Certificate of Good Standing – Certificate of existence – Certificate of Status
What is a certificate of good standing?
The point of a certificate of good standing is to let other states know that your business (such as an LLC, corporation, nonprofit, LLP, LP, or other types of registered entities) is in good standing in their home state. This means the business is current all of its fees and has filed all necessary reports. The state also might use a certificate of good standing to verify the date when the business was formed.
For example, if your business was registered in Ohio but you want to do business in Illinois, you would need to register in Illinois as a foreign entity. Part of the process of registering to do business in another state as a foreign business involves providing a certificate of good standing from your home state. Keep in mind that the state might not ask for a “certificate of good standing” necessarily, because some states refer to them differently. A certificate of good standing might also be called a certificate of existence, letter of good standing, or a certificate of status.
Do all states require a certificate of good standing?
Not every state requires a certificate of good standing. If you register as a foreign business in Alaska, Colorado, Kentucky, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, or Texas, you needn’t worry about having to obtain a certificate of good standing. (The same goes for Alabama LLCs.)
Timing is very important for states that do require a certificate of good standing to register in their state. Some states require that a certificate of good standing be dated no more than 60 days from when you file it with the secretary of state, and some no less than thirty days.
States that require the certificate of good standing is less than 90 days old: Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Washington.
60 days: Arizona, Hawaii, Illinois (for LLCs), Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska (for corporations), New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
30 days: Arkansas, D.C., Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Carolina, Vermont, and Wyoming.
6 months: California, Delaware, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska (for an LLC), North Carolina,
1 year: New York and West Virginia.
Who do I get my certificate of good standing from?
The certificate of good standing may be obtained from the secretary of state in your home state. In most states you have the option to get your certificate via mail, online, through email, on the phone, by fax, or even in person—it depends which state you reside in, as does the fee to get your certificate (Wyoming and Colorado are free). Northwest provides a complete list with state-specific information on how to obtain a certificate of good standing from your home state. It includes information about whether you will need certified copies, what the fees are, and where to get them from.
After you’ve ordered your certificate of good standing, most states will send you a physical piece of paper which you must attach to your application to do business in another state (some states, such as Wyoming, allow you to print off your certificate online). If you have any additional questions concerning certificates of good standing or how to obtain them, please feel free to ask in the comments!
HOW TO GET A CERTIFICATE of GOOD STANDING
Most states allow you to present them a copy of the certificate, meaning, you can order it from your home state by fax, online, or email, and send in a copy of the certificate. There are a couple states that require the certificate to be an actual original. In the states where they require an original certificate of good standing, they keep a list of states that only produce this certificate online, and that will be fine.
The following is prices and times from each state on the certificates. If you click the state name, it will take you to that specific state information page. We have compiled the fastest, cheapest, and most efficient way to get these documents. This information is free for anyone to use. If you don’t want to do it yourself, we can get the certificate of good standing or certificate of existence for you from the Secretary of State. In addition, we have registered office locations in every state. Most states we are very close to the Secretary of State and sometimes we can walk in and get the certificate of status quickly for you.
If you’re registering in a new state, you’ll more than likely need a registered agent in that state. This is what we do for people like yourself. You can click on the links at the bottom of this page to see about our registered agent service for any state. We usually have the cheapest price you can find, and provide some of the most comprehensive services. Also, if you don’t want to do the filing yourself, you can hire us to get a certificate of authority for you, register your business with the department of revenue, and/or any state agency you might need to get aqcuainted with. For more info like expedited options, payment options, and other tips of the trade, please click on the specific state link you need.
| State | Cost | Time Frame |
| Alabama | $28.00 | immediate online |
| Alaska | $10.00 | immediate online |
| Arizona | $45.00 | immediate online |
| Arkansas | $28.00 | immediate online |
| California | $5.00 | 4 weeks |
| Colorado | free | immediate online |
| Connecticut | $50.00 | immediate online |
| Delaware | $50.00 | 2-3 business weeks |
| DC | $16.50 | 10 business days |
| Florida | $8.75 corps $5.00 LLCs |
5-10 business days |
| Georgia | $10.00 | immediate online |
| Hawaii | $7.50 | immediate online |
| Idaho | $11.50 | immediate online |
| Illinois | $47.00 | immediate online |
| Indiana | $21.42 | immediate online |
| Iowa | $5.00 | immediate online |
| Kansas | $15.00 | immediate online |
| Kentucky | $10.00 | immediate online |
| Louisiana | $20.00 | immediate online |
| Maine | $30.00 | immediate online |
| Maryland | $40.00 | immediate online |
| Massachusetts | $15.00 | immediate online |
| Michigan | $12.50 | 1 day |
| Minnesota | $15.00 | 4 business days |
| Mississippi | $27.00 | immediate online |
| Missouri | $10.00 | immediate online |
| Montana | $5.00 | immediate online |
| Nebraska | $10.00 | 3 business days |
| Nevada | $50.00 | immediate online |
| New Hampshire | $5.00 | 5-7 business days |
| New Jersey | $25.00 Corp, nonprofit, and LP $50.00 short form, $100.00 long form LLC and LLP |
immediate online |
| New Mexico | $50.00 profit Corp $25.00 LLC $10.00 non-profit Corp |
5-10 business days |
| New York | $25.00 | 2-3 business days |
| North Carolina | $12.00 | immediate online |
| North Dakota | $10.00 + $5.00 search of records: Sole Proprietors and GP $15.00 + $5.00 search of records: LP, LLP, LLLP, PLLP, LLC, PLLC, Corp |
1-2 business days in person counter service: while you wait |
| Ohio | $5.00 | immediate online |
| Oklahoma | $20.00 online processing + 4% credit card processing fee | within 1 hour online |
| Oregon | $10.00 | 3-7 business days in person counter service: while you wait |
| Pennsylvania | $40.00 | immediate online |
| Rhode Island | $22.00 online $20.00 regular processing |
2 business days online 5-7 business days normal processing |
| South Carolina | $10.00 | 2-3 business days Counter Service: while you wait (in person only) |
| South Dakota | $20.00 + $5.00 if emailed or faxed back | 1-2 business days |
| Tennessee | $20.00 by mail $22.25 online |
1-2 business days – Counter Service: while you wait (in person only) Order online and print from website |
| Texas | $15.00 | 1-2 business hours online |
| Utah | $12.00 | immediate online |
| Vermont | $25.00 | 3-5 business days |
| Virginia | $6.00 | 2-3 business days |
| Washington | $20.00 | 5-7 days |
| West Virginia | $10.00 | 24-48 business hours online Counter Service: while you wait |
| Wisconsin | $10.00 | immediate online |
| Wyoming | free online | immediate online |
| Canadian provinces | varies depending on province | varies depending on province |
| Puerto Rico | $15 for corporations; $25 for LLCs | immediate online |