Delaware Certificate of Good Standing: $50, ordered online
Delaware issues it as a Certificate of Good Standing, ordered online from the Delaware Department of State. The state fee is $50, and it is returned by mail. It proves the LLC is current with the state on the day it is printed, so banks want one under 30 days old.
Delaware’s $50 fee next to every other state
Tied with 4 other jurisdictions at $50, the highest fee of the 51. The median jurisdiction charges $12.
Tap or hover a dot to see which state it is.
- Delaware
- Other states and DC
- Median
What it proves, and who will ask for it
A certificate of good standing is a one-page statement from the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations that your LLC exists on the state’s records and is current on what the state requires of it. In Delaware the official name is Certificate of Good Standing. It does not say anything about taxes owed elsewhere, licences or lawsuits; it says the entity is in good standing with the filing office on the date printed.
Four people ask for it: the bank opening the business account, a lender underwriting a loan, another state’s filing office when you register the LLC there as a foreign entity, and a buyer or investor doing diligence. All of them want a recent one, because the certificate is a snapshot and a company’s status can change the day after it is printed.
Delaware’s own rules for the certificate of good standing, with sources
How Delaware issues it, what it certifies, what affects the entity's status, and how a bank can check it. Checked Oct 24, 2026.
| Rule | What the official source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Two versions | Delaware issues a short-form Certificate of Status (the entity's name and its status when issued) and a long-form Certificate of Good Standing (every document filed, with dates and times, any name changes, and the current status). The Division says some financial institutions require a good standing certificate, so ask yours which form it wants. | corp.delaware.gov |
| How to order | Submit a written request through the Division's Document Filing and Certificate Request Service, or mail a Certification Request Memo or a letter on company letterhead to the Division of Corporations, 401 Federal Street, Suite 4, Dover, DE 19901, with your name, address, phone and email. | corp.delaware.gov |
| Delivery | Certificates go out by first-class mail unless you include a FedEx or UPS account number. The Division does not return them by fax or email. | corp.delaware.gov |
| Fee | $50 for the short-form certificate of status; $175 for the long-form certificate of good standing. Checks are payable to the "Delaware Secretary of State", drawn on a U.S. bank. | corp.delaware.gov |
| Expedited service | Added to the certificate fee: next-day service $50 to $100, same-day $100 to $200 (received before 2:00 p.m.), two-hour $500, one-hour $1,000. | corp.delaware.gov |
| The $400 annual tax | Delaware LLCs file no annual report but pay a $400 annual tax on or before June 1. Missing it adds a $200 penalty plus 1.5% interest per month on the tax and penalty. The tax is not prorated: an LLC active at any point in the year owes the full $400. | corp.delaware.gov |
| Checking status without a certificate | The Division's online status check costs $10 per entity, or $20 for detail such as the current tax assessment and filing history. It shows status but does not produce an official certificate. | corp.delaware.gov |
| Validating a certificate | Anyone can validate a Delaware certificate online with the entity file number and the certificate's authentication number, for one year from the date it was issued. | corp.delaware.gov |
| Apostille | The Division of Corporations issues apostilles (for Hague Convention countries) and authentications (for other countries) on documents signed by a Delaware notary or public official. | corp.delaware.gov |
| Tied for the highest fee | At $50 for the short form, Delaware ties with Connecticut, DC, New Jersey and Nevada for the most expensive certificate in our 50-state and DC table on this page. The $175 long form costs more than any short-form certificate in the table. | corp.delaware.gov |
How to order it in Delaware
Find the LLC on the state record
Open the official page and look the company up by name or file number. Check the status shown on the record: the certificate reports what the record says, so fix anything shown as delinquent before you order.
Order and pay online
Select the certificate of good standing, pay the $50 state fee on the state system, and download or wait for delivery. Turnaround at last check: standard first-class mail; same-day +$50, 24-hour +$40.
Use it inside 30 days
Time the order for the week of the bank appointment or the loan closing. A certificate from two months ago is usually sent back for a fresh one, and you pay the fee twice.
Order it inside the bank’s 30-day window
The certificate speaks for the day it is printed. Most banks and lenders want it issued within the last 30 days; a few accept 60. Order it the week of the appointment, not the month before.
Next Delaware LLC/LP annual tax due
June 1
0 days from today
State fee $400. Miss it and the LLC can fall out of good standing on the state record, which the next certificate would show. Delaware annual report.
The certificate is one of four documents the bank will ask for
Banks want the Delaware certificate of good standing dated inside the last 30 days, next to certified articles, the signed operating agreement and the IRS EIN letter. The Bank-Ready Pack orders the certificate from the state the day you pay, so it lands inside the window, and assembles the rest from one form. Why banks ask for it, and what it does not prove.
- Certificate ordered from the state when you pay; state fee invoiced at cost
- Operating agreement and banking resolution generated from your answers
- One dated pack, ready for the account-opening appointment
If the Delaware record shows the LLC is not in good standing
Catch up the state filing
The Delaware LLC/LP annual tax is due June 1 every year, state fee $400. Miss it and the LLC can fall out of good standing on the state record, which the next certificate would show. Delaware annual report page, with free reminders at 60, 30 and 7 days.
Reinstate if it was dissolved
Miss enough cycles and the state can administratively dissolve the LLC. Reinstatement means the back filings, the state’s reinstatement fee and a registered agent on file; order the certificate after it posts. How reinstatement works.
Keep an agent on file
Every Delaware LLC must keep a registered agent at a Delaware street address. A lapsed agent is one of the quickest ways out of good standing. Delaware registered agent, $74.25 a year, through our partner Registered Agents Inc. Switching agents? How to change your Delaware registered agent.
Watch every entity at once
Own more than one company? The free portfolio board shows each state’s deadline and standing side by side, so no certificate order turns into a surprise.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a Delaware letter of good standing?
Delaware's Division of Corporations does not issue a letter by that name. It issues a short-form Certificate of Status for $50 and a long-form Certificate of Good Standing for $175. Ask the bank or agency requesting it which form it wants, then order in writing through the Division's request service.
What is the difference between Delaware's short-form and long-form certificate?
The $50 short form shows the LLC's name and current status. The $175 long form also lists every document filed, with dates and times, and any name changes.
Can a Delaware LLC get a good standing certificate if the annual tax is unpaid?
The $400 tax is due June 1, and a late payment adds a $200 penalty plus 1.5% monthly interest. Pay what is owed before ordering, since the certificate shows the LLC's status when it is issued.
How do I check a Delaware certificate is genuine?
Use the Division's Validate a Certificate page with the entity file number and the certificate's authentication number, within one year of issue.
How much does a Delaware certificate of good standing cost?
The Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations charges $50 for a certificate of good standing, verified Sep 12, 2026 on the official fee page linked on this page. Expedited service or a certified copy of the formation documents, where offered, is priced separately by the state.
How do I get a certificate of good standing in Delaware?
Order it from the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations online at corp.delaware.gov. Turnaround at last check: standard first-class mail; same-day +$50, 24-hour +$40. Check the LLC's status on the state record first; the certificate reports what the record shows.
What is a certificate of good standing called in Delaware?
Delaware issues it as a Certificate of Good Standing, from the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations. Banks, lenders and other states accept it as the good-standing document whatever the local name, as long as it is recent and issued by the state.
Why does a bank want the Delaware certificate of good standing dated within 30 days?
The certificate is a snapshot of the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations record on the day it is printed. Banks and lenders treat it as proof the company is current now, so most ask for one issued within the last 30 days, a few accept 60. In Delaware it is returned by mail, so order it the week you need it, not the month before.
What keeps a Delaware LLC in good standing?
Filing the Delaware LLC/LP annual tax on time, due June 1 every year, state fee $400, and keeping a registered agent on file. Miss the report and the company can fall out of good standing on the state record, which the next certificate would show; catch it up, and reinstate if needed, before you order.
Is this Delaware page legal advice?
No. Vermilion Vitez is a filing-services company, not a law firm. This page is educational reference information, verified Sep 12, 2026 against the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations's own site (corp.delaware.gov); that site is the final word.
Nearby states
A foreign registration needs a certificate from the home state, and each state prices and names the document differently. Jump to a bordering state, or see all 50 states + DC.
Done for you, or do it yourself
Need the Delaware certificate? We order it from the state the day you pay.
$82.50 plus the Delaware state fee and card processing, or order it yourself on the official site. Banks want it dated within the last 30 days, so place the order the week of the meeting.
Need the articles, operating agreement and EIN letter too? Build the Bank-Ready Pack · or call (954) 470-8356 — we pick up.