Georgia Business Search

A field guide to the public business registry, written beside the official search.

Georgia Business Search

Georgia good standing

Quick answer. Georgia good standing, in ordinary speech, means the Corporations Division still treats the entity as active and registered. eCorp shows that status for free. A certificate of existence is a separate document you order from the Division when a bank or another state asks for proof.

Official office

Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division

Open the official search

Phone: (404) 656-2817

2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE, Suite 313, Floyd West Tower, Atlanta, GA 30334

eCorp search is online. Phone (404) 656-2817 or toll-free (844) 753-7825.

Steps

  1. Read status on the business search

    Search the eCorp business search and read the status on the entity. Active and current on annual registration is the combination most people mean. A dissolved or revoked status is not good standing, even if the name still displays.

  2. Check the registration year

    An entity that missed the April 1 registration can be on its way to administrative dissolution before the status word changes. If the last registration year is stale, do not describe the company as current.

  3. Order the certificate from eCorp

    The business-search instructions say certificates and copies are ordered from the home section of eCorp, not from the search result itself. Have the control number ready. The Division’s fee for that certificate is whatever the current order screen shows.

  4. Match the certificate to the control number

    When the PDF arrives, compare the control number and the exact legal name to the contract. A certificate for a similarly named LLC does not satisfy the request.

Good standing is not a tax clearance

The Corporations Division certificate speaks to the entity’s filing record with that Division. Georgia tax accounts, withholding, and sales tax are Department of Revenue matters. A lender who asks for both needs both. This guide does not cover Department of Revenue letters.

Reinstatement comes first

If eCorp shows an administrative dissolution for a missed annual registration, a certificate of existence is the wrong first purchase. The entity has to be reinstated, which includes the missed registrations and the Division’s reinstatement requirements. Order the certificate after the status returns to active.

Common mistakes

  • Printing the search page and calling it a certificate.
  • Ordering a certificate in the morning and filing a dissolution in the afternoon, then circulating the certificate.
  • Using a registered-agent’s form letter in place of the Division’s certificate.

Questions

Can I see Georgia good standing without paying?

You can see status and registration information on the free eCorp search. A certificate of existence is an order, and the Division charges for it at the rate on the order screen.

What identifier should I have before I order?

The control number. Search the name, copy the number, and use that number on the order so you do not buy a certificate for a different entity.

Does annual registration by itself produce a certificate?

No. Registration updates the public record. The certificate is requested separately after the record is current.

Sources reviewed