Corporations Home Page

February 15th, 2010

The Department of Financial Institutions and Office of Credit Unions will be closed on Monday February 15, 2010 as a result of the day being designated as a Furlough Day for employees of the Department of Financial Institutions and the Office of Credit Unions.

Although the Agency will be closed to the public on this day, Internet Web Services will still be available for individuals who are accessing or filing documents over the Internet.

Any online document received on a day the Division of Corporate and Consumer Services is closed for a furlough day, holiday or weekend will be effective on the day it is received provided the filing meets statutory requirements.

As with holidays and weekends, there will be no mail delivery to the Department on furlough days. There also will be no staff to accept courier deliveries.

The Corporation Bureau fax machine (608-267-6813) will not be available to accept faxed documents on a furlough day, holiday or weekend.

A full list of the days that the Agency will be closed during this calendar year is available by visiting the link shown below:

2010 Closure Dates (PDF: 18 KB / 1 page)

Common Tasks

• Search the Corporate Registration Information System - This database contains information on business and nonprofit organizations registered with the Department of Financial Institutions.
• Request a Certificate of Status online
• Create an LLC or Business Corporation
• File a Corporation or LLC Annual Report
• Submit a Form - Forms for Corporations, Limited Liability Companies, Limited Partnerships, Foreign Entities, and more.
• Get Answers - Our FAQ has answers to the most common questions.
• Can't find answers here? Check out Build Your Business on Wisconsin.gov
• Historical totals for fiscal years 1996 - 2009 (PDF: 15 KB / 1  page)
•   Printable Corporation and UCC Filing Fees (PDF: 205 KB / 2 pages)

What's New

• Cable/Video Service Provider Franchise
• 2008 Wisconsin Governor's Business Plan Contest
• Pursuant to Wisconsin statutes sec. 180.1421 or sec. 181.1421 or sec. 183.09025(2) pertaining to administrative dissolution, the department will provide notice beginning Monday, September 24, 2007 to corporations and limited liability companies that are Delinquent in their required annual report filings from 1995 and forward.
  • What is Administrative Dissolution? A corporation or limited liability company may be Administratively Dissolved if the entity in question falls into delinquent status for failure to file its required annual report and fails to correct that status within a certain time, after appropriate notification attempts by the Department of Financial Institutions. Administrative Dissolution is the termination of existence of the entity by this department. Please refer to Wisconsin statutes sec. 180.1421 or sec. 181.1421 or sec. 183.09025(2) www.wdfi.org/corporations/statutes.htm

Other Info

• Certificates of Status and Certified Copywork
• Out of State Organizations Transacting Business in Wisconsin
•   Available Types of Business Entities (PDF: 21 KB / 3 pages)
• Try out the newly-improved Corporate Registration Information System (CRIS) name search program, including Name Availability search capability
• Online Change of Registered Agent and/or Office Address - Domestic and Foreign Business Corporation, Non-Stock Corporation, and Limited Liability Company change of Registered Agent and/or Office can now be submitted online.
• Online Certificate of Conversion - Domestic and Foreign Business Corporation, Non-Stock Corporation, Limited Liability Company and Limited Partnership certificate of conversion can now be filed online.
• Online Articles of Merger - Domestic and Foreign Business Corporation, Non-stock Corporation, Limited Liability Company and Limited Partnership articles of merger can now be filed online.
• 2005 Senate Bill 619 (2005 Wisconsin Act 476) - Affecting mergers, conversions and share exchanges (PDF: 70 KB / 10  pages)
• 2005 Assembly Bill 1186 (2005 Wisconsin Act 441) - Creating Chapter 193 relating to unincorporated cooperative associations (PDF: 346 KB / 46 pages)
• Online Order System - Request Simple or Certified Copywork, an Identification Report or Expedited Service online.
•   Records Search and Document Reproduction Request Form (PDF: 84 KB / 3  pages)
  An order form, describing the records maintained in the Corporation Section, their content, search services available, and the service fees for performing search services and supplying un-certified copies of charter documents and annual reports.
• Filing and Service Fee Changes

The Corporation Section of the Division of Corporate & Consumer Services at the Department of Financial Institutions is the filing office for the organizational instruments to create corporations, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, and limited liability companies, as well as documents to amend those charters in some respect or other. The unit also licenses foreign (out-of-state) organizations desiring to transact business in Wisconsin.