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

Indiana calls the document a Certificate of Existence. INBiz's current enhanced-access analysis identifies an $11.00 online enhanced-access component, but the total certificate price and any paper route charge must be confirmed on the live order screen. Online certificates can be downloaded or printed after issuance; mailed requests take longer. The certificate reflects SOS status, not tax clearance.

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Certified records

Charter and filing copies

Indiana provides certified copies and business-document requests through INBiz and Business Services. The reviewed 2026 public extract identifies transaction-specific enhanced-access charges but not a universal flat-plus-per-page certified-copy formula. The order screen should distinguish plain copies, certified copies, and authentication and show the exact total before payment.

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.

Indiana Secretary of State Business Services handles apostilles and authentications; contact information and the division entry are at https://www.in.gov/sos/business/contact-us/. Submit the certified Indiana record, destination-country information, and the current authentication request and fee. The reviewed official pages did not establish a universal 2026 entity-document fee or turnaround, so verify the current instructions before mailing or appearing in person.

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.