Illinois Certificate of Good Standing

If you are registered to do business in the State of Illinois, for various legal or business reasons, you might need to formally prove this. A Certificate of Good Standing is a document that is issued by the state, and it certifies that you are legally registered to do business in Illinois. It is necessary to have a Certificate of Good Standing when you need to show that you’re in compliance with all applicable state requirements.

In order to obtain a Certificate of Good Standing from Illinois state, you’ll need to go through a simple process. First, you’ll have to submit a records order to the Illinois Secretary of State’s office. At this point, the state will issue a certificate, which will bear an imprint of the Secretary of State’s authorized signature and the Seal of Illinois.

Instead of proving your good standing with the state, you might have other motives. For example, you may want to prove that your business was dissolved or suspended. If this is the case, this same status request will certify that. In another circumstance, it could be another person’s business that you want certified information on. In this case, you’re allowed to order a certified collection of all the recorded filings for any business or entity. For example, you can order the original articles of formation, the registration (if the company started out-of-state), amendments, conversion, and other documents for any company.

Use Illinois’s online business search to research records. You can also locate additional information pertaining to fees and records-request forms. 

Need your Certificate of Good Standing fast? For example, the next business day? No problem! Allow SunDoc to expedite your request!

When Do You Need A Certificate Of Good Standing?

If you’re buying a company (outright) or if you're selling your own company or involved in an acquisition or merger, it is possible that you will require a Certificate of Good Standing. This will be part of the legal documentation of your business. 

Generally speaking, when you apply for any line of credit (such as a loan for a business), you will need good standing certification. It’s also possible that some tax situations will require a Good Standing Certificate. Remember that you’ll still be in good standing with the State of Illinois even if you currently owe taxes, but you cannot be out of compliance with the tax process. Certain licensing requirements may also ask for good standing certification.

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. 

Do I Need A Certificate Of Good Standing Or Certificate Of Status?

The Certificate of Good Standing in other jurisdictions may also be referred to as a Certificate of Status or a Certificate of Existence. In Illinois, these certificates prove that an entity is registered to do business in Illinois state. The certificate also proves that a given company is in compliance with applicable authority and corporate rules and licensing requirements and that the company has not been suspended by the state taxing authority, the Franchise Tax Board.

How To Get Your Good Standing Certificate

Please keep in mind that mailed-in requests generally take 5 to 15 business days to process. On the other hand, in-person requests can usually be processed by the second business day. Also remember that Illinois does offer a rush service for Certificate of Good Standing requests!

Next Steps

Allow SunDoc Filings to handle your Certificate of Good Standing request. We can also handle all of your company’s other filings. Any routine filings you order from us are expedited in this way. In the end, this saves valuable time over competing companies who usually go the old fashioned route and mail in their forms. 

For immediate assistance and to speak with a live voice, please call us toll-free during business hours. We are available at: 1-888-595-2747.