WEST VIRGINIA GOOD STANDING CERTIFICATE FAQs
PLEASE NOTE: In West Virginia a Good Standing Certificate is called a Certificate of Existence. This sometimes causes confusion when the requesting party, commonly the Secretary of State in another state besides West Virginia, requests a "Good Standing Certificate". In these cases a West Virginia Certificate of Existence will fulfill the requirements for a West Virginia Good Standing Certificate.
What is a West Virginia Good Standing Certificate (West Virginia Certificate of Existence)?
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PLEASE NOTE:
In West Virginia a Good Standing Certificate is called a Certificate of Existence.
This sometimes causes confusion when the requesting party, commonly the Secretary of State in another state besides West Virginia, requests a "Good Standing Certificate".
In these cases a West Virginia Certificate of Existence will fulfill the requirements for a West Virginia Good Standing Certificate.
A West Virginia Good Standing Certificate is issued by the West Virginia Secretary of State and is often required for
loans, to renew business licenses, or for tax or other business purposes in the state of West Virginia or in any other state.
A West Virginia Certificate of Good Standing is evidence that your West Virginia business franchise - your West Virginia
Corporation, LLC or LP -
is in Existence, is authorized to transact business in the state of West Virginia, and complies with all state of West Virginia business requirements
and therefore is in "Good Standing" in the state of West Virginia.
Also known as a West Virginia Certificate of Existence, a West Virginia Certificate of Status or a West Virginia
Certificate of Authority, a West Virginia Good Standing Certificate is a one page document which looks like a letter and bears the seal of the state of
West Virginia Secretary of State.
A West Virginia Good Standing Certificate is provided by the West Virginia Secretary of State and is conclusive evidence of the existence of your West Virginia business
franchise.
In most cases a West Virginia Certificate of Good Standing can be valid up to a year depending on the requirements of the Good Standing Certificate requester.
To obtain a West Virginia Good Standing Certificate, your company must be registered as a legal entity with the West Virginia Secretary of State, i.e., your company is in existence in the state of West Virginia, and cannot be
in default of West Virginia corporate rules, or suspended by the state of West Virginia.
How much does it cost for a West Virginia Good Standing Certificate?
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Total cost for a West Virginia 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 West Virginia Good Standing Certificate will cost.
With our West Virginia Good Standing Certificate services there are no hidden charges, surprise fees or any sign-ups required to get your Certificate.
What are the Requirements to be in Good Standing in the state of West Virginia?
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- The West Virginia company must be registered as a legal entity with the West Virginia Secretary of State as a Corporation, LLC or LP.
- The West Virginia company cannot be in default or suspended as defined by the laws of the state of West Virginia.
- The West Virginia company must have filed all reports required by the West Virginia Secretary of State or any other state of West Virginia agency.
What does a West Virginia Good Standing Certificate look like?
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A West Virginia Good Standing Certificate is a one page document which looks like a letter and bears the seal and signature of the state of West Virginia Secretary of State.
A West Virginia Good Standing Certificate is proof positive that the WV Company named on the Certificate is legally eligible to do business in the state of West Virginia.
What does it say on a West Virginia Good Standing Certificate?
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Some states verify that all taxes have been paid and all required reports have been filed.
Other states include bare minimum language that confirms only that a company is in existence and has not been dissolved.
Along with the issuance date and signature of the West Virginia Secretary of State, a
West Virginia Good Standing Certificate includes the following information:
I, SECRETARY OF STATE NAME, Secretary of State of the State of West Virginia, hereby certify that
COMPANY NAME
made application to the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office to be a registered
limited liability company in the State of West Virginia on FORMATION DATE. The
application was received and found to conform to law.
The company is filed as a DURATION TYPE.
I further certify that the company's most recent annual report, as required by West
Virginia Code 31B-2-211, has been filed with our office and that a Certificate of
Termination has not been issued.
Accordingly, I hereby issue this
CERTIFICATE OF EXISTENCE
West Virginia Certificate of Existence for Foreign Qualification in a state other than West Virginia
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A Corporation, LP or LLC that is registered in the state of West Virginia may require a West Virginia Good Standing Certificate to qualify as a
"Foreign Corporation" in a state other than West Virginia.
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 West Virginia is a "
Domestic Corporation" in California and a
"
Foreign Corporation" in the state of West Virginia.
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 West Virginia Good Standing Certificate is legal and official proof of Good Standing from the West Virginia Secretary of State.
All Business Documents provides full Foreign Qualification services in the state of West Virginia as well as any other state.
Click here for more information on
Foreign Qualification in West Virginia or any other state.
What happens if a West Virginia business is not in Good Standing?
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If your Corporation, LLC or LP falls out of Good Standing with the WV Secretary of State it is technically illegal for your company to do business in the state of West Virginia
or any other state.
This could lead to the piercing of the corporate veil and make the owners of the West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia Company may be more expensive that those for walking away from the business and
then creating an entirely new company.
Can I get a West Virginia Certificate of Good Standing for a Sole Proprietorship or DBA?
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A
West Virginia Good Standing Certificate is issued by the West Virginia Secretary of State for business entities that have registered
with the state of West Virginia.
A Sole Proprietorship or DBA is not normally registered with the West Virginia Secretary of State so a
West Virginia Certificate of Good Standing cannot be issued for them.
If you own a West Virginia business and have not registered as a Corporation, LLC, LP or other legal entity with the West Virginia Secretary of State,
then you are a Sole Proprietor by default.
Nothing needs to be filed with the West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia Business).
Are there other names for a West Virginia Certificate of Good Standing?
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In West Virginia a Good Standing Certificate is called a
Certificate of Existence. A West Virginia Certificate of Existence may be referred to by another name.
Other names for a West Virginia Certificate of Existence
- West Virginia Certificate of Authority
- West Virginia Certificate of Status
- West Virginia Certificate of Subsistence
- West Virginia Certificate of Qualification
- West Virginia Certificate of Compliance
- West Virginia Good Standing Certificate
- West Virginia Certificate of Standing
- West Virginia Certificate of Authorization
- West Virginia Certificate of Fact
- West Virginia Letter of Good Standing
- West Virginia Letter of Status
- West Virginia Certificate of Good Standing
Does a West Virginia Good Standing Certificate include a verification number?
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Yes. Each West Virginia Certificate of Existence includes a unique Validation ID which may be used to verify the Certificate with the West Virginia Secretary of State.
Does a West Virginia Good Standing Certificate include the Incorporation Date?
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Yes.
A West Virginia Good Standing Certificate includes the Date of Incorporation for a West Virginia Corporation
or the Date of Organization for a West Virginia LLC.
How long does it take to get a West Virginia Certificate of Good Standing?
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If you place your order for a West Virginia Good Standing Certificate before 1 PM West Virginia time we can get your West Virginia Good Standing Certificate as fast as 2-3 hours.
We will send you a scanned copy of your West Virginia Good Standing Certificate by email and put a paper copy of your Certificate in the mail as soon as we
get it from the WV Secretary of State.
PLEASE NOTE: WE CANNOT GUARANTEE WEST VIRGINIA SECRETARY OF STATE PROCESSING TIMES.
The West Virginia 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 West Virginia Secretary of State.
In our experience the time specified is the time it usually takes the West Virginia Secretary of State to process Good Standing Certificate orders.
We get your West Virginia Good Standing Certificate request to the WV Secretary of State ASAP.
Once it is at the state we have very little or no control over the West Virginia Good Standing Certificate process.
How long is a West Virginia Certificate of Good Standing valid?
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A valid expiration date is not written on a West Virginia Good Standing Certificate.
The validity of a West Virginia Certificate of Good Standing is usually determined by the intended recipient of the Good Standing Certificate.
Some institutions may request that a West Virginia Good Standing Certificate be less than a certain number of days old.
Generally the information included on a West Virginia 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 West Virginia Good Standing Certificate is being used.
Each West Virginia Good Standing Certificate comes with a Validation ID.
A West Virginia Certificate of Good Standing may be verified using the Validation ID on the West Virginia Secretary of State
web site.
We can email you a copy of your West Virginia Good Standing Certificate the same day, usually within 2-3 hours after we get your order.
If the recipient of your West Virginia Certificate of Good Standing requires official validation, they can go to the West Virginia Secretary of State web site for
quick verification.
The web address to verify a West Virginia Certificate of Good Standing on the West Virginia Secretary of State web site is printed on
each West Virginia Good Standing Certificate.
West Virginia Tax Status Compliance Certificate
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If you need to verify that all outstanding tax liabilities for a West Virginia Corporation or West Virginia LLC have been paid then you need
a West Virginia Tax Status Compliance Certificate.
In West Virginia a Tax Status Compliance Certificate is called a .
A West Virginia is issued by the West Virginia Department of Revenue and is sometimes called
a Tax Clearance Certificate or an Entity Status Letter or a Certificate of Account Status.
West Virginia Attorney Good Standing Certificate
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If you need a Good Standing Certificate from the highest Court in the state of West Virginia for a West Virginia Attorney we can help.
How can I get a West Virginia Good Standing Certificate?
If you are ready to order a West Virginia Good Standing Certificate now, simply fill in the
Good Standing Certificate Order Form above and press the Place Order button. If you have any questions
you can call us at 855-771-2477 or
email us.