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

Maryland SDAT offers a Certificate of Good Standing through Business Express. The current fee schedule lists $20.00 for a standard certificate and $50.00 for an expedited certificate, with a long-form certificate carrying route-specific charges. Online certificates can be downloaded after issuance; paper delivery adds time. A certificate does not certify Maryland tax or personal-property compliance unless the specific certificate says so.

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Certified records

Charter and filing copies

Maryland's SDAT schedule generally charges $25.00 domestic or $100.00 foreign for certified charter-related documents, with $50.00 expedited processing shown for many document categories; mailed corporate copies can also be $1.00 per page. The exact charge depends on the requested charter, certification, page count, and online or paper route. Use Business Express for the authoritative total.

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.

Maryland apostilles and authentications are handled by the Secretary of State's Division of State Documents/Notary services after obtaining a certified SDAT record; start at https://sos.maryland.gov/Pages/default.aspx and confirm the current apostille instructions. The reviewed SDAT pages did not establish one universal 2026 apostille fee or turnaround for entity records, so verify the fee, address, and drop-off/mail instructions before submission.

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.