A Certificate of Good Standing (also known as Certificate of Existence, or Certificate of Status) is a statement issued by the Delaware Secretary of State Office that the company in question is valid, legally exists as a Delaware Corporation or Limited Liability Company, is current with all franchise taxes (or LLC taxes), filings, and registered agent services, and thus is in good standing with the State of Delaware as of the date of issuance. This document is generally required by another state or country if you register with them as a foreign company planning on doing business in their jurisdiction. Many financial and banking institutions also request a Certificate of Good Standing when you open a business account, apply for a loan, or a line of credit. Also prior to signing a large contract, a company may be asked to present a Certificate of Good Standing.
The Good Standing Certificate is a certified document that includes a verification code. Anyone receiving this document can go to the official Delaware Division of Corporations website, and enter the verification code to confirm its authenticity.
Certificate of Good Standing – Long Form
Also available is the Long Form of a Good Standing Certificate. This Certificate states all the documents that have been filed by the business entity, including the dates and times and any name changes that have occurred, along with the status at the time the certificate is issued.
Pricing Information
- Certificate of Good Standing (Short Form) – $50. For expedited processing Delaware fees are $40 extra for 24 hour service, or $50 extra for same day processing.
- Certificate of Good Standing (Long Form) – $175. For expedited processing Delaware fees are $60 extra for 24 hour service, or $80 extra for same day processing.
Delaware can take 1 to 6 weeks to process and mail a Certificate of Good Standing. As your Registered Agent we charge a small processing fee of $25 per request of documents (not per document) plus the cost of courier delivery.
The prices below include expedited services. We can generally obtain a Good Standing Certificate within minutes and E-mail via a PDF file.
- Good Standing Certificate (standard short form) – $115
- Good Standing Certificate (long form) – $260
