change. Expedited handling on a copy request costs $25 per document

Important to know about Wisconsin

  • The WI LLC annual report is due in the assigned anniversary quarter each year and must be current. Foreign LLCs pay $65 online or $80 on paper; domestic LLCs pay $25 online or $40 on paper. Missing it by over a year triggers administrative dissolution; reinstatement is $100 plus overdue reports.
  • Wisconsin is unique in routing all entity filings through the DFI rather than the Secretary of State. Foreign-qualification checklists and apostille requests that reference a Wisconsin SOS are incorrect - route everything through DFI.
  • Wisconsin sells two different expedite charges and they apply to different things. DFI adds $25 per document to expedite a certificate or copy request, and $100 to expedite some entity FILINGS. Neither is usually needed for this document, because the online Certificate of Status is emailed immediately at the standard $10.

Ordering this to register in another state?

A certificate of good standing from Wisconsin is what the new state asks for when your Wisconsin LLC registers to do business there. Pick the state you are expanding into to see its exact filing, fee, and process.

Find your state-to-state guide · Registering an out-of-state LLC into Wisconsin instead?

Related guides

This page provides general information based on publicly available Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions requirements. It is not legal advice. Names, fees, and procedures can change. Verify with the Wisconsin DFI before ordering.