Iowa Certificate of Good Standing

How to get a Certificate of Existence from the Iowa Secretary of State

A certificate of good standing in the State of Iowa is called a Certificate of Standing, Certificate of Authorization or a Certificate of Existence. You can order by fax, mail, phone or in person, but we recommend calling. Normal processing takes up to 2 days, plus additional time for mailing, and costs $5.00. Expedited service is not available.

You can order

You will need to have an account set up with this office to use this option. An account can be set up, however, annual fees will apply. It takes 2-3 weeks to process any new account requests. If you already have an account, you can go to their website and follow the instructions provided to search and print a certificate. You will be able to authenticate, validate, view and print the certificate yourself. Processing times are on a case by case basis. You may want to call for specific processing times.

You will want to provide the business name, payment, specific request and a daytime phone number for any questions.

You will want to provide the business name, specific request and a daytime phone number for any questions on a normal fax cover sheet. They will call you to get your credit card information when processing.

Called in requests are accepted and they can give you a specific timeframe for processing. You will want to have the business name and credit card handy when making your call.

Requested documents can usually be provided within 2 days. You will want to have your payment handy.

How much does an Iowa Certificate of Existence cost?

$5.00 for normal processing.
$1.00 per page return fax charge.

Is expedited processing available?

No. However, online is immediate and all other orders are usually processed within 2 days, plus additional time for mailing.

Payment options?

Check, Money Order, Visa, MasterCard or Discover.
Make check or money order payable to: Secretary of State.

How long does it take to get a Certificate of Existence?

Online processing: immediate.
Normal processing: 2 business days, plus additional time for mailing.

How will the Certificate of Existence come back after I order from the Iowa Secretary of State?

It will be mailed by regular mail, unless you request otherwise and provide a pre-addressed prepaid envelope or UPS/Fed Ex account number. An additional $1.00 per page fee is required for return faxing. Return service by email is not available.

Order an Iowa Certificate of Existence Online:

Contact Info:

Iowa Secretary of State
Business Services
First Floor, Lucas Building
321 E. 12th St.
Des Moines, IA 50319
(515)281-5204 phone
(515)242-5953 fax
Email: