DC Certificate of Good Standing

If you have a company that is officially registered to conduct business within the District of Columbia, you may — for various reasons — need what is called a Certificate of Good Standing to prove this fact. The Certificate of Good Standing is also the document issued by the state that shows you are in compliance with all applicable state requirements.

 

To obtain your certificate from the State of District of Columbia, submit a records order to the Secretary of State’s office. The state will issue a certificate bearing an imprint of the Seal of District of Columbia and the Secretary of State’s authorized signature.

 

Keep in mind that the same status request is necessary if you need to prove that your business was dissolved or suspended in the past. It may also be a business other than your own that you want certified information on. You can also order a certified collection of all the filings on record for an entity, including for example the original articles of formation, the original registration if from out of the state, conversion, amendments, and such.

 

You can research records using District of Columbia’s online business search, and you can find more information about records-request forms and fees at the state web site. To obtain a certificate of Good Standing the next business day, SunDoc can expedite your request!

 

When Do You Need A Certificate Of Good Standing?

 

You might need to obtain a Certificate of Good Standing if your company is being sold, if you are purchasing another company outright, or if your entity is involved with an acquisition or a merger. 

 

In addition, certain tax matters may require that you show a Certificate of Good Standing as well. Remember that you cannot be out of compliance with any of the state tax process, but you can still owe taxes within the District of Columbia and be in good standing here. Other reasons for requiring a Certificate of Good Standing include specific licensing requirements and applications for lines of credit or business loans.

 

Another frequent need for a Certificate of Good Standing is to register to do business in another state (see how SunDoc Filings can help you with foreign qualification). You will have to determine your full documentation requirements, including expirations. Some states for example require certified status to be less than 30 days old, while some allow 60 days.

 

Certificate Of Good Standing Or Certificate Of Status?

 

In some jurisdictions, Certificates of Good Standing are known as Certificates of Existence or, possibly, Certificates of Status. These terms are generally interchangeable. In D.C., a Certificate of Good Standing proves that an entity is registered to conduct business in the District of Columbia, that it has not been suspended by the Franchise Tax Board (the state taxing authority), and that is compliant with applicable licensing requirements and corporate roles.

 

How To Get Your Good Standing Certificate

 

At this time, the District of Columbia does not allow for electronic orders of Certificates of Good Standing. However, you can go personally to the Secretary of State office to submit your order, or you can submit your order by mail.

 

Those requests presented in person at the SOS office are usually processed in two business days. Mailed-in order requests usually take around 5 to 15 business days. If you need your Certificate of Good Standing right away, you can put a rush on your order.

 

Next Steps

 

Do you need help handling your Certificate of Good Standing request? SunDoc Filings would be happy to assist you. We will save you valuable time because we hand-deliver and hand-receive all of our documents when we visit the Secretary of State office daily (other filing companies only mail in their orders). Every one of our routine business filings will be executed in this expedited way.

 

To talk to a live voice for immediate assistance call us toll-free during business hours at 1-888-595-2747.