A Georgia Certified Copy is a copy of a Business Document which includes an endorsement, with an accompanying Certificate or Seal, of the Georgia Secretary of State which states that the document is a true copy of the Business Document originally filed with the Georgia Secretary of State.  A Certified Copy of a Georgia Business Document also includes the date that the Document was Certified by the Georgia Secretary of State.  A Georgia Certified Copy of a Business Document is normally a photocopy.

A Georgia Certified Copy bears the signature of a representative of the GA Secretary of State. 

When the Georgia Secretary of State issues a Certified Copy of a Corporate Document, this means that the Georgia Certified Copy is a true, accurate and valid copy of the GA Corporate Document that the Secretary of State has on file.

A Plain Copy of a Georgia Business Document is just what the name implies.  It is simply a photocopy of a Business Document.  There are no endorsements, stamps or seals on a Plain Copy of a Georgia Business Document.

Most legal, government and financial institutions require Certified Copies of Business Documents rather than Plain Copies when dealing with official matters.

Some of the reasons why you might need a Georgia Certified Copy of your Business Documents:

• Bank loans
• Tax filings
• Foreign Business qualification
• Replace original GA Business Documents
• Provide legal proof of Georgia Business Registration

If you are responsible for the Business records of a Georgia Corporation or a Georgia LLC it is important to retain on file Certified Copies of your Formation Documents - your Articles of Incorporation for Corporations or your Articles of Organization for LLCs; as well as all Amendments to your original Articles.

The Georgia Secretary of State issues a Good Standing Certificate ,called a Certificate of Existence in GA, to Georgia Corporations and LLCs which are up to date with all administrative requirements.

The Georgia Secretary of State will Certify any Business Document which has been filed with that office.  On the other hand, the Georgia Secretary of State generally does not Certify Documents which are issued by that office.

So, no the Georgia Secretary of State will not Certify a Good Standing Certificate or any other document which is issued by that office.

A Corporation or LLC which is registered in one state and wants to do business in another state must first qualify as a "Foreign Corporation" or a "Foreign LLC" in the state in which it wants to do business. 

For example, a Corporation or LLC that is registered in Georgia wants to do business in California.  The Georgia Corporation or LLC must qualify as a California Foreign Corporation or LLC. 

Some states require a Certified Copy of the formation documents, called Articles of Incorporation for a Corporation or Articles of Organization for an LLC, from the Foreign Corporation's home state. 

We can get your Georgia Certified Copies within 2 business days for $45.00 plus state Document fees.

If you need your Georgia Certified Copies quicker we can usually get them from the Georgia Secretary of State on the same day that you place your order, if we get your order before noon Georgia time, for $75.00 plus state Document fees.  (Our expedited processing fee also includes any additional state fees for the GA Secretary of State's expedited process.)

Depending on the Document, the Georgia Secretary of State may take longer to Certify Business Documents filed more than around ten years in the past.

We are dependent on, and have no control over, the staff and systems of the Georgia Secretary of State.  We get your Georgia Certified Copies order to the GA Secretary of State as soon as possible after we receive your order.  Once it is at the state we have no control over Georgia Secretary of State processing times.

The processing times specified on this web page are the times it usually takes the Georgia Secretary of State to process orders for Certified Copies of Business Documents. 

The GA Secretary of State charges $10.00 for each Certified Copy of a Business Document.  We charge a processing fee of $45.00 for our standard processing.  We can usually get your Georgia Certified Copies in 2 business days with our standard processing.  With our expedited processing option we can usually get your Georgia Certified Copies within Same Day*.

No. We cannot get copies of vital records such as Georgia Birth Certificates or Marriage Licenses. For those kinds of documents you will have to contact the County Clerk in the Georgia County in which the Documents were issued.

If you are ready to order Georgia Certified Copies online now just fill in the form below and click Place Order.  As soon as we receive your order for Georgia Certified Copies we will start processing it immediately.