A Missouri Good Standing Certificate is issued by the Missouri Secretary of State and is often required for loans, to renew business licenses, or for tax or other business purposes in the state of Missouri or in any other state.

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

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

To obtain a Missouri Good Standing Certificate, your company must be registered as a legal entity with the Missouri Secretary of State, i.e., your company is in existence in the state of Missouri, and cannot be in default of Missouri corporate rules, or suspended by the state of Missouri.

Total cost for a Missouri 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 Missouri Good Standing Certificate will cost.

• The Missouri company must be registered as a legal entity with the Missouri Secretary of State as a Corporation, LLC or LP.
• The Missouri company cannot be in default or suspended as defined by the laws of the state of Missouri.
• The Missouri company must have filed all reports required by the Missouri Secretary of State or any other state of Missouri agency.

Along with the issuance date and signature of the Missouri Secretary of State, a Missouri Good Standing Certificate includes the following information:

A Corporation, LP or LLC that is registered in the state of Missouri may require a Missouri Good Standing Certificate to qualify as a "Foreign Corporation" in a state other than Missouri.  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 Missouri is a "Domestic Corporation" in California and a "Foreign Corporation" in the state of Missouri.

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 Missouri Good Standing Certificate is legal and official proof of Good Standing from the Missouri Secretary of State.

If your Corporation, LLC or LP falls out of Good Standing with the MO Secretary of State it is technically illegal for your company to do business in the state of Missouri or any other state. This could lead to the piercing of the corporate veil and make the owners of the Missouri 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 Missouri 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 Missouri Company may be more expensive that those for walking away from the business and then creating an entirely new company.

A Missouri Good Standing Certificate is issued by the Missouri Secretary of State for business entities that have registered with the state of Missouri.  A Sole Proprietorship or DBA is not normally registered with the Missouri Secretary of State so a Missouri Certificate of Good Standing cannot be issued for them.

If you own a Missouri business and have not registered as a Corporation, LLC, LP or other legal entity with the Missouri Secretary of State, then you are a Sole Proprietor by default.  Nothing needs to be filed with the Missouri Secretary of State 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 Missouri 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 Missouri Business).

A Missouri Good Standing Certificate may be referred to by another name.

No. A Missouri Good Standing Certificate does not include a unique verification number.

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

If you place your order for a Missouri Good Standing Certificate before 1 PM Missouri time we can get your Missouri Good Standing Certificate as fast as 2-3 hours. We will send you a scanned copy of your Missouri Good Standing Certificate by email and put a paper copy of your Certificate in the mail as soon as we get it from the MO Secretary of State.

The Missouri Secretary of State 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 Missouri Secretary of State.  In our experience the time specified is the time it usually takes the Missouri Secretary of State to process Good Standing Certificate orders.  We get your Missouri Good Standing Certificate request to the MO Secretary of State ASAP.  Once it is at the state we have very little or no control over the Missouri Good Standing Certificate process.

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

Some institutions may request that a Missouri Good Standing Certificate be less than a certain number of days old.  Generally the information included on a Missouri 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 Missouri Good Standing Certificate is being used.

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

In Missouri a Tax Status Compliance Certificate is called a Tax Clearance Certificate. A Missouri Tax Clearance Certificate is issued by the Missouri Department of Revenue and is sometimes called 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 Missouri for a Missouri Attorney we can help.

If you are ready to order a Missouri 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.