Order the proof your next transaction will ask for.

A certificate of status, a certified charter copy, and an apostille each prove something different. Select the document that matches the receiving party’s requirement.

Certificate of status

Good standing / existence

Illinois calls the document a Certificate of Good Standing. The corporation publication lists a $25.00 regular certificate fee and a $20.00 expedited add-on; LLC certificate pricing is handled through the corresponding Business Services request form and may vary by route. Online or in-person purchase can provide faster issuance, while mailed routine requests take longer. A certificate reflects Secretary of State status and does not certify Illinois tax compliance.

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Certified records

Charter and filing copies

Illinois uses the Corporate Request Form for Certificates of Good Standing and/or Copies of Documents and the LLC equivalent. The published fee schedule states that photocopy/certified-copy charges vary by document and request, rather than providing one universal flat-plus-per-page formula in the accessible table; expedited amounts also vary. Use the live request form or Business Services Center for the exact page count and certification total, and distinguish plain copies from certified copies.

Ask the recipient whether it needs a plain copy, a certified copy, a long-form certificate, or a certificate of authority.

Choose the evidence

The document request should follow the transaction.

A certificate of good standing or existence typically confirms that the entity appears active or current in the state registry at the time the certificate is issued. It may be needed to open a bank account, qualify in another state, satisfy a lender, complete a merger, or support a commercial contract.

A certified copy reproduces a filed public instrument with the agency’s certification. This is the appropriate request when the receiving party needs to review the entity’s formation document, a charter amendment, a conversion, a merger, or a dissolution instrument.

Neither document should be casually described as tax clearance. A state registry certificate may not establish that the entity has paid franchise, income, employment, sales, use, local, or industry-specific taxes.

International use

Apostille path, without the guesswork.

Illinois apostilles and foreign-document processing are handled by the Secretary of State Index Services. The 2026 Business Services Center announcement identifies apostilles as an Index Service at 160 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois, and the official starting point is https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/index.html. Submit the certified Illinois record and destination-country information under the current Index instructions; the accessible pages did not establish one universal 2026 fee or turnaround for every entity document, so verify those live before mailing.

01 · Confirm destination

Ask the receiving authority whether it requires an apostille, authentication, legalization, translation, or a recently issued certificate.

02 · Certify first

Many state authentication offices require a qualifying certified document before they can authenticate the signature or seal.

03 · Preserve the chain

Keep the original certificate, apostille, receipt, delivery record, and any translation together in the transaction file.

Before you pay for a document

Confirm the exact legal name and entity ID in the live public record.
Check whether the status is active and whether a delinquent report must be filed first.
Identify the required date window; some recipients will reject an older certificate.
Choose electronic delivery only if the recipient accepts a digital document.
Confirm whether the document must be certified, notarized, apostilled, or translated.

When the transaction is material, order the document directly from the designated agency or through its official system. Commercial document vendors may add a service fee for an item that the state makes available directly.