Georgia Certificate of Existence: $10, ordered online
Georgia issues it as a Certificate of Existence, ordered online from the Georgia Secretary of State. The state fee is $10, and it is issued instantly online. It proves the LLC is current with the state on the day it is printed, so banks want one under 30 days old.
Georgia’s $10 fee next to every other state
Tied with 13 other jurisdictions at $10, the sixth-lowest fee of the 51. The median jurisdiction charges $12.
Tap or hover a dot to see which state it is.
- Georgia
- 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 Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division that your LLC exists on the state’s records and is current on what the state requires of it. In Georgia the official name is Certificate of Existence. 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.
Georgia’s own rules for the certificate of existence, with sources
How Georgia 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 Existence. The Secretary of State's own FAQ calls it a certificate of existence ("good standing"), so it is the document to send when someone asks for proof of good standing from Georgia. | sos.ga.gov |
| How to order online | On eCorp's Certificate of Existence page you search for the business, review it, pay, and get the certificate as a PDF. Online certificate requests are processed immediately, with no expedite fee. | sos.ga.gov |
| By mail or in person | Mailed requests are paid by check, certified bank check or money order; hand-delivered ones can also use a credit card. Mailed certificate requests can be expedited for $60 (two business days) or $275 (same day). | sos.ga.gov |
| Fee | eCorp's order review screen lists a $10.00 certificate fee. The Corporations Division's fee schedule (effective September 6, 2025) adds a $10 service charge to the certificate fee for both online and paper orders, so check the total at checkout. | ecorp.sos.ga.gov |
| Raised-seal certificate | A Raised Seal Blue Ink (RSBI) certificate is available for a Certificate of Existence, for a fee on top of the regular certificate fee. | sos.ga.gov |
| Annual registration | LLCs file their first annual registration between January 1 and April 1 of the year after formation, then between January 1 and April 1 every year. It costs $60 ($50 plus the $10 service charge), and a late filing adds a $25 penalty. | sos.ga.gov |
| Administrative dissolution | The Secretary of State can dissolve an LLC that does not file its annual registration or keep a registered agent. It first mails a Notice of Administrative Dissolution to the principal office or registered agent, and the LLC has 60 days from the notice to file. After dissolution, the LLC may only wind up its affairs, and it has 5 years to apply for reinstatement (O.C.G.A. 14-11-603). | sos.ga.gov |
| Checking an LLC's status | eCorp's Business Search shows an entity's record and status; the Secretary of State points owners there to check whether an annual registration is still due. | sos.ga.gov |
| Apostille: a different office | The Secretary of State does not issue apostilles. Apostilles for Hague Convention countries come from the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority, (404) 327-6023. The Secretary of State's Great Seal certification ($10 per document) is only for countries outside the Hague Convention. | sos.ga.gov |
| Other states ask for one under 90 days old | Georgia itself asks a foreign corporation registering in Georgia for a certificate of existence no older than 90 days from its home state. Order the certificate close to when you need it. | sos.ga.gov |
How to order it in Georgia
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 existence, pay the $10 state fee on the state system, and download or wait for delivery. Turnaround at last check: immediate online.
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 Georgia annual registration due
April 1
0 days from today
State fee $60. Miss it and the LLC can fall out of good standing on the state record, which the next certificate would show. Georgia annual report.
The certificate is one of four documents the bank will ask for
Banks want the Georgia certificate of existence 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 Georgia record shows the LLC is not in good standing
Catch up the state filing
The Georgia annual registration is due April 1 every year, state fee $60. Miss it and the LLC can fall out of good standing on the state record, which the next certificate would show. Georgia 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 Georgia LLC must keep a registered agent at a Georgia street address. A lapsed agent is one of the quickest ways out of good standing. Georgia registered agent, $74.25 a year, through our partner Registered Agents Inc. Switching agents? How to change your Georgia 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 an LLC certificate of good standing in Georgia?
Georgia calls it a Certificate of Existence. On the Secretary of State's eCorp site you search the business, review it, pay, and download the PDF; online requests are processed immediately. The order screen lists a $10 certificate fee and the fee schedule adds a $10 service charge, so check the total at checkout.
Where do I get an apostille for a Georgia certificate?
From the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority, not the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State's Great Seal certification is only for non-Hague countries.
How much does a Georgia certificate of good standing cost?
The Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division charges $10 for a certificate of existence, 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 Georgia?
Order it from the Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division online at ecorp.sos.ga.gov. Turnaround at last check: immediate online. 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 Georgia?
Georgia issues it as a Certificate of Existence, from the Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division. Ask for it by that name on ecorp.sos.ga.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 Georgia certificate of existence dated within 30 days?
The certificate is a snapshot of the Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division 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 Georgia it is issued instantly online, so order it the week you need it, not the month before.
What keeps a Georgia LLC in good standing?
Filing the Georgia annual registration on time, due April 1 every year, state fee $60, 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 Georgia 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 Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division's own site (ecorp.sos.ga.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 Georgia certificate? We order it from the state the day you pay.
$82.50 plus the Georgia 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.