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

A Pennsylvania Certified Copy bears the signature of a representative of the PA Secretary of the Commonwealth. 

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

A Plain Copy of a Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania Certified Copy of your Business Documents:

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

If you are responsible for the Business records of a Pennsylvania Corporation or a Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth issues a Good Standing Certificate ,called a Certificate of Subsistence in PA, to Pennsylvania Corporations and LLCs which are up to date with all administrative requirements.

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

So, no the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth 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 Pennsylvania wants to do business in California.  The Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania Certified Copies within 2-3 business days for $55.00 plus state Document fees.

If you need your Pennsylvania Certified Copies quicker we can usually get them from the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth on the same day that you place your order, if we get your order before noon Pennsylvania time, for $85.00 plus state Document fees.  (Our expedited processing fee also includes any additional state fees for the PA Secretary of the Commonwealth's expedited process.)

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

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

The total cost of Pennsylvania Certified Copies depends on the total number of pages in the Business Documents that are to be Certified.  The PA Secretary of the Commonwealth charges $74.00 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 $3.20 for most Pennsylvania Business Documents.

We charge a processing fee of $55.00 for our standard processing.  We can usually get your Pennsylvania Certified Copies in 2-3 business days with our standard processing.  With our expedited processing option we can usually get your Pennsylvania Certified Copies within Same Day*.

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

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