A California Certificate of Status costs $5 at the Secretary of State. Corporations, LLCs and limited partnerships can get one online at bizfile Online "for a fee of $5," and online certificates "are available within minutes." Most businesses never need one: the Secretary of State says "Businesses do not necessarily need to obtain a Certificate of Status." And only the State issues them: "no private entity can issue these documents."
What it is, and when you need one
The Secretary of State says a Certificate of Status "certifies to the current status of an entity (e.g., active/good standing, suspended, dissolved, cancelled, etc.)": it attests that the business has filed and paid for its annual or biennial Statement of Information and is current on its franchise taxes. You need one when a government agency requires it, for example to register to do business in another state or country, or for a professional or business license. Secretary of State: information requests.
Fake certificates are going around
The Secretary of State warns that fake Certificates of Status are being circulated "from websites and social media messaging applications with payment platforms such as WhatsApp and WeChat," some claiming you must buy one. "These Certificates of Status do not come from the California Secretary of State's office." A business may use a go-between to request one and pay the State's fee, but "No business is required to go through another private entity," and any real certificate can be checked with the Certification Verification tool on bizfile Online. The State's alert · misleading solicitations.
How the State really contacts you
- Mail: every notice carries the California Secretary of State seal.
- Email: from an address ending in @sos.ca.gov (when you first open a bizfile Online account, one comes from @okta.com).
- Phone: only if you submitted a form or asked for a callback.
- Texts: never. The Business Programs Division doesn't send text messages.
- Websites: every one of its addresses contains sos.ca.gov.
From the Secretary of State's own pages, read November 4, 2026.
The fix
- Need one? Only when an agency, lender or licensing office asks for it.
- Get it from the State: bizfile Online, $5, ready in minutes; or the Business Entities Records Order Form to the Sacramento office in person or by mail.
- A letter, text or chat selling one? Check the sender against the list above; the State never texts.
- Report a misleading one to the Attorney General's Public Inquiry Unit, P.O. Box 944255, Sacramento, CA 94244-2550, as the Secretary of State directs.
Rather just ask? Text your question to PJ, a real person in Cardiff, and he answers it. Asking is free. Got a certificate letter or message and not sure it's the State? A real person checks it against the Secretary of State's list and texts you back. Text PJ
Want a human to just do it?
- Letter Fix: PJ pulls the $5 certificate with you on bizfile Online and sends it where it has to go: $25 flat, plus the State's $5, which you pay the State directly.
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"A California Certificate of Status is $5 from the Secretary of State, ready in minutes, and most businesses don't need one. Fake ones are going around:"
More for small businesses: the Statement of Information letter · labor law posters, free · the 4 filings to start
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Questions people ask
How much is a Certificate of Status in California?
$5 online at bizfile Online for corporations, LLCs and limited partnerships, per the California Secretary of State. You can also order one with the Business Entities Records Order Form in person or by mail in Sacramento.
How long does a California Certificate of Status take?
Online, the Secretary of State says certificates of status are available within minutes.
Do I need a Certificate of Status in California?
Not necessarily. The Secretary of State says businesses need one when a government agency requires it, for example to register to do business in another state or country, or for a professional or business license.
Is a Certificate of Status letter or text a scam?
A Certificate of Status only comes from the California Secretary of State. It warns that fake certificates are circulating through websites and messaging apps like WhatsApp and WeChat, and it never sends text messages.
Can a company get a Certificate of Status for me?
A business may use an intermediary to request one and pay the State's fee, but no private entity can issue it, and the Secretary of State says no business is required to go through one.
How do I check that a Certificate of Status is real?
Use the Secretary of State's Certification Verification tool on bizfile Online.
What does a Certificate of Status show?
The entity's current status with the Secretary of State: active or good standing, suspended, dissolved, cancelled and so on.
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