HOW TO GET A SECRETARY OF STATE GOOD STANDING CERTIFICATE OR CERTIFICATE OF EXISTENCE

A Good Standing Certificate (Certificate of Existence) is issued by the state agency responsible for administering the Business laws of a state and maintaining a database of all Companies which have registered in that state.  In most states this agency is the Secretary of State.  In some states the Department of Revenue or Taxation issues Certificates of Good Standing.

A Good Standing Certificate is legal proof that a Limited Liability Company (LLC), Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) or Corporation (C or S Corporation) was legally formed and has been properly maintained.

A Good Standing Certificate (Certificate of Existence) is often required for loans; to apply for or renew Business Licenses and Permits; or for tax or other Business purposes. A Certificate of Good Standing is conclusive evidence that your Business franchise - your Corporation, LLC or LP - is in Existence, is authorized to transact business in the state, and complies with all state Business filing and administrative requirements and therefore is in "Good Standing" in the state.

Also known as a Certificate of Existence, a Certificate of Status or a Certificate of Authority, a Good Standing Certificate is a one page document which looks like a letter and bears the seal or signature of the Secretary of State or the Department of Revenue or Taxation.

To obtain a Good Standing Certificate, a Company must be registered as a legal entity with the Secretary of State or the Department of Revenue or Taxation and cannot be in default of any state Corporate rules, or suspended by the state.

Click on any state in the list below to find out how to get a Good Standing Certificate for that state.

In the real world of Business trust is essential.  You can establish trust in the Business world with a Good Standing Certificate,  Banks could require them for loans.  Many state, county and city agencies require Good Standing Certificates before the agency will issue a Permit, License or other Certification.

When a Corporation, LLC or LP is registered to do Business in one state and they want to conduct Business in another state, a Good Standing Certificate is often required to prove the Existence and confirm the Status of the Corporation, LLC or LP.  The process of registering a Corporation, LLC or LP in a state different from their home or "Domestic" state is called Foreign Qualificataion.

Most states have some kind of annual or biennial reporting requirements for Corporations, LLCs and LPs.  The reporting requirements vary from state to state.  The most common reason a Business falls out of Good Standing is because that Company has failed to file the required reports.  The costs to get the Business back into Good Standing depend on the state and the number if reports which are delinquent.

Another common reason that a Business would fall out of Good Standing is failure to maintain a Registered Agent.  All states require Corporations and LLCs to have a physical address (not a Post Office Box) to which Service of Process and other documents may be sent.  The Registered Agent is the person or Company at the address who will receive the documents.  If the state finds out that a Business do not have a valid Registered Agent they will revoke the Company's Good Standing status.

The consequences of not being in Good Standing vary from state to state.  The penalties vary but can be substantial depending on the specific reasons for which the Good Standing status of the Corporation or LLC has been revoked.

A Good Standing Certificate may be referred to by a different name in some states.  This sometimes causes confusion.  Whatever a Good Standing Certificate is called it implies that the Company for which the Good Standing Certificate has been issued is up to date with all its administrative requirements.  Those administrative obligations vary from state to state.  Other names for a Good Standing Certificate are:
In some states a Good Standing Certificate includes a unique Verification Number.

In most states, if you place your order for a Good Standing Certificate before 1 PM local time we can get your Good Standing Certificate in as fast as 2-3 hours from the time that you place your Certificate of Good Standing order.  We will send you a scanned copy of your Good Standing Certificate by email and put a paper copy of your Certificate in the mail as soon as we get it from the Secretary of State.

Choose your state from the list above to see more detail on the time it takes to get a Good Standing Certificate in that state.

A valid exipration date is not written on a Good Standing Certificate.  The validity of a Certificate of Good Standing is usually determined by the intended recipient of the Good Standing Certificate.

Some institutions may request that a Good Standing Certificate be less than a certain number of days old.  Generally the information included on Certificate of Good Standing is implied to be valid for around 60-90 days but it really depends on the nature of the business for which the Good Standing Certificate is being used.

States that require a Good Standing Certificate for Foreign Qualification require a Good Standing Certificate which was issued anywhere from 30 days to a year prior to the filing date depending on the state.