A West Virginia Certified Copy is a copy of a Business Document which includes an endorsement, with an accompanying Certificate or Seal, of the West Virginia Secretary of State which states that the document is a true copy of the Business Document originally filed with the West Virginia Secretary of State. 

A Certified Copy of a West Virginia Business Document also includes the date that the Document was Certified by the West Virginia Secretary of State.  A West Virginia Certified Copy of a Business Document is normally a photocopy.

A West Virginia Certified Copy bears the signature of a representative of the WV Secretary of State. 

When the West Virginia Secretary of State issues a Certified Copy of a Corporate Document, this means that the West Virginia Certified Copy is a true, accurate and valid copy of the WV Corporate Document that the Secretary of State has on file.

A Plain Copy of a West Virginia Business Document is just what the name implies.  It is simply a photocopy of a Business Document.  There are no endorsements, stamps or seals on a Plain Copy of a West Virginia Business Document.

Most legal, government and financial institutions require Certified Copies of Business Documents rather than Plain Copies when dealing with official matters.

Some of the reasons why you might need a West Virginia Certified Copy of your Business Documents:

• Bank loans
• Tax filings
• Foreign Business qualification
• Replace original WV Business Documents
• Provide legal proof of West Virginia Business Registration

If you are responsible for the Business records of a West Virginia Corporation or a West Virginia LLC it is important to retain on file Certified Copies of your Formation Documents - your Articles of Incorporation for Corporations or your Articles of Organization for LLCs; as well as all Amendments to your original Articles.

The West Virginia Secretary of State issues a Good Standing Certificate ,called a Certificate of Existence in WV, to West Virginia Corporations and LLCs which are up to date with all administrative requirements.

The West Virginia Secretary of State will Certify any Business Document which has been filed with that office.  On the other hand, the West Virginia Secretary of State generally does not Certify Documents which are issued by that office.

So, no the West Virginia Secretary of State will not Certify a Good Standing Certificate or any other document which is issued by that office.

A Corporation or LLC which is registered in one state and wants to do business in another state must first qualify as a "Foreign Corporation" or a "Foreign LLC" in the state in which it wants to do business. 

For example, a Corporation or LLC that is registered in West Virginia wants to do business in California.  The West Virginia Corporation or LLC must qualify as a California Foreign Corporation or LLC. 

Some states require a Certified Copy of the formation documents, called Articles of Incorporation for a Corporation or Articles of Organization for an LLC, from the Foreign Corporation's home state. 

We can get your West Virginia Certified Copies within 7-10 business days for $45.00 plus state Document fees.

If you need your West Virginia Certified Copies quicker we can usually get them from the West Virginia Secretary of State within 3-5 business days for $75.00 plus state Document fees.  (Our expedited processing fee also includes any additional state fees for the WV Secretary of State's expedited process.)

Depending on the Document, the West Virginia Secretary of State may take longer to Certify Business Documents filed more than around ten years in the past.
We are dependent on, and have no control over, the staff and systems of the West Virginia Secretary of State.  We get your West Virginia Certified Copies order to the WV Secretary of State as soon as possible after we receive your order.  Once it is at the state we have no control over West Virginia Secretary of State processing times.
The processing times specified on this web page are the times it usually takes the West Virginia Secretary of State to process orders for Certified Copies of Business Documents. 

The total cost of West Virginia Certified Copies depends on the total number of pages in the Business Documents that are to be Certified.  The WV Secretary of State charges $20.00 for up to five (5) pages for Certified Copies of a Business Document.  The additional price per page for each page beyond the fifth page is $1.00 for most West Virginia Business Documents.

We charge a processing fee of $45.00 for our standard processing.  We can usually get your West Virginia Certified Copies in 7-10 business days with our standard processing.  With our expedited processing option we can usually get your West Virginia Certified Copies within 3-5 business days.