Order the proof your next transaction will ask for.

A certificate of status, a certified charter copy, and an apostille each prove something different. Select the document that matches the receiving party’s requirement.

Certificate of status

Good standing / existence

The ACC calls the document a Certificate of Good Standing. It costs $10.00 regular or $45.00 with standard expedited processing for both corporations and LLCs. The Arizona Business Center supports online ordering and certificate production; when the system produces the certificate electronically it can be downloaded or printed immediately. Paper requests follow the ACC's current processing queue.

Open certificate service ↗

Certified records

Charter and filing copies

Certified copies cost $5.00 per document plus $0.50 per page for corporations and LLCs. The ACC fee materials also list an expedited option, with regular certified-copy handling at $5.00 plus $0.50 per page and an expedited certified-copy service at $50.00 plus $0.50 per page. The requester should identify the entity and document, pay the page-based amount, and select the required service speed.

Ask the recipient whether it needs a plain copy, a certified copy, a long-form certificate, or a certificate of authority.

Choose the evidence

The document request should follow the transaction.

A certificate of good standing or existence typically confirms that the entity appears active or current in the state registry at the time the certificate is issued. It may be needed to open a bank account, qualify in another state, satisfy a lender, complete a merger, or support a commercial contract.

A certified copy reproduces a filed public instrument with the agency’s certification. This is the appropriate request when the receiving party needs to review the entity’s formation document, a charter amendment, a conversion, a merger, or a dissolution instrument.

Neither document should be casually described as tax clearance. A state registry certificate may not establish that the entity has paid franchise, income, employment, sales, use, local, or industry-specific taxes.

International use

Apostille path, without the guesswork.

Arizona apostilles are handled by the Arizona Secretary of State's authentication service, not the ACC Corporations Division. The official state service page is https://azsos.gov/services/certificates-and-apostilles. The exact 2026 fee and timing depend on whether the document is an Arizona public record, whether certification is required first, and the delivery method; obtain the current quote and submit the certified ACC record under the Secretary of State's instructions. The apostille authenticates the signature/seal for the destination country and does not validate the company's substantive claims.

01 · Confirm destination

Ask the receiving authority whether it requires an apostille, authentication, legalization, translation, or a recently issued certificate.

02 · Certify first

Many state authentication offices require a qualifying certified document before they can authenticate the signature or seal.

03 · Preserve the chain

Keep the original certificate, apostille, receipt, delivery record, and any translation together in the transaction file.

Before you pay for a document

Confirm the exact legal name and entity ID in the live public record.
Check whether the status is active and whether a delinquent report must be filed first.
Identify the required date window; some recipients will reject an older certificate.
Choose electronic delivery only if the recipient accepts a digital document.
Confirm whether the document must be certified, notarized, apostilled, or translated.

When the transaction is material, order the document directly from the designated agency or through its official system. Commercial document vendors may add a service fee for an item that the state makes available directly.