Wisconsin Certificate of Status: $10, ordered online
Wisconsin issues it as a Certificate of Status, ordered online from the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions. The state fee is $10, and it is issued instantly online. It proves the LLC is current with the state on the day it is printed, so banks want one under 30 days old.
Wisconsin’s $10 fee next to every other state
Tied with 13 other jurisdictions at $10, the sixth-lowest fee of the 51. The median jurisdiction charges $12.
Tap or hover a dot to see which state it is.
- Wisconsin
- Other states and DC
- Median
What it proves, and who will ask for it
A certificate of good standing is a one-page statement from the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services that your LLC exists on the state’s records and is current on what the state requires of it. In Wisconsin the official name is Certificate of Status. It does not say anything about taxes owed elsewhere, licences or lawsuits; it says the entity is in good standing with the filing office on the date printed.
Four people ask for it: the bank opening the business account, a lender underwriting a loan, another state’s filing office when you register the LLC there as a foreign entity, and a buyer or investor doing diligence. All of them want a recent one, because the certificate is a snapshot and a company’s status can change the day after it is printed.
Wisconsin’s own rules for the certificate of status, with sources
How Wisconsin issues it, what it certifies, what affects the entity's status, and how a bank can check it. Checked Oct 24, 2026.
| Rule | What the official source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Official name | Certificate of Status, issued by the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI). DFI notes that some states call the same document a certificate of "good standing". | apps.dfi.wi.gov |
| How to order online | Buy it online from DFI and you get a link to the certificate right away. | apps.dfi.wi.gov |
| Six days to download, unlimited copies | An online certificate stays available for 6 days after purchase. You can print it as many times as you like in that window at no extra charge. | apps.dfi.wi.gov |
| Special text or an apostille | Certificates with special text, and apostilles, are not sold online. Request them on Form SP-48 by fax or mail. | apps.dfi.wi.gov |
| Fee | $10 for an online certificate of status, with no additional charge for multiple copies. | apps.dfi.wi.gov |
| What the certificate states | The entity's current name, its effective date of organization or qualification, its current status, and whether it is a domestic or foreign entity. The date on the certificate is the exact date and time your payment was accepted. | apps.dfi.wi.gov |
| Annual report | A Wisconsin LLC's annual report costs $25 and is due by the end of the calendar quarter in which its formation anniversary falls (Wis. Stat. 183.0212). | docs.legis.wisconsin.gov |
| Verifying a certificate | Each certificate carries a code at the bottom. Enter it on DFI's verification page and the system returns the certificate text to compare with the printed copy. | apps.dfi.wi.gov |
| Apostille | Not available online. Order an apostille-ready certificate on Form SP-48 by fax or mail. | apps.dfi.wi.gov |
| Some certificates are made by hand | Not every entity can get its certificate online. Entity types are formed under different chapters of law, and DFI generates some certificates manually to make sure they are accurate. | apps.dfi.wi.gov |
| DBAs are not on file with DFI | DFI does not keep DBA (trade name) records, so a certificate of status cannot be ordered for a DBA. | apps.dfi.wi.gov |
How to order it in Wisconsin
Find the LLC on the state record
Open the official page and look the company up by name or file number. Check the status shown on the record: the certificate reports what the record says, so fix anything shown as delinquent before you order.
Order and pay online
Select the certificate of status, pay the $10 state fee on the state system, and download or wait for delivery. Turnaround at last check: immediate online (link to certificate provided on purchase).
Use it inside 30 days
Time the order for the week of the bank appointment or the loan closing. A certificate from two months ago is usually sent back for a fresh one, and you pay the fee twice.
Order it inside the bank’s 30-day window
The certificate speaks for the day it is printed. Most banks and lenders want it issued within the last 30 days; a few accept 60. Order it the week of the appointment, not the month before.
Wisconsin annual report fee
$25
Due by the end of the calendar quarter your formation anniversary falls in (March 31, June 30, September 30 or December 31). Miss it and the LLC can fall out of good standing on the state record, which the next certificate would show. Find your exact date.
The certificate is one of four documents the bank will ask for
Banks want the Wisconsin certificate of status dated inside the last 30 days, next to certified articles, the signed operating agreement and the IRS EIN letter. The Bank-Ready Pack orders the certificate from the state the day you pay, so it lands inside the window, and assembles the rest from one form. Why banks ask for it, and what it does not prove.
- Certificate ordered from the state when you pay; state fee invoiced at cost
- Operating agreement and banking resolution generated from your answers
- One dated pack, ready for the account-opening appointment
If the Wisconsin record shows the LLC is not in good standing
Catch up the state filing
The Wisconsin annual report is due by the end of the calendar quarter your formation anniversary falls in (March 31, June 30, September 30 or December 31), state fee $25. Miss it and the LLC can fall out of good standing on the state record, which the next certificate would show. Wisconsin annual report page, with free reminders at 60, 30 and 7 days.
Reinstate if it was dissolved
Miss enough cycles and the state can administratively dissolve the LLC. Reinstatement means the back filings, the state’s reinstatement fee and a registered agent on file; order the certificate after it posts. How reinstatement works.
Keep an agent on file
Every Wisconsin LLC must keep a registered agent at a Wisconsin street address. A lapsed agent is one of the quickest ways out of good standing. Wisconsin registered agent, $74.25 a year, through our partner Registered Agents Inc. Switching agents? How to change your Wisconsin registered agent.
Watch every entity at once
Own more than one company? The free portfolio board shows each state’s deadline and standing side by side, so no certificate order turns into a surprise.
Frequently asked questions
What date appears on a Wisconsin certificate of status?
The exact date and time your payment was accepted.
Can I get an apostille on a Wisconsin certificate online?
No. Apostilles and certificates with special text are ordered on Form SP-48 by fax or mail.
How much does a Wisconsin certificate of good standing cost?
The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services charges $10 for a certificate of status, verified Sep 12, 2026 on the official fee page linked on this page. Expedited service or a certified copy of the formation documents, where offered, is priced separately by the state.
How do I get a certificate of good standing in Wisconsin?
Order it from the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services online at apps.dfi.wi.gov. Turnaround at last check: immediate online (link to certificate provided on purchase). Check the LLC's status on the state record first; the certificate reports what the record shows.
What is a certificate of good standing called in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin issues it as a Certificate of Status, from the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services. Ask for it by that name on apps.dfi.wi.gov. Banks, lenders and other states accept it as the good-standing document whatever the local name, as long as it is recent and issued by the state.
Why does a bank want the Wisconsin certificate of status dated within 30 days?
The certificate is a snapshot of the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services record on the day it is printed. Banks and lenders treat it as proof the company is current now, so most ask for one issued within the last 30 days, a few accept 60. In Wisconsin it is issued instantly online, so order it the week you need it, not the month before.
What keeps a Wisconsin LLC in good standing?
Filing the Wisconsin annual report on time, due by the end of the calendar quarter your formation anniversary falls in (March 31, June 30, September 30 or December 31), state fee $25, and keeping a registered agent on file. Miss the report and the company can fall out of good standing on the state record, which the next certificate would show; catch it up, and reinstate if needed, before you order.
Is this Wisconsin page legal advice?
No. Vermilion Vitez is a filing-services company, not a law firm. This page is educational reference information, verified Sep 12, 2026 against the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services's own site (apps.dfi.wi.gov); that site is the final word.
Nearby states
A foreign registration needs a certificate from the home state, and each state prices and names the document differently. Jump to a bordering state, or see all 50 states + DC.
Done for you, or do it yourself
Need the Wisconsin certificate? We order it from the state the day you pay.
$82.50 plus the Wisconsin state fee and card processing, or order it yourself on the official site. Banks want it dated within the last 30 days, so place the order the week of the meeting.
Need the articles, operating agreement and EIN letter too? Build the Bank-Ready Pack · or call (954) 470-8356 — we pick up.