Business FAQs

Certified copies

Q1. How do I get a certified copy?

A1. Go to the Business Organizations page

  1. Search for the entity.
  2. From the Summary page, select "Get certified copies of documents".
  3. Select either “All documents” or the Document # of a specific filing.
  4. The certified copy will open as a PDF image.
  5. You may save the certified copy, or print in either black and white or color depending on the preference of who needs the certified copy.

Q2. How do I verify a certificate?

A2. The certificate will have a confirmation number that can be verified by selecting the “ Validate a certificate” link under the Services heading on the Business home page.

If the certificate is altered or the page count is inaccurate, the certificate is void.

Q3. What if the filing history in my record is missing or inaccurate?

A3. Refer to the  missing, illegible, or incorrectly indexed records FAQ .

Q4. Why does the Certified Copies page show more documents than the History and Documents page?

A4. The History and Documents page may not include all trade name and trademark filings.

Q5. Can I get a Certificate of Fact of Name Change?

A5. A certified copy of the document changing the name from the entity history is available.

Q6. Why are my trademarks and/or trade names out of order or missing?

A6. For some records, trademarks and trade names will appear at the end of the Certified Copy of all Documents.

Q7. Why does my trade name have a date of May 30, 2006, when that is not the original date of the filing?

A7. May 30, 2006, reflects the date the records became a filing in our office by statute. The earlier filed date with the Department of Revenue cannot be certified by this office.

Q8. Why do some certificates for individual documents state “Filed Document with document number,” instead of the document’s title?

A8. Because the statutory names of documents have changed over time, some documents are more accurately identified by their document numbers.

Q9. There are blank pages in my copy, can I throw them away?

A9. For a certified copy of all documents filed, the system will generate a certificate of documents filed with full copies of all documents and a page count; blank pages are included in the page count along with any pages indicating that images are not available at this time.

If the certificate is altered or the page count is inaccurate, the certificate is void.