A District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate is issued by the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs and is often required for loans, to renew business licenses, or for tax or other business purposes in the state of District of Columbia or in any other state.

A District of Columbia Certificate of Good Standing is evidence that your District of Columbia business franchise - your District of Columbia Corporation, LLC or LP - is in Existence, is authorized to transact business in the state of District of Columbia, and complies with all state of District of Columbia business requirements and therefore is in "Good Standing" in the state of District of Columbia.

Also known as a District of Columbia Certificate of Existence, a District of Columbia Certificate of Status or a District of Columbia Certificate of Authority, a District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate is a one page document which looks like a letter and bears the seal of the state of District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. A District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate is provided by the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs and is conclusive evidence of the existence of your District of Columbia business franchise. In most cases a District of Columbia Certificate of Good Standing can be valid up to a year depending on the requirements of the Good Standing Certificate requester.

To obtain a District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate, your company must be registered as a legal entity with the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, i.e., your company is in existence in the state of District of Columbia, and cannot be in default of District of Columbia corporate rules, or suspended by the state of District of Columbia.

Total cost for a District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate depends on the type of company - Corporation, LLC, LLP, LP - and how fast you need the Certificate. Choose your options in the Good Standing Certificate Cost Calculator below to determine exactly how much your District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate will cost.

• The District of Columbia company must be registered as a legal entity with the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs as a Corporation, LLC or LP.
• The District of Columbia company cannot be in default or suspended as defined by the laws of the state of District of Columbia.
• The District of Columbia company must have filed all reports required by the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs or any other state of District of Columbia agency.

Along with the issuance date and signature of the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, a District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate includes the following information:

A Corporation, LP or LLC that is registered in the state of District of Columbia may require a District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate to qualify as a "Foreign Corporation" in a state other than District of Columbia.  A Foreign Corporation is a Corporation that is registered with a state agency, usually the Secretary of State, in one state and has the Authority to do business in another state. 

For example, a Corporation registered in the state of California that plans to do business in the state of District of Columbia is a "Domestic Corporation" in California and a "Foreign Corporation" in the state of District of Columbia.

All states require you to register as a Foreign Corporation with a state agency, usually the Secretary of State, in order to do business in their state.  In order to register as a Foreign Corporation in any state you must provide evidence that you are registered and are in Good Standing in another state as a Domestic Corporation or LLC.  This evidence is a Certificate of Good Standing from the state in which your Corporation or LLC was originally formed.

A District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate is legal and official proof of Good Standing from the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.

If your Corporation, LLC or LP falls out of Good Standing with the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs it is technically illegal for your company to do business in the state of District of Columbia or any other state. This could lead to the piercing of the corporate veil and make the owners of the District of Columbia business liable for penalties and law suits.

In order to get back into Good Standing you will have to pay a Reinstatement Fee.

The cost to Reinstate a District of Columbia Company depends on the exactly why the Corporation, LLC or LP is not in Good Standing. In some cases the fees for reinstatement of a District of Columbia Company may be more expensive that those for walking away from the business and then creating an entirely new company.

A District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate is issued by the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs for business entities that have registered with the state of District of Columbia.  A Sole Proprietorship or DBA is not normally registered with the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs so a District of Columbia Certificate of Good Standing cannot be issued for them.

If you own a District of Columbia business and have not registered as a Corporation, LLC, LP or other legal entity with the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, then you are a Sole Proprietor by default.  Nothing needs to be filed with the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs to create a Sole Proprietorship.  If you plan to use a name different from your first and last name then you would register in the District of Columbia county in which you do business with your first and last name "Doing Business As" (DBA) the name of your business (for example: Sue Smith, DBA Sue's District of Columbia Business).

A District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate may be referred to by another name.

No. A District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate does not include a unique verification number.

Yes.  A District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate includes the Date of Incorporation for a District of Columbia Corporation or the Date of Organization for a District of Columbia LLC.

If you place your order for a District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate before 1 PM District of Columbia time we can get your District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate as fast as 2-3 hours. We will send you a scanned copy of your District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate by email and put a paper copy of your Certificate in the mail as soon as we get it from the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.

The District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs reserves the right to extend expedite periods in time of extreme volume, staff shortage or equipment malfunction.  We are dependent on, and have no control over, the staff and systems of the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.  In our experience the time specified is the time it usually takes the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs to process Good Standing Certificate orders.  We get your District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate request to the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs ASAP.  Once it is at the state we have very little or no control over the District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate process.

A valid expiration date is not written on a District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate.  The validity of a District of Columbia Certificate of Good Standing is usually determined by the intended recipient of the Good Standing Certificate.

Some institutions may request that a District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate be less than a certain number of days old.  Generally the information included on a District of Columbia Certificate of Good Standing is implied to be valid for 60-90 days but it really depends on the nature of the business for which the District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate is being used.

If you need to verify that all outstanding tax liabilities for a District of Columbia Corporation or District of Columbia LLC have been paid then you need a District of Columbia Tax Status Compliance Certificate.

In District of Columbia a Tax Status Compliance Certificate is called a Clean Hands Certificate. A District of Columbia Clean Hands Certificate is issued by the District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue and is sometimes called a Tax Clearance Certificate or an Entity Status Letter or a Certificate of Account Status.

If you need a Good Standing Certificate from the highest Court in the state of District of Columbia for a District of Columbia Attorney we can help.

If you are ready to order a District of Columbia Good Standing Certificate now, simply fill in the Good Standing Certificate Order Form below and press the Place Order button. If you have any questions you can call us at 855-771-2477 or email us.