Certificate of Good Standing – Certificate of existence – Certificate of Status
HOW TO GET SECRETARY OF STATE CERTIFICATES
If you’re registering your company in a different state, the odds are that you’ll need a certificate of good standing from your home state of incorporation if you’re a corporation, or organization if you’re an LLC. Some states call this certificate a certificate of status or existence. This can be obtained for an LLC, corporation, LLP, LP, or any other type of entity if you are in good standing with your home state.
Either way, all the different terminology the same thing. Some states also call this a letter of good standing. All these lingo names for letters and certificates should not be confused with a certificate of incorporation, or certificate of organization. A certificate of incorporation, is something you might get from a state when you initially incorporate. This certificate will not be what ANY state is looking for when you register as a foreign business.
What a state is looking for is some recent document from your home state that usually will state the day your business was started, if it’s currently in existence or in good standing, will usually have the Secretary of State seal on it, and needs to be currently dated.
Some states require this certificate to be dated within 30 days. Some states are 90 days, and there are a couple that they can be 6 months old. 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 |