A Certificate of Good Standing — also known as a Certificate of Existence, Certificate of Status, or Certificate of Authorization — is an official document issued by a U.S. state’s Secretary of State that confirms a corporation, LLC, or other registered business is properly formed, currently active, and up to date on its annual reports and franchise tax filings. When a U.S. business expands, opens a foreign branch, signs a contract abroad, or registers as a foreign entity in another country, the Certificate of Good Standing is almost always required — and almost always needs to be apostilled.
When You Need a Certificate of Good Standing Apostilled
- Opening a foreign branch or subsidiary of your U.S. company
- Registering as a foreign entity in another country to do business there
- Foreign banking — opening a corporate bank account in another country
- International contracts and partnerships — many foreign counterparties require recent proof of good standing before signing
- Mergers and acquisitions involving a foreign acquirer or target
- Foreign investor visa applications (e.g., E-2, L-1 from a foreign perspective)
- Foreign government tenders — bidding on contracts abroad
How to Get a Certificate of Good Standing Apostilled
- Order the certificate from the Secretary of State of the state where your business is registered. Most states issue these online within 1–3 business days; expedited service is usually available.
- Submit the certificate to the same Secretary of State for an apostille. Because the certificate already comes from the Secretary of State, no notary or county clerk step is required.
- Pay the apostille fee — typically $5 to $40 per document, in addition to the certificate fee.
- Translation — most non-English-speaking countries require a certified translation of the apostilled certificate.
Our apostille services handle the certificate request, apostille routing, and international shipping in one step.
Important Notes
- Time sensitivity: most foreign authorities will only accept a Certificate of Good Standing dated within the last 30 to 90 days. Don’t apostille a stale certificate.
- For multi-state operations, you may need a Certificate of Good Standing from each state where the entity is registered.
- If your destination country is not a Hague member, you’ll need consular legalization instead.
- You may also need apostilled copies of your Articles of Incorporation/Organization, Bylaws, and Certificate of Incumbency alongside the Certificate of Good Standing.