New York will not let you order this online.

The Bottom Line for New York LLCs

Certificates cannot be ordered online or over the telephone in New York. The Department of State takes a written request instead, including one sent by email.

Every other state that publishes its channels offers some online route. New York states plainly that this one is not available, which catches out anyone who assumes a state this size must have a portal for it. The saving grace is that the written request does not have to be posted: the Division of Corporations accepts written requests by email, so the practical delay is smaller than it first appears, provided the request contains everything the Department needs.

What New York Actually Calls It

The document is officially the Certificate of Status, issued by New York State Department of State, Division of Corporations, State Records and Uniform Commercial Code, though New York's own pages also call it a certificate of good standing. The two names mean the same paper. Ask a bank or another state's filing office for a certificate of good standing and this is what you send them.

New York describes it as evidencing the existence of a corporation or other business entity. It also reports the entity’s Biennial Statement position, and the Department’s own guidance is written for someone holding a certificate that shows the statement as past due.

New York also uses Certificate of Good Standing, Certificate of Existence, Certificates as to Documents on File, Status of Limited Liability Company for documents in this family.

Why You Need One

Foreign registration into another state is the most common trigger, followed by lenders at underwriting and buyers running diligence on a sale. New York adds one of its own: the certificate reports the entity's Biennial Statement position, so a counterparty who is checking compliance rather than mere existence learns something specific from it.

What It Costs in New York

New York charges $25 for the Certificate of Status.

Where this fee comes from: Department of State Fee Schedules, Limited Liability Company section: "Certificates as to Documents on File, Status of Limited Liability Company" $25. Executive Law Section 96(7): "For every other certificate under the official seal of the department of state, twenty-five dollars."

How to Order It

New York has no online option for the Certificate of Status. Orders go by mail and in person.

New York does not publish a turnaround time for the Certificate of Status, so this page does not quote one.

New York accepts an emailed written request even though it has no online order form: "The Division of Corporations will accept written requests for Certificates of Status by email." The Department's FAQ adds that "Requests for copies of documents, certificates under seal, name availability, service of process and all documents submitted for filing may be paid by credit card or debit card", and an emailed request must carry the Credit Card/Debit Card Authorization Form.

Write the request rather than looking for a form to fill in. It has to state the exact entity name, and giving the Department's own identification number or the exact date of formation removes ambiguity where a name is close to another on the register. Say whether you want routine or expedited handling and give a mailing address, because the finished certificate comes back by post. Getting the entity name exactly right is the part people underestimate; a request naming the company loosely is a request the Department cannot safely match.

1. 1

   File the Biennial Statement first if it is outstanding

   New York issues regardless, and prints your position on the document. Ordering while behind means handing the requester proof that you are behind.

2. 2

   Look up the exact entity name and identifier

   The request must state the name exactly. Including the Department's identification number or the precise formation date prevents a mismatch.

3. 3

   Write the request rather than hunting for a portal

   There is no online or telephone route. The Division accepts a written request, and it will take one by email, which is faster than posting it.

4. 4

   Say routine or expedited, and give a mailing address

   Handling speed is something you elect. The certificate returns by post, so the address is not optional.

5. 5

   Allow for the post in both directions

   Plan the timetable around delivery rather than around processing, especially if the requester wants a recently issued document.

What Puts You Out of Standing in New York

New York will issue the Certificate of Status to an LLC that is behind on its reports. It does not refuse; it states on the face of the document whether the most recent report was filed. So ordering one while you are behind does not get you a clean certificate, it hands the person who asked a written record of the delinquency. File first, then order. We found no separate tax clearance requirement from a revenue agency, though New York does not publish a statement either way, so treat that as no requirement found rather than an assurance.

Nothing in New York’s published requirements for a request names a clearance from the Department of Taxation and Finance. The list is the written request, the exact entity name, the identification number or formation date, a routine or expedited election, a mailing address and the fee. New York does not separately state that no clearance is required, so treat this as no requirement found rather than a published assurance.

The request must be in writing and must state the exact entity name, and should give the DOS ID number or exact date of formation or authorization if known.

The filing behind that is the Biennial Statement, so that is the thing to check before you write the request rather than after the certificate comes back by post. The round trip here is measured in days, which makes ordering while you are behind an expensive way to find out where you stand. Nothing in the request process routes you through the tax authority, so a tax balance is not what puts a line on this document.

How Long It Stays Good in New York

New York publishes nothing about how long the Certificate of Status stays current. Whoever asked you for it does: banks, lenders and other states' filing offices each set their own recency rule, and that window is theirs, not New York's. Ask what it is, and order the certificate once you know.

The certificate carries a date of issue. New York publishes nothing about how long it stays current, so the window belongs to the requester. What is different here is the lead time: because there is no instant download, a same day request is not possible on the routine track, and the return trip is by post. If someone has given you a tight recency window, work backwards from their deadline rather than forwards from today.

What We Could Not Confirm for New York

These pages only state what a primary source establishes. For New York we could not confirm the following, so this page does not answer it:

• whether the state will apostille it for use abroad

Who to Ask in New York

The Division of Corporations, State Records and Uniform Commercial Code at the Department of State issues the certificate and is the office to write to. The Department of Taxation and Finance is separate and plays no part in issuance. If your certificate came back showing a past due Biennial Statement, the Department of State's own guidance covers what to do about it.

Sources

• dos.ny.gov/certificate-status
• dos.ny.gov/faqs-corporations-business-entities
• dos.ny.gov/fee-schedules
• nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/EXC/96
• nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/LLC/1101
• dos.ny.gov/apostille-certificate-authentication

Every figure on this page was read from a New York government source, not from a formation service. Confidence in this record: high. See our editorial policy for how these are verified and corrected.