Florida Certificate of Status: $5, ordered online
Florida issues it as a Certificate of Status, ordered online from the Florida Department of State. The state fee is $5 for an LLC ($8.75 for a corporation), and it is emailed as a PDF after payment. It proves the LLC is current with the state on the day it is printed, so banks want one under 30 days old.
Florida’s $5 fee next to every other state
Tied with 5 other jurisdictions at $5, the second-lowest fee of the 51; only 2 charge less. The median jurisdiction charges $12.
Tap or hover a dot to see which state it is.
- Florida
- 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 Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) that your LLC exists on the state’s records and is current on what the state requires of it. In Florida the official name is Certificate of Status. 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.
Florida’s own rules for the certificate of status, with sources
How Florida 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Official name | Certificate of Status. Florida law and Sunbiz use that name; the state does not issue a document titled "certificate of good standing". A bank or another state asking for good standing from Florida means this certificate (Fla. Stat. 605.0211). | flsenate.gov |
| How to order online | On Sunbiz, choose Order a Certificate of Status, enter the LLC's 6-digit or 12-digit document number and an email address, and pay. Once the payment processes, the Division emails the certificate as a PDF. No account is needed. | dos.fl.gov |
| Payment online | Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover credit card; Visa or MasterCard debit card; or a prepaid Sunbiz E-File account. | dos.fl.gov |
| By mail | Send a written request with the entity's name, its Florida document number, the document type and filing date, and a check or money order payable to the Florida Department of State, in U.S. currency drawn on a U.S. bank. | dos.fl.gov |
| Fee | $5.00 for an LLC, set by statute (Fla. Stat. 605.0213(12)) and listed on the Division's LLC fee schedule. | dos.fl.gov |
| What the certificate states | The LLC's name; that it was organized under Florida law and the date; whether all fees and penalties owed to the Department are paid; whether its most recent annual report has been filed; and whether it has been administratively or judicially dissolved, filed articles of dissolution, or filed a statement of termination (Fla. Stat. 605.0211(1)). | flsenate.gov |
| Annual report and the late fee | The annual report is due between January 1 and May 1 every year (Fla. Stat. 605.0212(3)). The LLC fee is $138.75 through May 1 and $538.75 after it, a $400 difference. | dos.fl.gov |
| Administrative dissolution | An LLC that has not delivered its annual report by 5:00 p.m. Eastern on the third Friday in September is administratively dissolved on the fourth Friday in September. The Department may also dissolve an LLC that does not pay a fee owed or maintain a registered agent (Fla. Stat. 605.0714). | flsenate.gov |
| Checking a certificate | Sunbiz has a Check Certificate of Status page for validating a certificate online (fictitious-name certificates excluded). | dos.fl.gov |
| Apostille | The Division of Corporations' Apostille Section issues apostilles by mail at $10.00 per document, paid by check or money order payable to the Florida Department of State. It does not accept cash or credit cards. | dos.fl.gov |
| One of the lowest fees in the country | At $5, Florida ties with California, Hawaii, Iowa, Montana and Ohio. Only Colorado and Wyoming, which charge nothing, cost less in our table of all 50 states and DC on this page. | dos.fl.gov |
| A late annual report shows on the certificate | Because the certificate states whether the most recent annual report has been filed, an LLC that missed May 1 can still get a certificate, but it will show the missing report until the report and the $400 late fee are paid. | flsenate.gov |
How to order it in Florida
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 status, pay the $5 state fee on the state system, and download or wait for delivery. Turnaround at last check: emailed as PDF once payment processes.
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 Florida LLC annual report due
May 1
0 days from today
State fee $138.75. Miss it and the LLC can fall out of good standing on the state record, which the next certificate would show. Florida annual report.
The certificate is one of four documents the bank will ask for
Banks want the Florida certificate of status 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 Florida record shows the LLC is not in good standing
Catch up the state filing
The Florida LLC annual report is due May 1 every year, state fee $138.75. Miss it and the LLC can fall out of good standing on the state record, which the next certificate would show. Florida 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 Florida LLC must keep a registered agent at a Florida street address. A lapsed agent is one of the quickest ways out of good standing. Florida registered agent, $74.25 a year, through our partner Registered Agents Inc. Switching agents? How to change your Florida 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
What happens if a Florida LLC misses the May 1 annual report deadline?
The fee rises from $138.75 to $538.75. If the report still is not in by the third Friday in September, the state administratively dissolves the LLC on the fourth Friday.
How much does a Florida certificate of good standing cost?
The Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) charges $5 for an LLC ($8.75 for a corporation) for a certificate of status, verified Oct 3, 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 Florida?
Order it from the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) online at dos.fl.gov. No account is needed to order online. Turnaround at last check: emailed as PDF once payment processes. 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 Florida?
Florida issues it as a Certificate of Status, from the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz). Ask for it by that name on dos.fl.gov. 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 Florida certificate of status dated within 30 days?
The certificate is a snapshot of the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) 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 Florida it is emailed as a PDF after payment, so order it the week you need it, not the month before.
What keeps a Florida LLC in good standing?
Filing the Florida LLC annual report on time, due May 1 every year, state fee $138.75, 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 Florida page legal advice?
No. Vermilion Vitez is a filing-services company, not a law firm. This page is educational reference information, verified Oct 3, 2026 against the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz)'s own site (dos.fl.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 Florida certificate? We order it from the state the day you pay.
$82.50 plus the Florida 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.