Certificate of Good Standing
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Certificate of Good Standing. A document issued by the state confirming that a business exists and is current on its filings. Also called a certificate of existence, status, or fact.
Why it matters
It is the portable proof of the good standing status. You order it when someone else needs to see it, and it is nearly always dated, because what matters is that the business was current recently.
What to know
- Ordered from the state, usually for a fee, often same day online.
- Commonly required to open a business bank account, obtain financing, register in another state, or complete a sale of the business.
- Frequently required to be issued within the last thirty to ninety days.
- Cannot be issued if the business is behind on filings, which is when people discover they are behind.
Where to order one, by state
Certificates are issued by the same office that holds the register. Each row links to that state’s business search, which is the starting point for ordering.
| Jurisdiction | Business filings phone | Office hours | Official search |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | (334) 242-5324 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | arc-sos.state.al.us |
| Alaska | (907) 269-8160 | 8:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. | commerce.alaska.gov |
| Arizona | (602) 542-3026 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | ecorp.azcc.gov |
| Arkansas | (501) 682-3409 | 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. | sos.arkansas.gov |
| California | (916) 657-5448 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov |
| Colorado | (303) 894-2200 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | coloradosos.gov |
| Connecticut | (860) 509-6002 | 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. | service.ct.gov |
| Delaware | (302) 739-3073 | 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | icis.corp.delaware.gov |
| District of Columbia | — | — | corponline.dcra.dc.gov |
| Florida | (850) 245-6052 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | search.sunbiz.org |
| Georgia | (404) 656-2817 | 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. | ecorp.sos.ga.gov |
| Hawaii | (844) 808-3222 | 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | hbe.ehawaii.gov |
| Idaho | (208) 334-2301 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | sosbiz.idaho.gov |
| Illinois | (800) 252-8980 | 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | apps.ilsos.gov |
| Indiana | (317) 234-9768 | 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | bsd.sos.in.gov |
| Iowa | (515) 281-5204 | 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | sos.iowa.gov |
| Kansas | (785) 296-4564 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | kansas.gov |
| Kentucky | (502) 564-3490 | 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | sos.ky.gov |
| Louisiana | (225) 925-4704 | 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | coraweb.sos.la.gov |
| Maine | (207) 624-7752 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | apps1.web.maine.gov |
| Maryland | (410) 767-1330 | 8:30 A.M to 4:30 P.M. | egov.maryland.gov |
| Massachusetts | (617) 727-9640 | 8:45 a.m.-4:00 p.m. | corp.sec.state.ma.us |
| Michigan | (517) 241-6470 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | mibusinessregistry.lara.state.mi.us |
| Minnesota | (651) 296-2803 | 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. | mblsportal.sos.state.mn.us |
| Mississippi | (601) 359-1633 | 8:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. | corp.sos.ms.gov |
| Missouri | (573) 751-4153 | 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. | bsd.sos.mo.gov |
| Montana | (406) 444-3665 | 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. | biz.sosmt.gov |
| Nebraska | (402) 471-4079 | 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. | nebraska.gov |
| Nevada | (775) 684-5708 | 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. | esos.nv.gov |
| New Hampshire | (603) 271-3246 | 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. | quickstart.sos.nh.gov |
| New Jersey | (609) 292-9292 | 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. | njportal.com |
| New Mexico | (505) 827-3600 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | enterprise.sos.nm.gov |
| New York | (518) 473-2492 | 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | apps.dos.ny.gov |
| North Carolina | (919) 814-5400 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | sosnc.gov |
| North Dakota | (701) 328-2900 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | firststop.sos.nd.gov |
| Ohio | (614) 466-3910 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | businesssearch.ohiosos.gov |
| Oklahoma | (405) 522-2520 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | sos.ok.gov |
| Oregon | (503) 986-2200 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | sos.oregon.gov |
| Pennsylvania | (717) 787-1057 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | file.dos.pa.gov |
| Rhode Island | (401) 222-3040 | 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | business.sos.ri.gov |
| South Carolina | (803) 734-2158 | 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | businessfilings.sc.gov |
| South Dakota | (605) 773-4845 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | sosenterprise.sd.gov |
| Tennessee | (615) 741-2286 | 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | tncab.tnsos.gov |
| Texas | (512) 463-5555 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | comptroller.texas.gov |
| Utah | (801) 530-4849 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | businessregistration.utah.gov |
| Vermont | (802) 828-2386 | 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | bizfilings.vermont.gov |
| Virginia | (804) 371-9733 | 8:15 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | cis.scc.virginia.gov |
| Washington | (360) 725-0377 | 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. | ccfs.sos.wa.gov |
| West Virginia | (304) 558-8000 | 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | apps.sos.wv.gov |
| Wisconsin | (608) 261-7577 | 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | apps.dfi.wi.gov |
| Wyoming | (307) 777-7311 | 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | wyobiz.wyo.gov |
Common questions
How do I get a certificate of good standing?
Order it from the state filing office, usually online and usually same day. Every state page here links to the office that issues it. Third parties will sell you the same document for more.
How much does a certificate of good standing cost?
Typically between five and fifty dollars depending on the state, with expedited handling costing more. It is a routine document rather than a legal proceeding.
How long is a certificate of good standing valid?
It is a snapshot with no expiry of its own, but whoever asked for it will impose one. Banks and other states commonly want one dated within thirty to ninety days.
Why do I need a certificate of good standing?
Banks want one to open accounts, lenders before advancing funds, and other states when you register as a foreign entity. It is almost always somebody else’s requirement rather than your own.
Where you will see it
This term appears on business entity search results and in correspondence from the Secretary of State. If you met it on a search result and are not sure how it applies to a specific business, the record itself usually says more than the summary line does.
You can check a name against all 50 states and the District of Columbia from the search on our home page. Every result links back to the state office that holds the record.
Sources reviewed
The sources below were retrieved and confirmed in August 2026. Filing requirements and fees change with legislative sessions and agency rulemaking; check the state’s own page before acting on anything here. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice.
- Official business entity search portals for all 51 jurisdictions, each retrieved and confirmed to resolve. The full list appears in the table above.
Related
What happens to a registration over time, and the registers that record it: