Document services desk

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

California issues a Certificate of Status through BizFile Online. The SOS's standard certificate fee is generally $25.00, with expedited and special-handling charges where requested. Online orders can be produced electronically when eligible; paper or certified delivery adds handling and mailing time. The certificate confirms the SOS record and does not certify California tax compliance unless a separate FTB document is obtained.

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Certified records

Charter and filing copies

California certified-copy charges vary by document type and page count. The requester orders through BizFile Online or the SOS business-records process and should expect a certification charge plus copy/page charges under the current schedule; the reviewed official pages did not establish one universal flat-plus-per-page amount for every entity record. Select certified copies when a bank, court, foreign authority, or apostille destination requires them.

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.

California apostilles are handled by the Secretary of State's Apostille and Authentication unit. The official business-entities forms page and authentication instructions route the request: https://www.sos.ca.gov/notary/authentication. Submit the original certified California public record, payment, destination country, and return/pickup instructions. Fees and counter/mail processing times depend on service method and current schedule; the apostille authenticates the signature/seal, not the document's business facts.

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.