A Massachusetts Good Standing Certificate or Certificate of Existence is an important document that is commonly required for renewing business licenses, applying for loans or lines of credit, or carrying out business or other tax transactions. Having a Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing certifies that your business is legally in existence. It verifies that your business can legally transact business in Massachusetts and that it’s in compliance with all state of Massachusetts requirements. Altogether, this means that your business is in "good standing" with the state. The Massachusetts Good Standing Certificate is a document issued by the Massachusetts Secretary of State.
Our service fee includes an email copy.
Rush: 1 - 2 Business Days $65 (plus state fees)
Routine: 3 - 5 Business Days $39 (plus state fees)
Request must be received by 2 p.m. PST. Fee includes an email copy.
Requirements for your entity to be in Good Standing:
- Registered with the State as a domestic or foreign entity
- Filed all annual reports as required by the State
- Paid all State mandated fees and taxes
The SunDoc Filings Advantage
- All orders received by 2 p.m. PST are processed the same day
- We don’t mail in document requests like other companies (which delays results)
- Since our beginnings in 1999, we’ve successfully processed thousands of documents for our clients
Our highly-trained and experienced customer service staff is always here to help you. Since 1999, SunDoc Filings has retrieved thousands of Certificates of Existence for clients.
How to Qualify a Massachusetts Corporation in Another State
Your Massachusetts LLC or corporation is considered “foreign” in any state other than your home state (Massachusetts). For this reason, if you would like to conduct business in any other state, you must apply for the authority to do so. This means taking specific steps in order to be “foreign qualified” in your desired state. Every state has different requirements for foreign qualification. But most of the time, the process requires you to have a Good Standing Certificate. At SunDoc Filings, we can help you meet the requirements for any state. Check out our qualification page to find the qualifications for the state you’re considering.
Also keep in mind that some states will offer a long form and a short form good standing. Additionally, certain states will require you to have a Good Standing Certificate, but they’ll refer to it by a different name:
- Certificate of Existence
- Certificate of Authority
- Certificate of Fact
- Letter of Good Standing
- Certificate of Authorization
Certificate of Good Standing and/or Tax Compliance
Massachusetts merged the Certificate of Good Standing and the Letter of Compliance. In this state both legal entities and individuals can request this certificate. Corporations, individuals, sole proprietors, non profit corporations, partnerships, LLC's, LLP's, trusts, and any other entity registered and filing taxes in Massachusetts are eligible to obtain this certificate.
Information about the Certificate of Good Standing
As soon as the Massachusetts Secretary of State office returns your document to us, we will scan it and send you a copy via email. If necessary, we’ll also send the original to you by USPS. Please remember that delivery time will not include state holidays or weekends as naturally, the state office will be closed on these days.
Top Reasons to Obtain a Good Standing Certificate
- To apply for the authority to conduct business in any state other than Massachusetts
- To qualify your entity in any state other than Massachusetts
- To obtain licensing requirements for special industries
- To obtain a line of credit or a loan