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

A North Carolina Certified Copy bears the signature of a representative of the NC Secretary of State. 

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

A Plain Copy of a North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina Certified Copy of your Business Documents:

• Bank loans
• Tax filings
• Foreign Business qualification
• Replace original NC Business Documents
• Provide legal proof of North Carolina Business Registration

If you are responsible for the Business records of a North Carolina Corporation or a North Carolina 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 North Carolina Secretary of State issues a Good Standing Certificate ,called a Certificate of Existence in NC, to North Carolina Corporations and LLCs which are up to date with all administrative requirements.

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

So, no the North Carolina 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 North Carolina wants to do business in California.  The North Carolina 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 North Carolina Certified Copies within 3-5 business days for $45.00 plus state Document fees.

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

Depending on the Document, the North Carolina 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 North Carolina Secretary of State.  We get your North Carolina Certified Copies order to the NC Secretary of State as soon as possible after we receive your order.  Once it is at the state we have no control over North Carolina Secretary of State processing times.

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

The total cost of North Carolina Certified Copies depends on the total number of pages in the Business Documents that are to be Certified.  The NC Secretary of State charges $20.00 for up to five (5) pages for Certified Copies of a Business Document.  The additional price per page for each page beyond the fifth page is $1.00 for most North Carolina Business Documents.

We charge a processing fee of $45.00 for our standard processing.  We can usually get your North Carolina Certified Copies in 3-5 business days with our standard processing.  With our expedited processing option we can usually get your North Carolina Certified Copies within Same Day*.

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

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