SOS Entity SearchPublic registry guide
Mississippi/Certificates

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

Mississippi Certificate of Existence or Authorization is $25.00 for corporations under the statutory schedule; LLC pricing is shown by the live document order. Online ordering can provide electronic delivery, while paper takes longer. The certificate confirms SOS status, not tax clearance.

Open certificate service

Certified records

Charter and filing copies

Mississippi corporation certified copies cost $1.00 per page plus $10.00 certification under the statutory schedule. LLC and document-order charges are entity-specific in the current portal. The request should identify plain versus certified record and include any delivery or electronic charge.

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.

Mississippi apostilles/authentications are handled by the Secretary of State's Business Services/Notary offices; start at https://www.sos.ms.gov/notaries. Submit a certified Mississippi record and destination-country information. The reviewed 2026 business pages did not establish one universal entity-document apostille fee or turnaround; verify live instructions.

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.