Good Standing Certificates in California

California does not issue good-standing certificates under that name.

For what is referred to in other states as a “good standing certificate,” the California Secretary of State will issue a CERTIFICATE OF STATUS certifying to the current status of an entity registered with the Secretary of State (e.g., active/good standing, suspended, dissolved, or cancelled).

For what is referred to in other states as a “long-form good standing certificate,” the California Secretary of State will issue a CERTIFICATE OF FILING OF ALL DOCUMENTS (a certified list of ALL the business entity’s documents on the records of the California Secretary of State (e.g., formation, registration, amendment, statement of information, correction, merger, termination, or conversion).

A Certificate of Status must be obtained by application to the Secretary of State.

For a certificate issued by California’s income tax agency, the Franchise Tax Board (FTB), that an entity is in good standing with it, the FTB will issue an ENTITY STATUS LETTER.

An Entity Status Letter verifies whether or not an entity is in good standing with the FTB and provides certification for:

• An outstanding liability that would be of concern to a third party (e.g., closing an escrow for a financing or sale transaction).

• Verification of an exempt status.

• Registering a corporation or LLC to transact business in another state.

• Legal status in court proceedings.

An FTB Entity Status Letter may be obtained instantly online for a corporation or limited liability company (LLC) by using the FTB’s “Self Serve Entity Status Letter” function by clicking here.

A searcher may use either an Entity ID or Entity Name.

An FTB Entity Status Letter does not reflect the entity’s status with any other state agency and is not a substitute for a Certificate of Status issued by the Secretary of State.

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